LITMIR.BIZ

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I think I was out of the country.”

      “Mason is also Katrina’s brother,” Matthew Stallion added as he leaned to kiss his wife’s cheek.

      Katrina nodded.

      “It’s so nice to meet you,” Tierra said as Mason leaned to give her a hug.

      “It’s a pleasure to meet you, as well,” Mason responded.

      Travis shook his head. “This is why we need to have a family reunion.”

      “That and we’ve suddenly got family coming out of the woodwork,” Luke said as he reached for the platter of scrambled eggs.

      His wife Joanne eyed him curiously. “Who’s come out of the woodwork this time?”

      “We have an aunt,” Luke answered.

      “And more cousins,” Mark Stallion interjected. His wife Michelle passed him their daughter, Irene, who eyed her father with large, dark eyes and a bright smile. “Cousins I can take,” the large man continued as he settled the little girl in a booster seat and slid her close to the table. “As long as no one tells me I have another sister I’m good.”

      Phaedra chuckled softly as the table fell silent, everyone remembering the family breakfast where she’d announced her familial connection to the Stallion name.

      Luke shrugged, pointing an index finger toward Travis. “So give us the dirt,” he said as he took a bite of French toast saturated with syrup.

      The former staff sergeant shrugged his broad shoulders. He sighed. “We’ve always had an aunt,” he started as he proceeded to fill them all in, everyone eyeing him intently. “Her name was Norris-Jean. She’s actually the oldest out of the Stallion siblings.”

      “I don’t remember my father or Uncle Joseph ever talking about her,” John said. He leaned back in his chair, his arms folded over his broad chest.

      “Neither did I,” Travis continued. “From what I’ve learned she was much older and had left the family home when the boys were still very young. There was some kind of falling out and our grandparents disowned her. She moved to Utah and never kept in contact with anyone. No one knows why, though.”

      Vanessa laughed as she pulled Tierra’s baby to her shoulder. “You people got a lot of skeletons in your closets!” she exclaimed. “Sisters, aunts, cousins. If you keep this up we might find out I’m related to you by blood!”

      Mark cut an eye at his old friend and nodded in agreement. “Right!” he said with a hearty chuckle.

      Luke laughed. “Oh, hell no!”

      “How’d you find out about her?” Matthew questioned.

      “She passed away last week and her children have been going through her papers. It seems she kept a diary. Her oldest son, Noah, contacted me, looking for my father,” Travis said.

      John Stallion glanced around the table as the family continued talking, everyone shooting questions in Travis’s direction. Excitement fueled the air, energy like a firestorm through the space. It hadn’t been too long ago that their requisite family breakfasts included only him and his three brothers. He’d married first, his wife Marah and her family adding to the mix. In a short period of time he’d seen his brothers and his cousin Travis marry, their small clan growing with wives, babies and extended family.

      Last year they’d discovered they had a biological sister named Phaedra, the news completely throwing all the brothers for a loop, and now the Stallion family tree had suddenly sprouted a whole new branch. John’s head moved slowly from side to side as he pondered the implications. Minutes passed before he refocused on the conversation.

      “I told Noah that we would love to meet him and his family and he suggested we all fly to Salt Lake City for his mother’s memorial service,” Travis was saying.

      “What do you think?” Luke asked, directing the question toward his oldest brother.

      Everyone at the table was suddenly staring at John, awaiting his opinion.

      He met the looks they were giving him and nodded. “I agree. I think we should. They’re our family.”

      “Can everyone get away?” Marah asked, looking around the table.

      “Well, transportation won’t be a problem,” Mason stated. “We can use my plane.”

      John nodded just as his newly adopted daughter Gabrielle suddenly rushed into the room. The miniature hurricane tore around the table, her deep laughter moving them all to smile. Matthew and Katrina’s teenage son Collin raced behind her.

      “Where have you been, Gabi?” Marah questioned, eyeing her daughter with a raised eyebrow. She tossed her nephew a questioning stare.

      “Sorry,” the teenager gushed. “She didn’t want to leave the playroom. I had to chase her and then she kicked me!” He leaned to rub his bruised knee.

      Katrina laughed. “Tell your uncle John he’ll owe you combat pay on top of your babysitting salary.”

      Gabrielle jumped into her father’s lap, a bright smile filling her face. She rolled her eyes at Collin and licked her tongue out at him. John grinned as he pressed a damp kiss to her rosy cheek. “Did you kick your cousin Collin?” he asked, his gaze narrowing.

      The little girl’s eyes widened. She shook her head. “No.”

      Everyone around the table laughed.

      “That’s not funny,” Marah admonished. “Y’all are bringing her into some bad habits, laughing when she does something wrong. She thinks she’s being cute.”

      Matthew laughed. “Don’t worry about it, Marah. When Luke was her age he used to tell lies, too.”

      “I did not!” Luke chimed in as he reached for another slice of bacon.

      “Yes, you did,” Mark said teasingly. “And John used to wear your behind out! Gabi better straighten up!”

      John shook his head, his attention still focused on the bundle of energy in his lap. “We don’t kick people, Gabi, and we don’t ever tell Daddy lies. You always tell Mommy and Daddy the truth, do you understand?”

      Gabrielle blew a deep sigh as she dropped her head against John’s broad chest.

      “Now tell Collin you’re sorry,” her father scolded, “and if you kick your cousin again Daddy’s going to give you spanks.”

      The little girl pouted as she tossed her cousin a look. “Gabi sorry, Collin,” she muttered softly. She turned her attention back to her father. “Gabi wanna go pane ride. Go pane ride, Dada?” she questioned, wrapping her tiny arms around his neck.

      John’s gaze reached out to each of his family members. There was a moment of pause before he finally answered. “Yes, baby girl. We’re all going to do just that.” He gave her a tight squeeze before she jumped out of his arms.

      She scurried to Marah’s side, her arms outstretched. Marah lifted the little girl onto her lap. “Go pane, Mommy! Dada said we go pane!”

      Marah laughed. “We’re going to eat breakfast first, munchkin! Then we’re going on a plane ride so you can meet your new cousins.”

      Vanessa laughed. “More Stallions! Lord, have mercy!” she exclaimed as everyone around the table laughed with her.

       Chapter 2

      Tinjin Braddy navigated his way through John F. Kennedy Airport with his carry-on bag over his shoulder and his cell phone in his hand. As he stood in front of the flight display monitors, frustration painted his expression. The arrival and departure board looked like a grade school chalkboard gone awry. The word Canceled appeared over and over again, much like a punished student’s

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