The Infamous Ellen James(72)

ADORABLE. So freakin' adorable.

“Cupcakes! How many cupcakes did my Mia eat today?”

Mia holds up two fingers and smiles. “Two! I wanted three, but Miss Ann said no.” Her bottom lip puckers out into a heartbreakingly loveable pout. That one little look has Trent wrapped around her little finger.

“Aw, baby. Next time I'm in Seattle, I'll buy you five cupcakes and you can eat every single one of them. Just don't tell your mom.”

Mia claps her hands excitedly. “Yay! I love you, Uncle Trent! You comin' home soon?”

“Yeah, sweet girl. I'll be coming home for a little bit really soon. We'll have an entire day to spend together.”

“Who's that?” Mia is now looking at me through the screen. “Is that Ellie? I've heard Mommy talking about your girlfriend Ellie.” She giggles excitedly.

Trent laughs and leans to the left, allowing me to get closer to the screen. “Mia, this is my girlfriend, Ellie. Isn't she pretty?”

Mia nods her head several times. “Very pretty! Hi, Ellie! My name is Mia and I'm four” She holds up four fingers, grinning widely.

“Hi, Mia.” I'm smiling back at her cute dimpled grin through the screen. “Four years old? Oh my gosh, you're so grown up!”

“I know. I'm going to drive my daddy's car soon and I have a boyfriend at school and my mommy painted my fingernails pink because she says I'm a big girl!” She holds up her hands to the screen, showing the already chipped pink fingernail polish on her cute little fingers.

“You're such a big girl! I love your pink finger nails—”

Trent cuts me off before I can say anything else. “Boyfriend? No way. My Mia is not allowed to have a boyfriend until she's thirty. What's this little asshole's name?”

“Trent! Language please!” Trent's sister Leah is now standing behind her daughter's chair, scowling at him, while Mia bursts into a fit of giggles.

“Mia is four, Lee! No way should she have a god damn boyfriend!” Trent's response makes me chuckle out loud, and Leah just grins back at me.

“Mia baby, tell Uncle Trent and Ellie good night then go upstairs and get ready for bed. I'll be up in a few minutes to read you a book.” Leah glances down at Mia with a warm smile.

“Good night, Uncle Trent! Good night, Ellie!” Mia kisses her sweet little hand and blows us a kiss before hopping off of her chair, her pigtails swinging lightly as she quickly walks away from the laptop.

Leah sits down in front of the screen, her pretty face in full view. I can now see why Mia looks so much like Trent—Leah and Trent also share an uncanny resemblance. Leah is gorgeous with jet-black hair cut into a short, layered bob, contrasting her sky blue eyes in a very striking way. “Trent, you're right, Mia is only four years old, so I'll stop letting her go for drives in Matty's car and staying out past her one a.m. curfew. I probably shouldn't have been so lax on her punishment when I found beer in her bedroom…” Leah is grinning like the Cheshire Cat, and I honestly think I just fell in love with this woman. She is a total ball-buster, and I love that she gives her protective brother such a hard time.

“Not funny, Lee.” Trent runs his hand through his tousled hair, causing it to become a hot mess of inky-black deliciousness.

“Actually…” I can't help the laugh the escapes my throat. “I think it's very funny.” Trent peers back at me and gives me an annoyed look. Leah starts to chuckle hard on the other side of the screen.

“I'm glad to see my sister and my girlfriend are finding humor in screwing with me.”

“It's only because we love you so much, little brother.”

“Yeah, yeah. Now you're just patronizing me.” His lips quirk up into a smirk.

“So this is Ellie? I'm so glad I get to finally put a face to the name and all of the wonderful things you've been telling me about her.” Leah's eyes lock with mine. “Seriously…he can't stop talking about you. Every phone conversation I've had with him since he got to Charlotte has revolved around talking about how awesome you are.” Her face is beaming with amusement.

“Please don't hold anything back on my account.” Trent flushes with embarrassment as he gives Leah an exasperated look before glancing back at me with a tight smile.

“Awww, you talk about me? You know he started stalking me the moment he stepped foot in Charlotte—” I quickly say before Trent cuts me off again.

“Jesus…” He is shaking his head in exasperation. “I should've known you two would get along so perfectly.” Leah and I snicker at Trent's expense. He's just so damn easy to get riled up, and it seems that we both have a way of giving him a hard time.