CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Kerry wiped her hands on her apron and came out of the kitchen when she heard the doorbell ring. Nathan scrambled up from the floor where he was playing with Corinne and hurried after their daughter.
“Tee! Gogo!” Corinne squealed, waddling to the door as fast as she could on her chubby legs.
Kerry laughed. “Yes, darling. I expect it's your Auntie Tia and your Godma. They're early though. Dinner's not ready.”
Nathan grinned and scooped Corinne up before opening the door. “Hi, Tia. Hi, Simone,” he said as he threw the door wide open.
“Hi, Nathan,” Tia and Simone chorused as they trooped in with big shopping bags. They called out cheerily to Kerry and started digging out presents from their bulging bags.
“Corinne,” they cooed in unison. “These presents are for you!”
Kerry shook her head. “It's not her birthday. Her birthday was last week. We had a big party for the both of you, or have you forgotten already?”
“I didn't forget,” Tia replied with a grin. “How could I forget? You baked me and Corinne the biggest cake ever!”
Kerry clucked her tongue as Simone and Tia continued fishing out presents from their bags. “You'll spoil her,” Kerry huffed. “That's too many presents...”
“A superhero can never have too many presents,” Tia snorted.
“She's one year old,” Kerry countered.
“Are you saying that she's too young to be a superhero? That's ageism, Kerry,” Tia answered, wagging her finger at her sister.
Tia rubbed noses with her niece and declared affectionately, “You are my hero forever! You saved my life, sweetheart.”
Nathan kissed his daughter on the top of her head and handed Corinne over to her adoring aunt and godmother. Tia and Simone took turns hugging the little girl and opening her presents for her.
Kerry stood for a while watching Tia and Corinne giggling and playing together. Tia was well now, but she would never forget the stark terror and hopelessness she felt when she thought she was losing her sister. She had seen Tia fading away before her very eyes, growing weaker and weaker as the days passed.
The stem cells in Corinne's cord blood had saved Tia's life. The new cells had multiplied rapidly in Tia's body, building up a robust, formidable army of healthy cells. For a few critical months, a fierce battle raged within Tia's body, as the new cells fought hard to destroy the cancer cells. Because Corinne was a wolf shifter like her dad, her immune system was strong and her cells greatly accelerated Tia's rate of recovery.
After nine months, the cancer was gone. Tia was completely cured.
“We need another room just to store all Corinne's toys,” Kerry said to Nathan when he came to help her in the kitchen. “Our daughter is just one year old, and she has more toys than my sister and I had during our entire childhood.”
“Blame it on her doting aunt and godmother,” he replied, grinning.
Kerry rolled her eyes and glanced towards the hall when she heard Corrine's excited squeals and laughter. She watched Corinne scamper after a wind-up toy on all fours and burrow under the sofa in pursuit. The girl couldn't shift into a wolf yet but she had excellent hunting skills. And she had just learned to point her nose up and let out a small howl.
The little girl had her father's intelligent blue eyes and was tenacious and vivacious. Kerry had no doubt that her daughter would grow up to be a beauty and a spitfire.
And to think that she was born premature…
“Corinne was so tiny when she was born, but look how well she's grown,” Kerry mused with a sigh. “It's good she's so tough. Otherwise, I think I'll lose my mind when she starts dating...”
“Dating?” Nathan thundered. His expression darkened as he splintered the chopsticks in his huge hand. “No one is dating my little girl!” he swore. “I'll eat those boys alive!”
Kerry gave her mate a sidelong glance as she tried to stifle her laughter. And here she was, thinking that she was the overprotective parent. Nathan was worse, way worse than her.
Kerry patted Nathan's tense arm and said, “I'm looking way too far into the future. Relax, Corinne is still a baby...”
“She'll always be my baby girl. And kids grow up so fast,” Nathan grumbled. “Before we know it...”
Corinne appeared at the kitchen door, dragging her new toys behind her. “Dada!” she squeaked, eager to show her dad her new toys.
Tia and Simone came into the kitchen and rolled up their sleeves. “We'll help prepare dinner,” they said cheerfully. “She wants her daddy now.”
The three women turned when they heard Corinne shrieking with delight as Nathan swung her up onto his broad shoulders. Father and daughter had the same mischievous grin on their faces as their blue eyes sparkled with pure joy.
“She's a chip of the old block,” Simone remarked.
Nathan appeared at the kitchen door, holding the wriggling toddler upside down. Corinne clapped her hands and pulled faces while her father held her securely by her ankles.
“That's true,” Nathan said with a smirk, having overheard Simone's comment. “Corinne is a tough, brave little fighter. She protects those she loves and there's nothing she wouldn't do for her family.”
Nathan's smile widened as he said, “She's just like her mother!”