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Watch out World.
Joan was bouncing in place before the Skype call even connected. "Hi, everybody! Hi Cousin Angie!"
Angie waved at the screen "Noni! Abaa de ba do."
Mary waved at the toddler. "Hi, beautiful. Can you say my name?"
"May-ee!" Angie bubbled. "Noni ah ba dee."
Joan's excitement was visible as she clasped her hands and bounced again. "Aunt Cath! Uncle Steve! Guesswhatguesswhatguesswhat" The words tumbled out and her parents laughed.
"You started Annapolis?" Steve asked and Catherine grinned.
"Nooo." Joan held out both hands. "Uncle Steeeeve," she giggled at his usual playful teasing, but was bouncing again in seconds. "Wait, I gotta tell you."
"Okay, this sounds big." Steve adjusted his grip on Angie as she tilted over to pet Cammie.
"It's super big and it's not even silly." Joan threw out her arms and Angie straightened to mimick the movement, making all the adults smile. " 'cause I'm a big girl!"
"Nothing that's got you this excited is silly, Sweetie. We can't wait to hear," Catherine clapped and Joan's smile got impossibly bigger.
She glanced over her shoulder. "Ready, Daddy?"
Aaron lifted a 20 x 20 piece of posterboard, its blank side towards the laptop screen. "Ready, Pumpkin."
Joan made a sweeping gesture. "Ta da! I'm getting a new room," she announced as Aaron flipped the posterboard. "And look, it's a princess room!" She did a little dance in place.
"That's … a lot of pink, Joanie. " Steve grinned at his brother in law. "Definitely a princess room."
"It's beautiful, sweetie," Catherine added. "Oh, is that a stuffed animal hammock?"
"Yes!" The little girl nodded emphatically at her favorite aunt's recognition. In the drawing, a 'swing' of pink tulle-like material attached between corners. It would hold most of her stuffed toys. "My friend Tamika has one just like it. But hers is purple, 'cause that's her fav'rite color. Avery's favorite color is red, like Jacob."
"Peanut, tell Aunt Cath and Uncle Steve about your new furniture," Mary guided before Joan got too far off track.
"It's big girl furniture." She pointed to the CAD image on the board. "My dresser's got six drawers and a mirror. With lights."
"Ohhh, pretty," Catherine commented as she exchanged a look with Mary. "What else?"
"And it's white, 'cause lots of princesses have white bedrooms and I can use it til I'm grown up. Right Mama?"
"Right," Mary confirmed, adding "And they don't make pink wood," with a laugh. "It's called cottage white and it's pretty traditional so she won't outgrow it." She told Catherine.
"When does this project start?" Steve picked up Angie's aardvark and she hugged it before holding it out to show her family on the screen.
"This coming weekend," Aaron said with a nod. The new furniture comes on Wednesday so Dad is going to help us move the furniture out and paint on Saturday."
"I'm sleeping at Aunt Lyssa's and me an' Avery are gonna make cookies with her and Gramma Sue 'cause paint smells aren't good for kids."
"Good idea, away from any fumes," Steve nodded his agreement. "Even Zero-VOC formulations contain some small amounts of toxins," he said to Mary and Aaron.
Catherine squeezed his knee. He'd done copious amounts of research before they painted the nursery.
Mary smiled at the exchange. "So while we were in the furniture store, your niece decided her new bed needed a special feature…" She grinned at her brother.
"What kind of …" Steve began.
"A cousin bed!" Joan announced and threw up both arms. "Cousin Angie, wait til you see it."
Mary snagged her around the waist and pulled her closer to where she was on the sofa for a hug. Resting her chin on Joan's shoulder, her arms around her snugly, she said, "Tell Uncle Steve and Aunt Cath why you wanted the special bed."
Joan smiled when her mom nuzzled her cheek. "For Cousin Angie. It's a sleepover bed."
Steve raised his brows. "A what?"
"A trundle bed." Aaron grinned at his daughter's enthusiasm. "What did you tell the lady in the store, Pumpkin?"
"That I wanted that bed like the one there." She spun in place and clapped. "It hides under your regular bed and then it pops out," she made a popping gesture as she explained.
"She totally charmed Nicole, our salesperson." Aaron looked at her proudly. "Then when Nicole said they were very popular with pre-teens for slumber parties, Joan got even more excited." He and Mary grinned at the memory.
"And she explained she needed a trundle bed …" Mary indicated Joan should finish with a little gesture at the laptop.
The little girl smiled broadly. "Cause I need it for when my cousin Angie sleeps over."
Hearing her name, Angie said, "Noni EEEEE!" and flapped both arms.
Steve reflexively snatched the aardvark she sent flying without even blinking and handed it back as Catherine said, "Ohh, Joan," and kissed Angie's cheek. "That's the sweetest thing ever. Say thank you to Joan for being such a wonderful big cousin."
"Noni ahhh bah!" Angie announced and lifted her aardvark towards the screen with both hands.
"You're the best, Joanie," Steve said as he caught his sister's eyes. That they were watery was visible even via the Skype screen. "And you're gonna have lots of visits. Your mom and I promise. Right, Mare?"
Catherine slid a hand to his knee and squeezed as Mary nodded. "We absolutely do." She ran a hand over her daughter's hair.
"Yay!" Joan, oblivious to the depth of meaning behind their words hopped out of her mother's embrace to get closer to the laptop and address the smiling toddler. "And we can have 'ventures and go to Disney and be princesses together and you can sleep at my house in my princess room on the cousin bed!"
Aaron and Catherine shared a look. Each knew what their daughters' closeness meant to the siblings who'd been torn apart so many years before and each couldn't be happier that they could recapture some of their childhood closeness through the girls.
"Oooh boy, two McGarretts going on adventures?" Mary teased.
"I think it sounds awesome," Steve said after clearing his throat. "Can we come, Joanie?" He pointed between himself and Catherine, further lightening the moment.
" 'course you can. You know what Aunt Deb says when we have a 'venture?" She covered her mouth and giggled.
"What, sweetheart?" Catherine kissed Angie's hair and smiled softly.
Joan flung out both hands. "The more McGarrets, the more fun."
Mary laughed. "Probably modified from the more McGarrets the more t-r-o-u-b-l-e," she spelled. "Watch out LA and Oahu."
"What, Mama?" Joan only half heard, she was busy making silly faces at the baby to make her laugh.
"You know what I say?" Catherine grinned at her brother-in-law who was already nodding in agreement. "When these two start having adventures…" she motioned between the cousins. "Watch out world."
# End. Thanks for reading!
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