Nick shuffled along behind the rest of his family. He couldn't believe that his older sister lived in a dump like this. He looked over at Joe to see his shocked face. Kevin knocked on a warped wooden door at the end of the hall. Amelia opened the door and ushered them into the small apartment with a nervous smile.
"Welcome. My nieces are already here. My brother insisted on staying to meet you all," Amelia said.
Nick let out the breath he hadn't realized he had been holding. It relaxed him to know she had some good family in her life. Her brother Adam walked up placing a protective arm around her shoulders. Something akin to jealousy ran through Nick's body when he saw Amelia relax against her older brother.
"Damn. You do look just like them," Adam said with a grimace.
"Well you always did look more like dad--" Amelia started before cutting herself off. Nick could tell that she was afraid she would upset them by calling someone else dad.
"So you really live in this dump?" Nick asked loudly. He didn't know why but he felt compelled to rescue her from the awkwardness of the moment.
"It's actually one of the nicer buildings in the area. Plus it's affordable," Amelia replied.
"You should come live with us. Kevin and I have a guest house on our property," Dani implored. Amelia blushed and shook her head no.
"It's no use," Adam said. "She won't leave this dump. She's too damn proud of being able to afford her own place." Nick stood silently as Kevin and Dani attempted to talk her into moving.
"Why do you live here?" Nick asked. Amelia looked over at him and sighed.
"My mom went from relationship to relationship when I was a kid. Husband number two wasn't particularly fond of having a teenager in the house. So when I came home from school on my eighteenth birthday he had packed my things in a suitcase and told me to leave," Amelia answered.
"Your mom didn't try to stop him?"
"Keeping him happy was more important to her." Nick thought of his own parents. Unlike his brothers he still lived at home with his parents and Frankie despite the fact that he was already eighteen. Dani asked Amelia to come live with her and Kevin once again, but she said no. Nick couldn't imagine his mom or dad choosing someone over him.
"Come live with us,” Nick said surprising everyone around them. “I mean….I live with dad and my mom and Frankie. I know they would love to have you there. And I know it would relax everyone to know that you’re somewhere safe—“
“Okay,” Amelia said.
[AN: Amelia’s moving in! Maybe she does want to get to know her dad after all.]