Cassidy chuckled and wrapped Ellie in a bear hug.
“Beautiful home, E,” Cassidy stated.
Ellie beamed and replied,“Your boy did good.”
“Where we posting up at?” Sloan asked, giving Ellie a warm hug with one arm because she was holding Cassidy’s hand with the other. Ellie laughed at how connected at the hip they were. After all those years apart, she knew that they would be inseparable for a while. It was sickening but also adorable. Love had won.“Shy’s pulling up now. She was trying to find a spot.”
“Okay, cool,” Ellie replied.“We can go in the den.” She checked her watch. They still had an entire hour before the ball dropped.
“Hey, boo!” Shy shouted. She was her normal, bubbly self.
“Hey, girl, we’re in the den, Ellie stated.
“How many shots am I down?” Shy asked.
“None; we just getting the party started,” Ellie laughed.“You know I’m an old bitch. Can’t turn up too early or I’ma be sleep before the ball drop.”
“I’m already anticipating passing out in one of your guest rooms,” Shy warned.
Ellie dodged little kids as she walked through the house.“Brooklyn! You and the other teenagers take these kids to the basement! They in grown folks’business up here!” Ellie stated.
She was grateful for the additional living space. When Loyal said renovated, he hadn’t lied. The basement was finished to the highest of standards. Her home was beautiful, and as her loved ones filled it, she couldn’t be more grateful. He had no clue the gift he had truly given her. The gift was reconnection. She couldn’t remember the last holiday season that was filled with this kind of joy.
“You better than me. I would be going crazy with all this eating and drinking and spilling shit in my brand-new house,” Shy stated.
“It really doesn’t bother me,” Ellie said, looking around at the happiness on all her family members’ faces.“You buy a house like this to live in it. You fill it with memories. You put kids in every room. You host holidays and birthday parties. I want my house to always feel like this. I just wish…”
“You wish what?” Courtney asked.
Ellie’s smile dwindled as she thought of Loyal.“Nothing,” she said. The yearning she had for that man was real. She thought of him every day, but she never called. She hoped to hear from him, but it had been almost a week, and her phone never rang. She had gone back to her world, and he had gone back to his. It was like they had never even crossed paths at all— only they had. They had gotten to know each other over this Christmas holiday, and she couldn’t un-know him. She took a deep breath.“Okay, let’s take shots!” she said, clapping her hands together. Thinking of him would put her in a funk, and that wasn’t how she wanted to bring in her New Year. She stood and went to the bar.“I have a full bar, so pick your own poison and drop your keys in the bucket if you having more than two shots. Won’t drink and drive on my watch.”
Everyone called out their preference, and Ellie started playing bartender. She passed out the drinks and then looked around the room.
“Everybody got a shot?” she asked. She looked at Sloan.“Sis, what you drinking? You want me to make you a drink instead of a shot?”
Sloan looked like a deer in headlights.
“Don’t say youain’t drinking. It’s New Year’s Eve. You already know we’re partying all night,” Shy teased.
Sloan paused for an awkward beat, and Cassidy sat up in his chair.“You good, baby?” he asked.
Sloan sighed.“Yeah, I umm… Just don’t feel like drinking tonight. We’ve got a drive, but you enjoy yourself. I’m chilling.”
“Oh my god! Are you pregnant?!” Ellie blurted.
Cassidy’s eyes scanned Sloan’s entire body, and Ellie covered her mouth in excitement.
“Wait, what?” Shy asked, stunned.
“Sloan?” Courtney added.
Sloan was visibly uncomfortable as the entire room focused on her. Cassidy was on edge as he commanded her stare. He caressed one side of her face while staring at her curiously.¡°You got something to tell me?”
“You are,aren’t you?” Ellie was so giddy she jumped up and down.
Sloan looked at Cassidy and said,¡°I wanted to be sure before I told you, but I¡¯m four days late.”The look of pure joy that took over his eyes made all Sloan¡¯s nerves dissipate. She was weary to announce this news prematurely because she knew how high risk her pregnancy would be, but his happiness brought her so much relief she didn’t regret it at all.
“Oh mygoddddddd!” The girls shrieked so loudly you could barely make out what they were saying. Sloan’s girl tribe swarmed her, pushing Cassidy out of the way as they celebrated.
