“You sure?” Sim asks.
“Yeah, I’ve got it. Hopefully LaSalle will be home soon. Then I can pick his brain. Thanks, guys.”
“Uri texted to say they’re done for the night and all heading home. Except for Misha and his crew,” Val says.
“He’s probably sticking around to eat their bones,” I tease.
“I’m still trying to wrap my brain around the fact that that man told you you were going to be his wife. Not asked, told. Y’all had a lot of crazy going on around here before I entered the picture,” Dean says.
“All things of the past. I’m grateful to Misha for a lot. He’s not that bad when you get to know him.”
“Interestingly enough, she’s right. Once Misha respects you, you have one loyal friend in your life,” Val says.
“No lies told,” Roni says.
“Listen, call me tomorrow; we can do some shopping and have lunch,” Val says.
“Oh, that’s going to be a group trip. Don’t even think about leaving me out. Danny’s little butt loves to talk now that he can. If that little boy asks me why one more time, I’m selling him.”
“Ah, but he has an accent like his daddy and it’s so cute. I love listening to him,” I coo.
“Says the speech pathologist. Girl, please. I’ll send that little man over to hang with you for a day if you love it so much. You’ll be calling me within an hour to come pick him up.”
“And you will come running because that little boy is your world and you’d be missing him,” Val teases.
“Maybe. The little crumb snatcher,” Dean says and chuckles.
“I love you guys,” I say as I start to pull them into tight hugs one by one.
“Love you too. I’ll drop a text in the group chat about tomorrow, so no one feels left out. The more the merrier,” Val says as she’s the last to embrace me.
“Sounds good.”
Roni groans. “Y’all can cancel those plans. Check the training chat. Who told Onyx I was in town? We’re all being summoned to train.”
“Oops, that might have been me. I mean, she’s my mom,” DJ says sheepishly.
“Welp, I guess I’ll see you all in the morning,” I say after looking down at my phone.
Anytime one of the out-of-town girls is in New York, we have mandatory training with Onyx. She says it’s to keep us sharp as a unit. Roni tries to hide whenever she and John fly in. It never works.
“Call me if you think of anything else you need to think through,” Val says after rolling her eyes at her phone.
She will be the first one in the gym, ready to train. So that text doesn’t faze her in the least. She’s probably giddy inside.
“I will. Thanks again, guys.”
“You’re welcome. This was fun. I very much enjoyed myself,” Sim says.
“You know you are welcome to come over anytime, right?”
“I would like that. I will call you for some time in your schedule.”
I smile and nod. Sim has a special place in my heart. Sammy loves her.
After the girls are all gone, I’m humming to myself as I clean up and put everything away. The kids are all in bed for the night. Thank God none of them have any activities in the morning.
I don’t mind when we spend the day together. Running to karate, dance, and piano got to be overwhelming fast. In no time, LaSalle signed all the kids up for at-home private lessons to help out.
