Page 68 of Until Nalia
“Before you ask Cat, you need to talk to your mom,” I remind her.
“I’ll talk to her about it when we call her in a bit,” she agrees.
“If you can’t come this weekend, we’ll plan for another day. The pool will be open for a few more weeks, and you’re welcome to come over anytime with your friend.”
“Okay, cool,” Billie agrees before finishing the last bite of her pizza.
“Can Zuri and I go up and play Xbox?” Coop asks, changing the subject while picking up his empty plate. I look to Nalia to answer since I don’t want to assume anything.
“Yeah, for a few, then we have to go home and do homework,” she tells him.
“We already did homework, and Logan helped us study our spelling words,” Zuri tells her, getting up with her own plate.
“Thanks.” She looks over at me, smiling, and I brush my fingers down her bare shoulder with my hand hanging on the back of her chair.
“I’m going to head up too.” Billie gets up with her plate. “I need to do homework and study my lines.”
“Alright honey.” I move to my feet and pick up my plate and Nalia’s then take the plates Nico is holding while Zuri and Coop run out of the room with Billie not far behind them after dropping their plates in the sink.
Going to the kitchen, I open the dishwasher, and Nalia follows me with a handful of glasses.
“Thanks for getting Zuri and helping with homework,” she tells me quietly, getting close as she puts the glasses in the dishwasher.
“No problem, baby.”
“Did she ask why I wasn’t there for pickup?”
“Yeah, I just told her that you had to run an errand with your parents,” I murmur, and she nods, glancing to the doorway of the kitchen like she’s checking that the coast is clear.
“The lawyer is going to file some paperwork that will help if Sharon decides she wants to try and take Zuri from me for not returning her e-mails,” she says, and all the anger I felt on her behalf earlier comes back full force.
I don’t know her birthmother or understand the dynamics of their complicated relationship, but I do not like her. How she could even suggest that Zuri would be better off placed with some random family because she didn’t get a reply to her e-mails is not just ridiculous, it’s heartless. It also shows how selfish she is.
As a parent, I would want my child or children with people I knew loved them, and that I trusted if I could no longer provide that for them. And It’s obvious to me or anyone who has been around Nalia and Zuri for any length of time just how close the two of them are, and I doubt that she has missed that given she’s spent time with the two of them together.
“Good.”
“I wish I didn’t have to do it, but I know that she’s going to get the paperwork, and that she’s going to be pissed, but…”
“You need to protect Zuri,” I cut her off, and she nods. “You’re doing the right thing, baby.”
“I hope so.” She rubs her lips together then looks over at her parents, who have both joined us in the kitchen. “I do need to talk to Zuri this evening about everything and ask why she hasn’t been e-mailing her mom back.”
“It might not be an easy conversation to have, but it’ll be okay,” Sophie tells her softly.
“I hope so.” She takes the empty pizza box her mom is holding, placing it by the recycling bin.
“She’s a smart kid, just be honest with her,” Nico says leaning back against the counter crossing his arms over his chest.
“I know, I just don’t want her to worry.”
“She’s going to worry anyway,” he tells her gently. “It’s better that she knows everything so she can be prepared if something does happen.”
“You’re right,” she agrees, and her dad’s face softens before he looks over at me.
“I appreciate you suggesting she call me this afternoon. I’m not sure that you’ve noticed how difficult it is for her to accept help.”
“I’ve noticed,” I mutter.
