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“I wasn’t being nice. I really like them and enjoyed having them here.”

“Our little family is turning into a big family,” Vi said.

“A big, happy family,” Cory added, reaching for Vi’s hands as she helped her up.

They drove to the address Ella had texted them and pulled into the driveway. The house was a lighter colored brick, with dark trim and a yellow door that gave it a pop of color.

“Oh wow, this is nice,” Cory said.

“It is,” Vi said.

Cory glanced at Vi, hearing something in her voice. “What is it? You don’t like it?”

“No, it’s not that. I’m just surprised. This isn’t far from the store and it kind of looks like us.”

“Ella knows her stuff and us,” Cory said. “There she is now.”

“She brought Gia with her.” Vi waved as they got out of the car.

“Hey,” Gia said. “I decided to come along and see if this was the right house for y’all.”

Ella shook her head. “I keep trying to tell her that I know what I'm doing.”

“Look at them,” Gia said. “They’re almost as cute as we are.”

Cory and Vi laughed as they held hands.

“You’re opposites attract and enemies to lovers all rolled into one cute couple,” Gia said, using her finger to draw circles in the air in front of them.

Cory smirked. “I have light hair and Vi has dark hair. Other than that we are quite similar.”

“We do like a lot of the same things,” Vi agreed.

“Let’s see if you like this house,” Ella said, unlocking the front door.

They walked into the large open living area. The kitchen was in the back of the space with an area for a dining table.

“I love these open living spaces. There are no walls to keep you from each other. If you need your own space there are rooms down the hall for that,” Ella explained. “Our house is open like this so we’ll be able to keep our eyes on the kids.”

“Kids?” Cory said, looking over at Gia.

“Oh, no. There’s only one in here, but we’re planning to have more.”

“This is wide open,” Vi said, holding her arms out from her sides. She walked over to a large island that separated the kitchen from the living area and ran her hand along the top of it.

“What is it, babe? You seem…surprised,” Cory said.

Vi sighed and turned to face Cory. “I was going to suggest that we live at your house. I was talking to Alexis and she told me how they transformed CeCe’s house into their house.”

“What about your townhouse?”

“I planned to sell it and we could use part of the money to update yours and the rest I wanted to put into the store,” Vi explained.

“What?” Cory couldn’t believe her ears. “That store is already yours, you don’t have to put money into it.”

“I know that, babe, but I want to,” Vi said. “It’s a good investment.”

“The cutest,” Gia said quietly.