Page 37 of Until Nalia

“I’m good.”

“Still with Cole?” Samson asks, and I shake my head no while feeling Zuri turn to look at me. “What happened?”

“We just decided that long distance isn’t for us.” It’s not completely a lie; it’s also not the whole truth, since I still need to talk to Cole and admit to him what happened with Logan and tell him that things are obviously not working out. It’s not a conversation that I’m looking forward to, but I know it’s one I need to have.

“I’m sorry,” Samson says.

“It’s okay.”

“Do you think that you’ll be able to visit soon?” Zuri asks, changing the subject, something that I’m thankful for since the two of them are just as nosy as Harmony and Willow.

“I’m not sure things are kind of up in the air right now,” Javion says, then adds when he sees how disappointed she is. “But I’ll see if I can take leave in the spring.”

“I’ll see if I can do the same,” Samson tells her.

“Can we have your bedroom if we come?” Javion asks her, and she shakes her head no. “Seriously, you’ll make us sleep on the floor?”

“We have an air mattress you can use.”

“Wow, thanks,” Samson says as they both laugh.

“You’re welcome.” She yawns again, curling deeper into my side.

“Ready for bed?” I kiss the top of her head.

“Yeah,” she mumbles.

“Go on and brush your teeth and get on your PJs. I’ll be in to tuck you in in just a few minutes.”

“Okay.” She yawns again.

“Love you, kiddo,” Javion tells her.

“Love you, pinky, night,” Samson says.

“Love you, too.” She tells the two of them, then crawls over me to get out of bed. When she’s out of the room, I look back at my phone when Javion asks.

“Is she gone?”

“Yeah.”

“Have you heard from Sharon recently?”

“She’s sent a couple of e-mails to Zuri, but she hasn’t called me in a while.” I glance towards the bedroom door when I hear the sink down the hall turn on, then lower my voice. “The last time we spoke, she asked if I could help her hire a new attorney, and I told her I didn’t have the money to do that. She hasn’t called since then, so I think she’s mad at me.”

“You’re taking care of her child and had to move across the US,” Javion growls. “How are you going to have extra money for an attorney?”

“You know how she is,” I mutter.

“Yeah, selfish,” Samson rumbles, and I chew the inside of my cheek. Neither Samson nor Javion has a great relationship with Sharon. Their relationship with her was turbulent growing up, and it hasn’t improved over the years. It didn’t help that Sharon had a horrible relationship with their father, Quinn, or that she used both boys to toy with him, which is something they felt the impact of because it meant that they missed out on time with their dad. And unfortunately, Quinn passed away before either Samson or Javion were old enough to advocate for themselves. And although I know they care about her because she is their mom, there is a lot of resentment there, so I’m not sure it goes much deeper than that.

“Do you two need anything?” Javion asks after a long moment, and I shake my head.

“No, we’re good.”

“You sure?” Samson asks.

“Promise, we’ve got everything we need, we’re settled, and I think Zuri’s happy.”