The kids got to decorate the cake, We had dinner. Yes, Alan really was a great cook. The food was delicious. After thanking him, I took Leon—Ryan—up to our house. I bathed him, tucked him into bed, and then went to my room. I was feeling tired, shaky, maybe a bit overwhelmed. So I took a quick bath, changed into something comfortable, and decided to lie down for a nap.
When I woke up, Leon was already up and in the living room with Maria. He was talking animatedly about the football game they’d played earlier. I joined them on the couch, watching him retell the game moment by moment, full of excitement.
We were still there when a knock came at the door.
Maria went to open it, and in walked Dana.
“Great, everyone’s here!” she said with a big smile.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
“I’m here to invite everyone to dinner,” she said casually.
“Oh, no, no. We can’t possibly impose on your dinner,” I replied, shaking my head. “You already hosted us for lunch. We couldn’t....”
Dana waved it off.
