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Could I get up by myself? Yes, but I’ll enjoy the help.

“Emil at least is,” Alastair mutters, falling into step with us as we walk. “It makes sense his son would be too.”

“At least Noor’s family can back up their promises to protect her,” I reply. “Even if it’s from us.”

“Fuck, look at how stunning she is,” Ci sighs. “She’s always been so thin. I think she’s finally starting to gain weight. It looks good on her.”

“She’s always been beautiful,” I rumble.

“You’re not wrong,” Alastair says. “Even when we were too blind to see it, her defiance shone through.”

Turning our backs to the Denton family, we begin to walk toward State Street. We have some plans to make for the Senior Chase happening tonight. It may not be October anymore, but the weather is perfect for a masked chase. Plus, it’s tradition.

We really fucked this all up with Noor, but we still have things to plan as the Devils of the school. Every year, several seniors are chosen to plan the extracurricular activities that the school doesn’t know about.

Since we run shit, it’s on us. We need to make sure it counts.

NOOR

My cheeks hurt, and I can’t stop smiling. Everything is so fucking good today.

“How are your tacos?” Emil asks, pulling my attention away from where I’m happily devouring, you guessed it, steak tacos.

I’m obsessed with them, and all the different ways to dress them up.

Waiting until I can swallow, I blush as I say, “They’re really good.”

We decided to go out to eat after we finished up at the courthouse. The judge was really nice today, and I couldn’t stop crying as he asked the Dentons about their commitment to adopting me. Each of them had such fierce and loving things to say, and Ariyah and Adelina couldn’t stop squealing about how excited they are that I’ll be their sister.

Honestly, I think we all were a mess by that point. The judge had my thick file in front of him for the adoption proceedings, and even he was a little emotional as he finalized everything.

“Have you heard anything about how you did on your GED certification exam?” he asks.

“Actually, I haven’t,” I say. “I’ve been too busy to check.”

Emil gives me a hard look, making me laugh.

“Are you gently suggesting I check them?” I giggle.

“Mr. Emil doesn’t do anything gently,” Liliana snorts.

“Lili, it’s been ten years, are you still going to call me that?” he asks.

“Si, señor,” she replies. “It’s ingrained in me.”

My lips twitch in amusement as I find my phone to login to the website for my results. I don’t have a lot of signal at the restaurant for some reason, so I place it on the table to finish my food while the results load.

“It’s going to be a minute,” I warn him, smirking as I continue to eat.

“That’s fine,” he reassures me. “It’s so nice to see you this relaxed and happy.”

While the immediate family knows I’m pregnant and that’s why I’m gaining healthy weight, we haven’t shared this information with Emil or Rachelle’s mom. Although I’m sure he’d be accepting of the information, a part of me doesn’t believe Alastair, Ciaran, or Draven would live to enjoy tomorrow.

“It’s a good day,” I reply, not knowing what else to say.

“Is Calvin developing some kind of special protein drink, because you’re absolutely glowing,” Emil says, pursing his lip.

Rachelle begins to cough as I cringe, and I silently curse a stream of profanity in my mind. Dammit, man.