Henry saw his mom and immediately ditched his tie, his little lips forming a pout as he reached out to her, looking all pitiful like his dad had been giving him a hard time. He whimpered softly, "Momma."
Andre loosened his own tie, gave it a quick wrap, and tucked it into his wife's purse. "How about we grab dinner together later?"
"Is that okay?" Mia asked.
Andre nodded.
At lunch, Mia joined her husband and a group of company execs for a meal. She chimed in occasionally, and Andre, being the gentleman he was, always served Mia first before himself.
Henry, holding onto his little snack, was happily munching on his cookies while his parents enjoyed their meal.
The sisters hadn't caught up in days. When the whole family got back to town, they bumped into Jade at the Cedillo family gathering. Mia asked, "What brings you back?"
Molly replied, "Well, thanks to you."
She'd been talking with Chad about how much she loved him and wanted kids. Chad, all fired up, ignored her explanations and even said, "Sleeping in separate rooms doesn't clash with having kids. We can try for a baby first half of the night and then sleep separately."
Molly was so mad she could have screamed and came straight back.
"It's been ages since we saw Leo. Before Anya left, she promised to visit her boyfriend more. When are you free? Shall we go together?" Mia asked. "I got a gift for Leo too."
"What did you get him?" Molly asked.
"A leather jacket."
"On behalf of Leo, thanks, seeing as it's scorching hot outside today." Molly chuckled, then asked, "And for me?"
"A down jacket."
Molly teased, "Thank goodness you married Andre from the Cedillo family. If it weren't for the family ties keeping us three together, we'd have drifted apart ages ago."
That's what best friends do—argue one minute, then gossip the next.
When they got to the misunderstanding, Mia asked, "...so you only found out because Annie told you about Chad?"
Molly nodded. "Yeah, I wondered how she knew I mentioned divorce. I meant to ask her at the squad, but then I heard from the forensic team that Chad's been super busy. I got sidetracked by Chad's stuff and forgot to ask her. By the way, Mia, got any cash?"
Mia handed her wallet to Molly. "Why?"
"Just checking if you've got any funny money."
Mia scoffed, "As Mrs. Cedillo, fake cash? No way."
Molly scrutinized a bill for a while, then said, "Mia, seems like you've got some good fortune."
Mia immediately leaned in.
In the afternoon, Chad, in his police uniform, showed up at the Cedillo family's with his trainee. "Chad, quick, check if this is fake. We found it in Mia's wallet."
Henry noticed his uniformed uncle and raised his little hands, wanting a hug from his cool uncle.
It seemed Henry was starting to remember what his uncle looked like.
Chad's heart melted as he picked up his nephew, hugging him warmly. He really wanted to chat with Henry, but duty called.
Chad examined the bill and handed it to Donnie. "Mia, where did you get this?"
Mia was a bit anxious. "I can't quite remember. It's been ages since I used cash. Last time was when I took Henry out for a stroll, stopped by a fruit vendor, and bought some snacks. The elderly vendor couldn't do mobile payments, so I used cash. It must be the change."
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