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"Wait, wait," Kim said before everyone could gather their things and leave for the day. She began digging through her bag until she pulled out a stack of pink invitations. "Makayla's birthday party is on Saturday, and she'd love if you all came," she explained while handing everyone one.
"And we'd like it too," Adam added, "There's gonna be nine other kids there on an open beach; some extra adults would be great."
"We'll be there," Kevin said.
Hailey nodded and said, "Wouldn't miss it."
"Pizza, cake, and sea glass hunting, what more could you want?" Kim asked with a smile on her face.
But Jay didn't answer at first. Instead, he looked over at Dante studying the invitation intently. He took a deep breath and put a hand on Hailey's shoulder before turning back to Kim. "We can bring gifts, right?" he asked, "Because Hailey and I were thinking of getting her some drums."
"You bring my kid drums, and I will personally make sure your future kids get musical instruments for every birthday and holiday until they're 18," Kim shot back.
Jay smirked and said, "We'll see."
Kim sighed and finished packing her bag. "Whatever you all get her, she'll appreciate. I want it to be special. She needs to know she's loved and-and that she has a family."
"Kim, we've got her," Kevin stated firmly, "We're her family, but so are you. I know that little girl knows she's loved."
Adam nodded and squeezed Kim's arm. "She's okay," he said quietly.
Kim nodded quickly and sucked in a breath. "So you better all be there," she said, a hint of a smile forming on her face.
Hailey laughed and grabbed her own bag. "We will," she said while picking up the keys to her car. Glancing at Jay, she said, "See you at home?"
He tore his gaze once again from Dante and said, "Yup. Want me to grab dinner?"
"I actually want to make us dinner tonight," Hailey replied, "I was thinking steak fajitas, that okay?"
"That is great," Jay said and slid his hand down her back, "I'm gonna finish something up here, then head out."
Hailey raised an eyebrow and was about to ask, but then she saw his eyes dart over to Dante again. "Okay," she said softly, "I'll walk out with the others."
Jay nodded and stepped away from her. "Torres," he said, clearing his throat, "Let me show you where we keep the rain gear."
"Rain gear?" Adam asked.
"Come on," Hailey breathed and pushed him toward the steps.
Jay winked at Hailey then nodded toward the opposite hallway. Leading Dante away, he asked, "Do you have plans for the weekend?"
Dante shook his head, but held up the invitation. "Just this," he answered.
"Are you thinking of coming?" Jay countered.
"I don't know, I haven't met her," he said while once again scanning the invitation.
"She's a good kid," Jay said as they turned the corner and headed down to the locker room. "But she's had some rough things happen to her," he explained, "Kim adopted her and Adam's stepped in too. They gave her a good life."
Dante nodded and pushed open the door for the two of them. "Where's-"
"You should come," Jay interrupted, "It'd mean a lot to them. She likes making friends too."
Dante stopped and looked around. "I'm guessing there isn't any real rain gear," he said slowly.
Jay smirked and shook his head.
"I can't go, thank you though," Dante said, "I'm sure it'll be fun. Sea glass is cool."
Jay laughed softly and stuck his hands in his pockets. "Come on, man, it's an eight year-old's birthday party. We'd all really like if you showed up."
Dante swallowed a lump in his throat then said, "I'm not her uncle. I-I've never been around kids like that or-or know what to do. I'm not her family."
"Not yet," Jay said, "But you will be. That's what this is. This is family. We want you to be included."
Dante let out a breath and looked down at the ground.
Jay stared at him for a moment then said, "Just think about it. You don't even have to bring her a gift, but if you do, Hailey and I got her a telescope - she's been into space lately according to Adam. Really, she likes anything, but don't feel obligated. You showing up would be enough."
Dante nodded the slightest amount without looking up from his feet.
"All right," Jay breathed, "Well, do you need a warm meal tonight?"
"No, I'm good," Dante said quietly, "Thanks, though."
Jay nodded and said, "Enjoy your weekend," before walking out of the locker room.
The door shut behind him, but he didn't turn to grab it. If Torres came, it'd be a win. If he didn't…there was always next year.
The sun was warm for late September, but it felt good on all their faces. Kim and Hailey had laid out a bunch of blankets on the beach while Kevin, Adam, and Jay tied down balloons. Makayla's friends all showed up a little later, but promptly dropped their gifts so they could walk along the water in search of sea glass, rocks, and shells they deemed fit to take home. They were laughing loudly and splashing around, and everyone swore it was the biggest Makayla had smiled in months.
They had all just finished singing 'Happy Birthday' when the sound of an old car pulled up. Jay looked up from the piece of cake Kim had just passed him and smiled.
"He came," Hailey said softly.
Jay nodded and watched as Dante made his way onto the beach with a purple bag in hand.
"Who's that?" Makayla asked.
"He works with us now, so we invited him here," Adam explained.
"He could use some new friends," Kim added.
Makayla nodded and sat cross-legged on her blanket to eat her piece of confetti cake.
"Hey, man," Jay said and stood up to shake Dante's hand, "Glad you could make it."
Dante nodded and looked around at everyone. When he spotted Makayla, he smiled and walked over to her. "I heard it's your birthday," he said.
"It's tomorrow," she corrected before setting her cake down. Sitting up on her knees, she said easily, "I'm Makayla."
"And I'm Dante," he replied.
"Cool," Makayla said, "Mom said you could use friends, so it's good you came."
Kim blushed and stuttered, "I-she…I just meant…"
"It's okay," Dante chuckled. He glanced at Jay then knelt next to Makayla and passed her the bag. "I got you a present," he said.
Makayla's smile widened as she opened the bag. Gasping softly, she pulled out a brown teddy bear and said, "It's so cute."
"Yeah?" Dante asked, "You like it?"
"A lot," Makayla said. She turned to Kim and said, "Get him cake, please."
Kim laughed softly and said, "You've got it."
"I'll go sit over there," Dante said and nodded toward Jay and Hailey, "But we should talk later. I heard you're a fan of sea glass."
"Yup," Makayla answered. She dug around in her pocket for a second before passing him two pieces. "You can have those, but then we'll look together."
"You got it," Dante said and stood up. "Thanks," he said softly to Kim as he accepted his piece of cake before going to sit opposite Jay and Hailey.
"Thank you for coming," she replied.
"That was really nice," Hailey said.
Dante smiled and looked back at Makayla. She was again engrossed in a conversation with her friends and Adam about the best Disney princess, but she now had her new teddy bear snug on her lap.
"She seems like a good kid," he said quietly.
"And so are you," Jay replied, "Welcome to our family."
"People get kidnapped and shot at and sometimes we fight, but we really do love each other," Hailey joked.
Dante laughed and nodded. "Thanks, looking forward to it," he said before taking a bite of cake.