Delicate

Cold in California

It was now late November and Serenity had finally adjusted to life in California, for the most part. Kyle was on the road but expected home later tonight. Serenity grabbed the box with Dani's housewarming gift inside. She had gone to Crate & Barrel and gotten an Empire bluetooth record player. Something to add a little character to their home. Dani wasn't very specific with the gifts she wanted so that was what Serenity chose. She got in the elevator and took it down to the parking garage. She got in her car, which had arrived a few days after she officially made the move to Los Angeles.

She put Dani's address in the navigation and headed towards her new home. When Dani, Drew, and Alexa came back, they began the hunt for the perfect house. Craig had found a job about two weeks after Dani and the twins made the move with a large accounting firm based in Los Angeles. The four of them stayed in the house that the hospital owned. The twins had to share the second room. Since Craig also received a pay raise from relocating, they were able to get a house that could fully accommodate everyone.

Serenity pulled up to the house and spotted Ahmed's car across the street. She grabbed the box from the passenger seat and walked up to the door. She rang the doorbell with her elbow and waited. Craig came and greeted her. "That's a great big box you've got. Let me take that from you," he said. Serenity unloaded the box onto him and spotted the crowd. Ahmed was there with his wife Maysoon and their kids. Ibrahim was with his girlfriend Angelique, a nurse that worked at Manner-Meyer. And Rabia was there with her husband, Qasim, and their young daughter. Serenity walked over and greeted everyone.

Since Serenity was the last guest to arrive, Dani gave everyone the tour of her newly purchased and furnished home. The kitchen had granite counter tops and stainless steel appliances with white shaker cabinets. The dining room was large enough for a six person table and buffet. Next to the kitchen was a small dining area with a circular four seater table with an orchid placed in the middle. The master bedroom was smaller than Serenity expected, but Dani had told her that finding a large master was hard in their budget. The bathrooms were quite standard and nothing to rave about. The backyard was larger than Dani had made it out to be. It was clear they had it landscaped before they moved in. There was a set of wicker patio love seats out in the backyard for outdoor seating. Overall, it was a very nice home.

As they settled in the living room, Dani stood by the television stand. "I just want to make a quick speech," Dani smiles. Serenity takes a sip of her grapefruit juice as no alcohol had been served tonight. "I want to thank you all for welcoming Serenity and I with open arms. But I really want to thank you all for being a secondary support system for me. I'm honored to work in such a diverse place with such great people. So I just want to thank all of you for being so great and welcoming and supportive and for coming tonight". Dani sat back down and they all resumed normal conversation.

The conversation was great until Rabia diverted her attention to Serenity. "Where's your boyfriend?" she asked. "He's on the road. He'll be back later tonight though". Serenity had avoided bringing attention to herself because she was the only one there without her partner and it made her feel a little left out. 

Once the crowd had cleared and it was just the Manning family and Serenity, Dani sat next to her on the couch. "So I didn't want to say this with everyone else around, but Craig and I have decided to take starting a family serious," she smiled. Serenity couldn't hide her excitement for Dani. They had become close since moving out to California and confided in one another about personal issues they were dealing with. "I'm so happy for you guys. What's the timeline looking like?" Serenity asked. "Well the twins will be gone come next August so we want to start trying around January. We just want to keep the house occupied," she laughed.

"I'm really excited for you guys. Getting to really know you and Craig over the past couple of months lets me know that you guys will be great parents". Serenity stayed at their house for a while longer until she looked down at her phone to check the time. "I should get going. Kyle will be home in like an hour". Dani walked Serenity to the door and they hugged goodbye. Serenity got into her car and decided to take a shortcut home. Kyle had been away for days now and she was beyond excited to see him.