Chapter 183 - Nik

One month later

I pulled the door shut to the loft. Made sure it locked behind me. Tali came out of her home across the hall.

"Hey, last checkup. You ready?" she asked.

I nodded. "I was ready two weeks ago, but Jessa told me I'd had too much excitement and that I'd stressed my lungs. She better let me get back to my life."

Tali chuckled. "Just be glad Momma forgave you. Jessa's stubbornness has got nothing on Momma. How did you manage that, by the way?"

I smiled as we walked down to the basement together. I hit the button on my key fob to get my new car started so I wouldn't be freezing my ass off against the leather seats. "I might or might not have given her a complete family tree for both her and Papa."

Tali's mouth dropped open. "How the hell did you manage that?"

"Well, with all the forced down time, what else was I supposed to do?" I shrugged. It really hadn't been difficult. "She came over one day, made me lunch. We were talking about family and what it meant to h