Does your character have a secret? She ran away from her abusive husband and came to Wilmington.
Would you be willing to have this secret used against them at some point in the future? Yes.
short facts
Born on Christmas Day in Maple Falls, Wisconsin
She has no family she keeps in contact with
Been living in Wilmington for 2 years
A big time bookworm
Earned a nursing scholarship to University of Wisconsin-Madison
A survivor of domestic abuse and is raising her 3 year-old daughter, Leilani.
biography
Malia Woodard was born on Christmas Day in a little Wisconsin town, Maple Falls. It should've been a happy time, but her parents were having money troubles and fighting a lot. Growing up, she found comfort in books. She loved getting lost in stories that took her far away from the stress at home. Even though things were tough, she was smart and worked hard. She did really well in school and got a scholarship to go to college at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She decided to study nursing because she wanted to help people and have a steady job.
After college, Malia started working as a nurse in Milwaukee. She was really good at her job and despite having no contact with her parents, she was happy. That's when she met James Woodard. He was a pharmaceutical rep and swept Malia off her feet. He was charming and promised her an amazing life together. They fell in love fast and got married when she was 30. For a while, it seemed like she had found her happily ever after. They had a baby girl named Leilani five years later, which completed Malia. But soon, things started to go wrong.
When they were alone, James started showing an ugly side. At first, he just tried to control her. But then he started being mean with his words and even hitting her. Malia, like many people in her situation, kept it a secret. She felt ashamed and scared to tell anyone. For over a year, Malia put up with the abuse. It slowly wore her down. She focused all her love on taking care of Leilani, trying to keep her safe from what was happening. When things got really bad, Malia would think about the strong women in her favorite books. Their stories of not giving up when things were hard helped her keep going.
One night, when Leilani was just a baby, James got frustrated and smacked her for crying. It made her realize she had to get out – not just for herself, but for her baby. In the dead of the night, Malia grabbed her baby and ran. She had nowhere to go and somehow ended up in Wilmington, North Carolina. She picked it randomly – it was far from Wisconsin so she'd feel safe, but close to the ocean which felt like a fresh start. There, Malia had to start her life over from scratch. The first few months were really hard. Malia didn't sleep much, always worried James might find them. She had to figure out how to take care of Leilani and make money. Luckily, she found a job as a nurse at Mercy General in Wilmington. She worked hard, often doing extra shifts to make ends meet.
Wanting an even better future, she started taking online classes to become a nurse practitioner. She'd study late at night after Leilani went to bed. Seeing her daughter sleeping peacefully reminded her why she was working so hard. Now after being in Wilmington for 2 years at age 38, her life is so different from what it was. She's a nurse practitioner and people respect her for being really good at her job and understanding of others. Because of what she went through, she's especially good at helping patients who've dealt with hard times or abuse. Leilani is now three years old and full of energy and questions about everything. She's the most important thing in Malia's world. Even though being a single mom is tough, she has worked hard to make a happy home for Leilani. She wants to give her daughter the stable, loving childhood she didn't have.
connections
Coworker at Mercy General who becomes a close friend and confidante
Another single parent she meets at Leilani's daycare
Lawyer assisting with her divorce proceedings
Yoga enthusiasts
Bookworms
Friends
Best Friend
Neighbors in the Masonboro Area
Another transplant to Wilmington who becomes a friend
Neo caught his balance just in time, steadying both himself and the blur of a person who'd slammed into him at daycare pickup. His brain took a moment to process. Oh right, Malia, Leilani's mom from Marcel's class. They'd exchanged pleasantries during morning drop-offs while their kids sprinted to their seats. "Malia, hey. What's got you sprinting through the halls like you're training for a marathon?" The words slipped out before he could stop them, his curiosity getting the better of him. She seemed different today, missing her usual collected vibe. Marcel stood beside him for just a moment before off he went with Leilani, the duo as thick as thieves as ever.
“I'm so sorry!" Being late was one thing, but that news alert about the mayoral candidate had her shook. What if James connected the dots? Neo's teasing comment made her want to crawl under a rock. "My phone died right when I got this super important message and I totally lost track of time." Lying was Malia's superpower these days, right up there with checking under beds and triple-locking doors at 3 AM. But watching Leilani rock her preschool life like nothing bad existed in the world? Best thing ever. "Next time I'll try not to recreate a scene from Fast and Furious in the hallway." That Fast and Furious reference? Big oof. She'd had enough real-life chase scenes to last several lifetimes, and here she was, cracking jokes about them like they were just another Netflix binge.
"I know, right? She adopted my sister and I after she fostered us. Really changed both of our lives." Donnie explained gently. To say that he admired Adela Garcia would be an understatement. She'd been the light he needed after his parents' disappearance, and everyday he realized how different his life could be if it weren't for the woman. "It's really no problem. I know being a single parent isn't easy, I have a close friend that lets my mom take care of her daughter and I know it helps a ton, you know?"
The adoption news made her heart soften. "She's a saint." Her thoughts landed on Leilani, pure and perfect, deserving endless love. She’s grateful Donnie was adopted by a good person. "That's beautiful. Your mom is basically legendary status. And you're so tuned into this parent life. I'm still figuring out how to mom on the daily. It's next level how much work goes into raising kids. Like, who knew goldfish crackers would become my ultimate power move?" Her own story stayed locked away - some chapters weren't meant to be shared. "Your friend really won the lottery with that support team. Must be nice having people you can trust for real."
Amos watched her intently for a few seconds, only looking away to make sure that his attention was still on their children just a few steps away while they were playing and trick-or-treatin'. He didn't know Malia very well yet. That was the truth, but he also couldn't help but feel like they understood each other. It seemed to go beyond their sense of humor and more connected to how in sync they had been since their first meeting. "My face has been there. Several times." Amos responded as if she had lost her mind, but it wasn't a lie. He'd made the list a few times, even when he was younger. "I like a challenge. You don't think I can handle it?" He murmured, grinning gently back at her and definitely letting her know that he wasn't just talking about his reading challenge.
It was endearing, really, how much Malia seemed to want to fight the electric force that was passing between them. Amos couldn't blame her; it could be scary, not only that, but Amos ruined everything. He didn't say it out loud all the time, not to most people, but he wasn't sure of how to really be with someone. Whatever this was between them though, Amos could already tell it was special and something that he wanted to explore more so all he could do was smirk back at her, clearly trying to make it even worse for her. "So you want to friend zone me but then you decide I am very distracting? I don't think I can behave if you keep that up, Mal." His tone was teasing, but there was a lot of truth behind it. "It's going to be fun to watch you try to resist me though. I kind of like it."
Malia's thoughts went wild seeing him look at her and the kids. Her stomach did that weird flippy thing, like when you miss a step going downstairs. He couldn’t have been on People Magazine. He was just trying to flex. She would have to Google-stalk every issue from the past decade to find the answers. "You're totally messing with me. You can’t have been on there multiple times. What's next, you were the cover model?" Her inner voice screamed 'danger' but her mouth kept doing this flirty thing without permission. Leilani became her reality check - like when your bestie grabs your phone before you text your ex. This moment belonged in one of those spicy books, the sort people pretend to buy for their book clubs when we know the truth. Life taught her the hard way that charm could be a weapon, but her brain refused to send that memo to her heart.
"You can handle ACOTAR if you’re into spicy reads. But if this is the first one, that's like saying you can swim before learning to float." His comment zapped through her brain, and her rational thoughts went on permanent vacation mode. "You're way too sure of yourself, but I guess that's what happens when you're in People Magazine several times." The words jumped out before her brain's security system could catch them. "And for the record, I'm not trying to resist anything. I'm just being practical." That lie was bigger than her TBR pile, and she knew it. Her resistance game was weaker than WiFi in a coffee shop basement. "I need proof of these magazine appearances. For research purposes, of course." Her inner voice did that thing where it rolled its eyes so hard they nearly got stuck. She felt like a walking disaster, but in that cute rom-com way where everything works out in the end. Maybe.
cleo was thankful that she managed to meet someone who she really felt as though she could lean on. "you're welcome." she replied, and her face further lit up at the sound of the little girl's squeal. it made her realize how badly she wanted to be a mom but she assumed that wasn't in the cards for her after everything she'd been through. "i hope so." pausing, she lifted her shoulders up in a shrug, "it's going pretty good. i don't have any complaints. what about you? how're you and cutie pie doing this morning?"
Malia couldn’t be more grateful at how Cleo got the whole trust thing. Finding your tribe after everything? That was God-tier blessing material right there. "Living our best life today," she said, cradling her hot chocolate like it was liquid gold. The way Cleo vibed with Leilani made Malia's brain go wild with questions - did her friend want kids too? But nope, that was totally off limits. Some stuff needed its own timeline, for real. "Oh my gosh, Leilani's got this thing now where everything is 'super duper amazing' … she's basically a tiny motivational speaker. Daycare's turning her into this mini ray of sunshine, and I'm here for it."
Isaac notices a teenager with their phone aimed at the scene. The kid's got that viral-hunter gleam in their eye. "You're bang on. It's live right now." His life's taken such a weird turn. Three months ago he was behind decks in New York. Now he's in Wilmington watching a stranger's pants situation become internet famous. "Netflix wishes they had content this good. This is pure improv gold." The scene reminds him of every club mishap he's witnessed. This tops them all. "At least when stuff goes wrong at parties, it's usually just your mates who see it. This poor guy’s got the whole street as his audience." Isaac can't help but laugh at the whole situation. The absurdity of it all hits him. "I haven't had a good laugh like this in a while. I'm Isaac, by the way."
Meeting new people usually meant awkward silence, but Malia vibed with this stranger's energy right away. Looking at the teen who was recording everything made her think about how wild it was that every embarrassing moment now lived forever online. "I'm Malia, by the way, and this is totally going viral," she told her new companion. "This will be going viral. At least when embarrassing stuff happened back in my college days, it stayed in the moment." She thought about all the epic fails she'd witnessed in college that never made it to social media, grateful that her own questionable moments remained safely in the past. "My coworkers are never going to believe this story. If this hits TikTok, they’ll have to."
She knew that children asked questions because the world was vast and they were learning all about it but she could see how that would get old pretty quickly. Expected to know the inner workings about everything and then making it up on the spot. "That's a good explanation. You've got to dumb it down for them and there's probably no point actually explaining anything to them at that age." Maybe when they got older and could understand or retain. "Well, you're better than me because I don't know if I could do the whole parenting thing and still be happy or have the energy to put a smile on my face."
Malia felt seen when the female dropped truth bombs about parenting. "Let me tell you ... this tiny humans are walking question marks. One second I'm explaining rainbows, next thing I'm speed-reading about why cats always land on their feet," she giggled. Parenthood had upgraded her in ways she never saw coming. Leilani's endless curiosity made her want to know everything. Sienna's doubts about having enough in her tank for parenthood struck a chord. "For real ... that's exactly what went through my head before my little one. But kids unlock this hidden energy source you never knew about. I'm out here surviving on naps, making dolphin-shaped sandwiches while naming all fifty states. It's not always sunshine, but those perfect little moments? Worth every second."
alara was admittedly proud of where she was with both her life and with her career, so she couldn't help but to smile when other's complimented her. "i like to think i am. i struggle with some more than others but over all, i'm pretty damn good at what i do." as she mentioned seeing a picture, she smiled further. "i have my sketches in my phone. i'll show you what i have in mind." she pulled her phone out and dug up the sketch before flashing her phone screen in malia's direction. "what do you think?"
She was completely impressed by Alara's confidence - it wasn't bragging, just pure talent shining through. When Alara pulled out her phone, Malia's eyes lit up at the sketch. The design was stunning, way better than anything she could've imagined. "This is amazing! The details are incredible," she said, taking in every line and curve of the costume design. Her mind wandered to her own attempts at sewing Leilani's Halloween costume last year - a disaster involving hot glue and way too much felt. But this? This was art. "You make it look so easy. How long did it take you to get this good?" The question popped out before she could stop herself, her natural curiosity getting the better of her.
"I mean, you do have a child. I am a man that lives by himself and works some really dumb hours. Most days I'll be lucky if I go home and don't have to spend the night at the office. Home rules are easy to follow like that." Bode reminded her with a small shrug. He'd never really dreamed of what most people considered everyone's dream; to own a house, a family with kids, a 9 to 5 job. Bode had always been more eclectic in that sense, where his happiness was more tied to the people that he loved than his dreams. "Thanks, I really love it. I mean, some of the things I see can be a lot but I like helping." Bode admitted with an easy shrug. He had always embraced his career as something he loved to do and to be a part of rather than his job, honestly. It helped to through the tougher times. Laughing lightly at her words, Bode looked up at some of the lightbulbs hanging over them. "I feel like that's very funny because I know people that are taller than me. But while we're here, do you need me to get you any of these?"
While he broke down his house rules, Malia's brain went full autopilot thinking about her wild home situation. His FBI stories should've made her nursing drama seem basic, but he talked about it like it was just another job. No big deal, just catching bad guys and stuff. "Real talk? Having a quiet moment at home is like finding a unicorn. My tiny human brings this energy level ... that's basically cosmic." The lightbulb situation had her feeling some type of way. Accept help from tall buff guy or risk another step-stool fail? Adult decisions were weird. "Actually, yes please. I need two of those round ones up there. My step-stool and I have an ongoing feud." Usually around men, she'd keep it surface level. But he gave puppy energy, it’s easy to open up. When he mentioned his crazy schedule, she related hard. Single parent time management was its own special challenge. "Your work probably has less glitter than mine ... but maybe more paperwork? Actually, the glitter might be worse. That stuff never dies."
the biggest detail that she decided was best to leave out in every conversation was that he wasn't just any blast from the past. he was the father of her first born child but not even nazim knew that. she wasn't sure she'd ever be able to tell him. "not at first. i kind of had to tell him but once i did, he remembered and it was nice catching up. he's a really sweet guy. almost wished my ex husband would have been the hook up and he would have been the husband. is that totally weird to say?"
She couldn't believe what she was hearing from Sloane. Her brain needed a minute to process this total plot twist. "You know what? That makes so much sense," she said. "It's like when you grab coffee thinking you want an iced latte, but then you see someone with a frappe and you're like, yeah - that should've been my order." She kept quiet about her own relationship disasters. Because seriously, who was she to talk when her dating life was basically a Pinterest fail come to life? "I mean, who hasn't looked back and wished they'd picked door number two instead? At least you get a second chance at this. That's kind of magical, right?"
Reyhan was still getting her footing in town. Her four years at Duke meant to she familiar with North Carolina in general, but it had been a few years, and each place had its own quirks. The first step of a successful campaign was to get to know the audience, and to do that Reyhan was going to have ingratiate herself with the locals.
"Hey, sorry — cool if I pick your brain for a minute?" she asked a passing stranger, not giving enough time to answer before plowing on. It was her proverbial 'get as much as possible through the door before it shuts' type deal, and it generally served her well. "I'm new to town, and I'm dying for a halfway decent cup of coffee. Any suggestions? And, y'know, a freebee for your troubles..." She wasn't above bribery, and if they took her up on it, she'd be able to expense it.
Just when Malia was freaking out about her upcoming nursing shift, this woman showed up talking about coffee like it was her job. And honestly, the timing was perfect. A free coffee offer? Talk about a major win. After being in Wilmington for two years, she knew every coffee spot in town like the back of her hand. “I'm big on homemade coffee, but Cozy Cup is straight-up magical." The chairs were beyond amazing, and the place had this way of making everything better. She'd spent so many hours there trying to get her life together, especially when she first moved. This stranger's whole vibe reminded her why Wilmington was it - people here just got how to make you feel seen. “I’m Malia. Nice to meet you. Did you need directions there? I’m going to pick up my daughter, I could bring you there.”
"Halloween godfather vibes is a new one, though I'm not complaining about the sound of that. I always did like the The Godfather and Nightmare Before Christmas." A bright smile beamed over Miles lips with how excited the two of them looked. He couldn't help but chuckle–all the positive energy would turn anyone's mood around fully. "You're very welcome, Lei. I hope you like those treats." With that, he kneeled down to be at the child's eye level, extending the basket towards her. "Could you make me a small tiny promise? Don't give your mom too hard of a time with these. Yeah? We got a deal?" One hand extended to her tiny one in a handshake to solidify the deal before his gaze shifted to Malia. "You have my word. Look at that, we've started a new tradition here. How do we incorporate a reverse Christmas now?"
Malia was all smiles when Miles started talking about movies - he definitely gets both the scary and the heartwarming ones. Seeing him with Leilani brought out all the good vibes she needed right now. Good friends were everything. "The Godfather meets Nightmare Before Christmas … now that's a crossover I'd pay to see," she said. He pinky promised Leilani about the candy, and she grinned. Anyone who could make her kid feel super special, was angels to her. "Oh my gosh, we could totally do Christmas in July! Like, instead of milk and cookies, we leave popsicles and ice cream sandwiches for Santa." The ideas kept coming. "Is frozen hot chocolate even a thing? It should be, if you ask me." That beverage could totally be one of those things that went viral. "But first, we need to figure out how many of these full-size candy bars I can sneak after Lei goes to bed … for quality control purposes, of course."
Isaac shares a laugh with the stranger next to him, finding it easier to connect over life's random comedic moments. It's easier to joke with strangers when life keeps tossing these absurd moments his way. His quiet nature usually holds him back from making these casual observations. But today feels different. "Belts should definitely be mandatory. Right up there with no shoes, no service." The change between the man's old attitude and how he's doing now is like karma hitting him right between the eyes. Playing at clubs has shown him every flavour of human drama possible, yet this tops his list of entertaining moments. "Long day? At least you got a free show out of it." He's absolutely deflecting with humour. It's easier to joke about other people's mishaps than to deal with the fact that he's still adjusting to life. "Want to bet how long until this ends up on social media? I give it ten minutes tops."
Malia needed this random funny moment after her twelve-hour shift at the hospital. His comment about belts made her whole day. "Ten minutes? I give it five, max. Someone's probably live-streaming this whole thing right now," she said. Talking to this guy was cool - way different from her usual keep-to-herself routine. The no shoes, no service thing got her thinking about all those weird signs at work. “Yeah, totally a long day. But you're right … this free entertainment makes up for it. Way better than Netflix." That little warning bell in her head went off like it always did around guys, but this was chill - just two randoms laughing at life's weird moments. Zero drama. "This guy's giving us something to talk about at parties, at least. He probably won't think it's that funny. Talk about embarrassment that lasts a lifetime."
A laugh left Samira’s lips as she continued to walk along with Malia, her eyes on their girls the entire time as well. “Oh I feel that so much…it’s ridiculous and yet what we do without them?” Samira said with a soft sigh. That was a place where she identified with Malia. Of course their situations were different but being single mothers raising powerful little girls was one thing they had in common and it was why Samira felt such a strong solidarity with her friend. Not only that—but it was another reason why she was so into being her little cheerleader because Mal deserved the world and if she was finally ready to open up her life a little bit to let someone like Amos in—Samira couldn’t be more pleased. “He definitely is one of the good ones,” Samira said with a grin even if she didn’t know Amos too well personally but his reputation among others she knew was quite strong which meant he had to be a standup guy as well. “Of course babe, I’ll always be in your corner, you know this!” She grinned before chuckling at the imagery once more of Amos dancing around to ‘Let It Go’ complete with the right choreography. “I think that’s the way to go—use that as a benchmark to see if he passes the cool test,” she chuckled with a grin before wrapping an arm around her friend. “Just be open to whatever possibilities arise, okay? And of course—don’t forget to tell me how it all goes afterwards.”
This kid was way too smart for her own good - like seriously, who taught her to make spreadsheets comparing prices? Not Malia, that's for sure. “They totally turn into little geniuses when they want the latest gadget." Being around another single mom made everything better, but this blind date drama had her brain going a million miles per hour. "You nailed it, these kids are something else," she said, watching Lei jump around, while Amos was on her mind. Samira swearing he was one of the good guys should've made her chill, but after everything with James, trusting was hard. But wow, having a friend who got it? That was something else. "For real though, you're the best for having my back." The thought of this mystery dude doing a full-on Elsa performance had her laughing for real. "Okay but like, the Disney singing test needs to happen. If he's down to belt out 'Let It Go' with the dramatic hand moves and everything, that's kind of a green flag." When Samira talked about staying open to whatever happened next, Malia's brain went into overdrive mode. "I'll do my best to not overthink it … and you're getting all the tea afterward, promise." Following the girls through the Fright Fest, she tried to look cool and collected. But in her head? Total panic mode about whether this whole dating thing was going to blow up in her face.
Samira couldn't help the laughter as Malia described her bathroom looking like a waterpark gone wrong. That had definitely been something she'd experienced a variation of back in San Francisco with Maya and so she absolutely knew the plight Malia was referring to. It was still all worth it though when she spotted the happiness on her child's face and she knew it must've been the same for Malia with Leilani. That was how parenthood was after all. "Of course, cheesecake is always a good idea." Samira informed her before leaving her phone on the table, just in case any notifications from the delivery service came through. When the topic shifted to Amos, Samira found herself nodding as Malia agreed about the other man's good vibes and how that was a positive point for sure. But as she spoke about her daughter being her priority, Samira could absolutely identify with that wholeheartedly. "You don't have to tell me twice Mal, you know I get it...our kids are always the focus for our lives. But just take it each day as it comes," she told her with a smile. "You never know what could happen, you know? The main thing is...just go at your own pace and it'll flow...I'm sure of it."
Samira totally got what mom-life was all about. For real, someone else got the whole bathroom flood drama. "Spot on about the cheesecake … it fixes everything," she said. Malia had all the intention of taking things at her own pace. Like, yeah, Amos gave off good vibes, but so had James in the beginning. Big nope. The wine made everything look chill, but she knew better. At least Samira was real about it all. Zero judgment, zero pressure - that was their vibe. "Thanks for understanding. Leilani is my focus. It means a lot having someone who knows exactly what it's like." The whole go-with-the-flow thing freaked her out a bit, but whatever. Maybe one day she'd be ready to date again, but right now? Hard pass. This moment was perfect - just two friends being real. "You know what, I feel like watching that new rom-com on Netflix? The one with the bookstore owner?" She pulled up Netflix and got cozy.
Amos found himself watching her with a smile on his face as she defended herself from all his accusations, noticing the way she scrunched up her nose to try to avoid grinning at his actions and words. He wasn't just imagining that things were happening between them, that was obvious but Amos did slow down with his little comments. Their children were just a few steps away and he did enjoy spending time with Malia, enough to decide before their date was over that he wanted to see her again, even if it was just as friends. She was giving him a much needed break from all his overthinking and day-to-day complicated feelings about how his life was these days. "Darn. I guess People magazine lied when they named me one of their prettiest men alive last year." Amos let out as a grin took over his face, his eyes moving back to Cece and Leilani as they hit up another house for candy.
"Oh, I'm curious. This may be just the thing that makes me a reader, well, that and not having anything to do during the day now that I'm retired. Kind of feels like I'm a stay-at-home dad more than anything." He admitted before turning his head to look back at her just in time to see her little wink. So much for him trying to slow down. His heart picked up in his chest at the sight of her alone and he was not ready for that. He needed to focus on being friends, for real. "Cerulean Sea, okay. I'll get the audiobook for that one. But I hate to break it to you, I'm starting ACOTAR first because I am too curious. I may need your phone number to ask questions about it, only questions about my reading adventures, nothing else." Amos joked and then shrugged. "I don't know, I think we just have a thing for each other. But that's just me."
Malia's brain short-wired. Was he in People Magazine? He couldn’t have. She would have noticed. This man was too ridiculous. So he was a total Ken - but People Magazine cute? She would've totally saved that issue and stared at it for way too long if he had been in there. Like seriously, who did this guy think he was with that smile and those jokes? Making her feel all butterfly-ish when she specifically put up a "No Butterflies Allowed" sign. And the worst part? She was starting to look forward to his silly comments. Two years of building walls and this goofball was out here acting like they were made of Jell-O. "You're such a liar … I would've remembered seeing your face in there," she said. She thought of him being home all day, reading spicy books in that sultry way. Bad idea. Very bad idea. "You're going straight for ACOTAR? Bold choice for a newbie reader."
Her heart went into overdrive when he spoke about wanting her number. She tried to focus on watching Leilani and Cece, but her thoughts kept drifting back to him. Talk about a sick joke. A cute single dad had to walk into her life and send things topsy-turvy. He just threw out them having a thing like he was talking about nothing important. It knocked the air right out of her lungs. She was freaking out - let's get that straight - but was also living for it. "Look at you having a high opinion of yourself … you're on your own there, Ken." He wasn't at all. She felt it, this connection. She didn't even have this kind of chemistry with James. Why was this blind date turning into an epic love at first sight moment? She needed to get it together, but her walls were crumbling faster every time he smiled her way. The scary part wasn't that she minded - it was that she kind of liked it. She checked him out - way too long - blinking her eyes to snap out of the trance sugar daddy Ken put her under. “Anyone ever told you how distracting you are? The kids could have raided the cotton candy stall and I wouldn’t have noticed.”
A small grin appeared on her face - seeing Gwen get excited about someone was pretty sweet. "Noise complaints? Okay, now that's wild," she said, laughing. "But, chaotic guys can be fun, right?" She thought about Amos and how easily the goofball can make her smile. "Yes to Oasis ... I need that spa time like nobody's business." A spa day sounded like heaven right now, a chance to finally relax without looking over her shoulder every five seconds. Face masks and massages made her smile, even though a tiny part of her brain whispered she should save that money for Leilani's future instead. She listened as Gwen shared more about Noah. Meeting his kids? That was major. "You already met the kids? That's such a big deal. It's cool you're giving it a chance. For real." Part of her wanted to cheer Gwen on, but another part wanted to warn her to slow down. She was just scared because of her own stuff and she didn't want Gwen to get hurt. "Take care of yourself, okay? But also don't let the scary stuff stop you if it feels right."
“Depending on how chaotic they are.” replied Gwen with a laugh. “Besides, you already have your child, the hospital and its patients, it’s a whirlwind of chaos in itself. If he fits right in, then who am I to judge?” Once Malia agreed to having a spa date, Gwen made a mental note to reconnect with her on what dates work best with her. “Perfect, I’ll let you know when I’m free.” Nodding in confirmation to her inquiry of Noah’s children, Gwen knew she was in too deep at that point. “I hear you and I will, thank you for the reminder.” she softly replied with a genuine smile. “We’ll see where it goes, I’m just…living in the moment.” As she pulled up to the daycare, she then waved at Malia and bid her goodbyes, “You take care of yourself too. Say hi to Leilani for me and enjoy your Malia Morinings next week, I'll see you around hun."
