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“I told Conor that it looks like the two of you have a winner on your hands,” Matt said as she walked up.
“Thanks,” Harper replied.
Conor lifted his arm, tucking it over her shoulder, pulling her close. He gave her a sweet kiss on the side of the head. He’d begun seeing a therapist the week after he came clean to them about his panic attacks. The therapist had addressed all his concerns about medication, and he’d agreed to try taking something for antianxiety.
He’d suffered a few small panic attacks since then, but he claimed they’d been mitigated by the medication. And by her and Luca.
The first time he had one while they were there, it had woken him up in the middle of the night. His labored breathing had roused both of his lovers. Conor had tried to get out of the bed, determined to hunker down in the bathroom, but they’d refused to let him suffer alone.
Instead, they’d gone through some of his exercises together, taking slow, deep breaths, doing the three-three-three thing together, talked to him about what was bothering him.
It had passed relatively quickly—something that had amazed Conor—and since then, he sought them out whenever he felt an attack coming on, and they faced it together.
“So someone spill the tea,” Harper said. “The five of you are looking way too serious for a party.”
Liza grinned. “Oh, believe me, after what Matt just told us, we’re about to kick this party up another notch or twenty.”
Harper glanced at Conor, who explained. “Richard Eddington was ousted as CEO of his company. The board discovered he was engaging in some under-the-table deals that weren’t exactly on the up-and-up. It was the last nail in the coffin, according to the chairman.”
“Wonder how they found out about those deals?” Gage asked with a smirk, looking at Matt, who didn’t even bother to play it innocent.
“He and Patricia tried to hurt Liza. That was a mistake on their part.” Matt lifted Liza’s hand and kissed it, drawing Harper’s attention to the big-ass diamond on her ring finger. Matt had proposed a month earlier, and the two were now planning a huge wedding for September. According to Liza, Matt was demanding they make a honeymoon baby. Not that Liza looked too upset by that demand. In truth, given the way Liza’s gaze kept slipping to Willow, Harper would be surprised if the baby-making didn’t start pre-wedding.
“Everything was delicious,” Penny said, polishing off her dessert one-handed, licking the spoon with a contented smile. “Four thumbs-up,” she said, jokingly adding Willow’s thumbs to the count, before Gage gently reached for their sleeping daughter. According to Penny, she never got to hold Willow for more than ten minutes at a time before Gage snatched her away.
“Thanks, you guys.” Harper grinned, then gave Conor a kiss on the cheek. “I’m going to keep making the rounds.”
He gave her a wink, then turned to continue talking to his family.
Harper made her way to the middle of the dining area, where they’d pushed several tables together for Luca’s siblings and their significant others. Tony was at the head, flanked by Rhys and Jess, as Gio, Keeley, and Rafe took one side, and Luca’s sister, Layla, and her guys took the other.
“Thanks so much for the invitation,” Layla said as Harper approached. “We’re having a blast and the food is out of this world.”
This was Harper’s first opportunity to meet Luca’s little sister, who lived in Baltimore, and Harper absolutely adored her and her men, Finn and Miguel, who were hilarious and fun.
“I’m just so glad I finally got to meet you,” Harper said. “Luca talks about you all the time.”
“We’ve all got lots of stories about this one. She was a real handful growing up,” Gio teased.
Layla rolled her eyes. “I was an angel, and you know it. I think you must have me confused with you. You were the one who was no stranger to the principal’s office.”
Tony laughed as he said to Harper, “Gio went through a class clown phase in middle school. One that wasn’t appreciated by his math teacher.”
Gio snorted. “Josh Banks bet me twenty bucks I couldn’t get the humorless woman to laugh. It took me three weeks and four trips to the principal’s office, but eventually I wore her down and won that money.”
Luca walked up behind her, wrapping his arm around her waist. “God. Are you all seriously talking about Ms. Woodward? Still bragging about winning the bet?”
Gio smirked. “Hell yeah! No one in all the classes before or since mine ever heard that woman laugh. I gave my class the gift of a goddamned unicorn.”
Luca snorted. “You and the damn unicorn.” He gave her a kiss on the cheek. “You have a second? Kayden just got here, and he wanted to talk to you, me, and Conor.”
“Sure. Excuse me,” she said to everyone at the table.
Harper followed Luca over to where Conor and Kayden were standing near the front door.
“Hi, Kayden. I’m glad you could make it,” she said, giving him a hug. She’d grown quite close to Luca and Conor’s families and friends over the past four months, all of them welcoming her with open arms.
“I intended to be here earlier, but I got a call that resulted in some last-minute paperwork. I thought you might like to know that Bradley was arrested in New York a couple of hours ago,” Kayden said.
