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“Okay, so tonight is kind of a write-off regarding the whole revenge thing,” Rosie said. “So I was thinking we have a girls’ night.”
“Girls’ night?” I queried.
“We’ll get dressed up so everyone’s husbands grumble about the outfits, because their wives are just that fucking hot. We’ll go to our favorite, get one tier down from blackout drunk—those of us not preggos of course—and talk about men. You’ll have to share your story about you and Duke because, honey, we’ve been waiting for it. He might not be in the Sons of Templar universe, but he’s the kind of guy who transcends universe, if you know what I mean. He’s been around for a while and we’ve all been waiting to see what version of shit his woman puts him through. I’ll say so far…I approve.” She winked. “We’ll go to Gwen’s place, I’ll kiss my niece and nephew. We’ll pregame, torture Cade a little. Then go out. I’ve got word that every old lady is gonna be there and it’s been a hot minute since I’ve seen all those bitches. It’s gonna be fun. You down?”
This was a lot to process. I’d just had a sit down with the Sons of Templar. That was after driving across the country in twenty hours. That was after sneaking out of the bed of a man I love, leaving behind the only home and family I’d ever truly known without even saying goodbye, because I wanted to inflict vengeance on the man who had my only friend killed.
“Yeah,” I said. “I’m down.”
15
We went to Gwen’s house to “get ready” and pregame—two things I’d never done in high school. I was too busy trying to survive when all the other girls were putting on their prom dresses and planning on letting the football captain take their virginity.
My virginity was long gone by prom. If I’d stayed at one school long enough, I was sure I’d get the reputation of the school slut. As it was, I was never somewhere long enough for a label or to even make girlfriends. I didn’t need a therapist to tell me my sexual exploits at such a young age were connected to losing my father and never really being loved since then.
Yeah, of course they were fucking connected.
Whatever.
The point was, I didn’t have the experience of the blaring music, the clink of glasses and popping of corks—because everyone getting together was cause for celebration, even if they were planning on murdering a crime boss—and just the general atmosphere.
I’d gotten to meet Gwen and Cade’s two children, a girl and a boy, both of whom got all of the best qualities from their parents—and there were a lot to choose from. Looking into Isabella’s beautiful wide eyes and watching Kingston squeal and run away from his aunt Rosie made my womb clench suddenly and unexpectedly.
My thoughts crept away from the beautiful beach house in California to a ranch in Montana. I remembered the family gathered at the hospital, Tanner coming out with wet eyes and a smile that seeped from his very soul.
I thought about a baby with blond curls, with Duke’s eyes, in his arms.
“You with us, honey?”
I jerked out of my thoughts to focus on Gwen. Her hair was tumbling around her face in messy curls, an expertly applied green smoky eye turning her already piercing gaze electric. She was wearing a black bustier and a black leather skirt.
In short, she looked hot, damn hot.
“What?”
She smiled with an empathy that told me she was suspecting what I was thinking about. “Now that the children have been passed on to their grandparents, we’re actually going to have a peaceful afternoon outside, a calm before the storm.” She paused. “But if you’re not feeling up to it, we can call this whole thing off, put on sweats, eat terrible things, watch equally terrible movies. None of yours of course, as they’re all good.”
I smiled. “No, Rosie is totally set on this girls’ night. I don’t think I’d fare well being the reason for it ending.”
“I can handle Rosie,” Gwen said, a hard edge to her tone that told me Gwen was yet another badass woman in this town.
“I don’t doubt it,” I said truthfully. “But it’s okay. This will be good for me. As long as I’m not…intruding?” I couldn’t hide my unease.
It was starkly clear how much all these people meant to each other, what a family they were—bonds of blood and something else entirely. It was intimidating to say the least. I felt like some imposter, forcing myself somewhere I would never belong.
Gwen squeezed my hand. “You stop thinking that shit right now,” she said. “Our group is big. It’s complicated. It’s crazy. But there is one thing always constant about it, newcomers are always welcome. Especially newcomers in the midst of a romance with an alpha male while dealing with emotional trauma and or murderous crime lords.” She paused. “You’re not alone, Anastasia. You belong here. We’ll take care of you.”
