Dread grips my chest as Nomi crumples on the couch. I rush over and sit beside her, placing my arm around her back.
She lets me.
For now, a knowing voice whispers inside of me.But you both know you’ve fucking ruined it.
Is that all I’ll get? One perfect night with Nomi before it all comes crashing down? While she slept so soundly, I barely slept at all, practically vibrating with the intensity of my happiness. I held her close to me, tucked her into the shell of my body, and nothing’s ever felt so right.
I can’t lose her.
“I promise you, I’m going to make this okay.” My words are too loud, pitched to drown out the nasty certainty buzzing through me that Ican’tmake this okay, and everyone knows it.
Nomi meets my eyes with a distant expression. She looks as convinced as I feel.
“I’ll hire a lawyer—the best. We’ll work night and day to put our case together. When’s the hearing?”
“Two weeks.” Nomi exhales shakily.
“Then we better get to work.”
She nods, then turns to Eve. “Sorry to bail, but I’m not going to be any fun with this looming over me. I need to figure this out.”
“Are you sure you’re okay? Leaving withthis guy?” Eve gestures at me with such comic disdain, I’d feel offended if she hadn’t just made me breakfast.
Nomi’s lips draw up into a sad smile. “Yeah. He’s got to make this up to me, and besides, I love a good grovel.”
A metric ton of pressure lifts from my chest. I sink to my knees in front of her, taking her hands in mine.
“Baby, I’m gonna grovel so hard.”
“Ew,gross.” Eve recoils, then points toward the door. “Get out of my beach house, the both of you.”
“Mybeach house, you mean?” Graham reaches for another blondie, which, bold. “Oh, and can you make us some coffees before you go, man?”
After coffee chores are complete and Nomi hops in the shower, I grab my phone. “Going for a walk—I’ll be back in twenty.”
Graham’s lying in the middle of the floor while Eve findsLive Free or Die Hard, the controversial winner of the Bruce Willis Service Area poll. Neither pays me any attention.
The second my flip-flops hit concrete, I pull up my messages. I consider calling Eric, but he can’t help me with this. I need a special bench of expertise, and a deep one. The fact is, the D’Angelos know everyone, and chances are high that my family’s got a connection we can take advantage of.
I blow out a breath, rejoin the family chat I keep deleting, and draft a multiparagraph explanation of the entire situation, complete with howimportant Nomi is to me, how badly I’ve screwed up, and how desperate I am for this hearing to resolve in our favor. I also throw in a sincere apology for not texting more, just to sweeten the pot. It takes mere seconds before the first text rolls in.
The D’Angelo Family Sex Gods
AUNT EDNA
New phone, who dis
MARCO
HEYOOOOOOOOO
ALDO
Bro, congrats about Nomi! Also, Aunt Edna just OWNED YOU, SON!
MOM
I have a son?
