“They won’t,” Luciano addresses his sister, giving her his full attention. “My next steps are to make sure this divorce happens as quickly as possible and that Javier stays the hell away from Raina. I’ll call in favors with every single judge if I have to and get the paperwork expedited.” His fingertips brush along the back of my neck, and I turn my head to look at him.
A small smile plays against his lips and his eyes drop down to mine. For a minute, it’s like the entire world fades away. The dinner party disappears into the background, and we’re enveloped into a bubble of just the two of us.
Luciano leans down and presses a kiss against my lips, and my body sighs with contentment.
“Ah! There it is. The first PDA we’ve seen from these two,” Sully practically yells, pulling both me and Luciano from the moment and back to reality.
“If that bothers you, Sully, it’s unfortunate that I don’t care. There will be more where this came from.”
“How can you be so sure they won’t retaliate further, Luce?” Vinnie ignores Sully’s outburst and the fact Luciano stopped talking to her mid-conversation to kiss me.
My cheeks heat at that realization.
“As I said before, Javier had a two-part message for me that night. The first was delivered verbally inside the club, and the second was outside it. Javier is a Spanish nobleman—he won’t get his hands dirty, and at this point, there’s nothing else he can say. He’s pissed Raina left in the middle of his father’s funeral and that was his way of sending us the only fuck you he could manage.”
“We offered him a gun so he could sleep better. He didn’t take it,” Enzo muses from a few seats down. Steepling his hands in front of his face, he leans forward, elbows on the table. There’s a small smirk on his face, and I instantly dig my fingernails into the tops of my thighs to keep myself from biting his head off.
“Why would you refuse protection?” Vinnie’s eyes widen.
Luciano’s nostrils flair with frustration. “Not all of us like carrying a weapon, Vins.”
“And you’re sure I’m the misfit of the group?” Nixon laughs, rubbing the scruff on his chin as he tries to hide his laughter behind his hand.
“You are,” Enzo states plainly before pushing his chair out behind him.
Taking his cue, the men begin to clear the table, and Vinnie suggests we head into the living room. Following her in, I take the seat next to her on the couch and curl my legs beneath me, positioning my body toward hers. Cecilia makes herself comfortable in the oversized chair adjacent to us and immediately busies herself on her phone. Blowing out a steadying breath, I ask my best friend the question I’ve been dreading.
“Are you upset with me, Vinnie? With us? This wasn’t how we wanted to tell you.”
I’msoafraid of her answer. Her approval means everything to me.
Sighing, she grabs both of my hands in hers. The gesture is calming and eases some of my building anxiety.
“I’m not mad, Raina. But how could this happen? You’re married? And now my brother is wrapped up in this, not only as your lawyer, but as your…what? Boyfriend?”
“We haven’t put labels on this yet, but it feels like more than that. I love him, Vins. You know I’ve always had a crush on him.”
“I know. But I also know my brother has never been in a serious relationship, and if this doesn’t work between you two…” She chokes on her words a little, then stops and looks away. Shaking her head, she looks back at me with unshed tears in her eyes. “I can’t choose between my brother and my best friend, Raina. I won’t lose either of you. It’s not an option.”
“I would never ask you to choose. If something were to happen between me and Luce, I would still be here. It would be devastating to still see him, but I wouldnevernot be in your life. You’re my best friend, and I love you. A decade of friendship won’t be wasted over some guy.” I laugh a little, trying to emphasize that Luciano is just another man to lighten the mood, but it makes my heart tighten.
He’s not just some other guy. He’severything.
“I love you, too. It might take me time to get used to it, though. It’s a lot to process all at once—your marriage, my brother representing you, and this husband of yours apparently has it out for him.”
“We should be out of this mess soon. There’s a reason why I hired Luce to represent me.” I squeeze her hand.
“Good. Because I want you both safe. Your niece needs you to be safe.” A smile pulls at the corner of her lips as my eyes widen, processing her words.
“Wait, you found out? It’s a girl?”
“It’s a girl,” she confirms with an excited nod of her head. “I changed my mind about waiting to find out, I realized I was dying to get the nursery ready! A girl—can you believe it?”
Squealing, I fling my arms around her neck and bring her into a tight hug, swaying our bodies as I rub her back. “I’m so excited for you! You’re going to be the best mom.”
“I just want you to be happy, Raina. That’s all I’ve ever wanted for everyone in my life—to have love and happiness.”
From across the living room, the guys stand near the bar cart, drinks in hand, as they pat Sly on the back in congratulations. From the grin on Luciano’s face, it’s clear he and the others just found out, too.
