Page 73 of Unwritten Rules

“Mila, you’ll stay, yes?”

At Henry’s presumption, my eyes find Josie’s across the room. Her mischievous grin is so fucking contagious that I can’t help the smile that overtakes my face.

“Umm…I think I’ll go with the girls.”

“Did you want me to send a driver to bring you back here later?” My brother’s eyes, so like my own, deepen in their green shade with his desire to ensure my safety.

I think he’s still more haunted by the kidnapping of three years previously than I am.

Shaking my head, I shrug off his concern, not wanting him to be plagued by those familiar demons.

“Henry, I’m good. I’ll stay at the penthouse, okay? It makes the most sense.”

His eyes narrow, then fall shut as he shakes his head. He really does see me as some sort of errant child. Bless him.

“Well, don’t drink too much, and could you at least text me—”

“Henry Matteo DeMarco, will you please give it a break? Mila is a grown-ass woman. Come to bed and take care of your actual child. Let your sister live a fucking little.”

My sister-in-law arrives at Henry’s side, Alex in tow, holding a sleeping Sebastian and smirking widely at his best friend’s chastising words.

The man loves nothing so much as to get a rise out of our eldest brother.

“Shit, Liv. Profanities at this hour? He must be really pissing you off.”

Henry deadpans Alex. “And you can fuck right off if you think I’m putting up with this crap of you two tag-teaming me, prick. Piss off back to Manhattan!”

Liv narrows her eyes at her husband, and I choke down a laugh when Alex winks at me over her head. Henry catches our brother’s action, his jaw ticking as his wife lays into him about showing more kindness to others.

Our group chat will undoubtedly see banter aplenty in the a.m.

As Liv berates Henry, Alex tips his head toward the door, silently encouraging me to make a swift exit while he’s so beautifully distracted by my keeper.

While I toss him a wink, Nola and Jo hold up their hands in wordless farewell. Then the three of us quickly and quietly beeline to their car, no one uttering a single word until we are safely on our way.

Josie is the first to crack, slapping her hand off the steering wheel and letting out a loud whoop before dissolving into laughter. Nola and I rapidly follow her, and soon we’re laughing uncontrollably, tears streaming down our faces.

“Ooh, stop. I can’t laugh…any…more.”

Nola manages to choke out the words between giggles, and Jo uses one hand to mop her tears of laughter from her flushed cheek, sobering slightly.

“I think my vagina cried laughing because otherwise, I just peed my pants.”

And we’re off again.

I’d forgotten how much fun Liv’s other two best friends are. They took Liv under their dual wings after she lost everything she owned in a house fire.

And Henry sings their praises almost daily, citing there are no other women besides Liv and me and perhaps his pseudo-mother-in-law, Martha, that he places in such high esteem.

High praise indeed coming from the man who has all the emotional understanding of a turnip.

Though, in honesty, he’s vastly improved since meeting his wife.

It isn’t until I’ve pulled myself together that I realise we’re not on the road back to London, and the country landscape surrounding us is wholly unfamiliar.

“Umm, Jo? I think you made a wrong turn.”

Without taking her eyes off the road, I can see her smirk in the rearview mirror. Beside her, Nola twists in her seat slightly so that she can see me, no doubt to gauge my reaction to whatever plot twist they’re about to throw at me.