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“Who is Anastasia?” His eyebrows drew down at the name like he wasn’t quite putting it together.
“My cousin who moved to New York last year,” he explained, still not understanding. “What did he even say about her?”
“That she was your last trophy girlfriend and not to make myself too comfortable,” I said bluntly, and he barked out a laugh.
“Incest aside… he’s an ass. He was trying to shake you up. Are you letting it work?” he challenged, and I let out a long breath.
“Nope, it threw me off for a second because he sounded so sure, but I remembered your warning,” I shot back because I realized he had gotten to me. I hated that, not just because I let him get under my skin but because it scared me. The thought of me not being important to them was what did it. I wanted to be the most important person in their life, as they were in mine. “I’m good,” I admitted, Ky tapping my nose with a grin.
“That’s my girl.” He pulled me back to the dining room, the final bits of insecurity fading as everyone found chairs, two empty ones set aside at the head of the table with Keir and Killian waiting for us.
“What’s wrong?” Keir asked as we sat down, doing a quick glance of the crowd. Only one person was still missing, and understanding dawned on his face. “What’d he do?”
“Cornered her in the bathroom and made up some bullshit about us bringing girls here often,” Ky laughed as he took his seat, Killian snorting out a laugh.
“She’s the first. And last.”
“Exactly,” Ky said, giving me a pointed look. “He even used Anastasia’s name, likely so she’d hear it during dinner and make shit up in her head. He’s an idiot.”
“You’re it, Princess,” Keir said firmly. “Do I need to fuck you here like we did at the club? Mark my territory for everyone.” The horror at the thought of Angelina witnessing that had me choking out a laugh as I violently shook my head.
“Nope, I’m good,” I said quickly, tucking the napkin in my lap and only then realizing Dani wasn’t by me. I spotted her about halfway down the table, flirting with a girl who was blushing and hanging on to her every word. “Seems Dani found someone to flirt with.”
“The woman pulls off a suit better than I do. But I didn’t know that Helena was gay,” Killian said, sounding amused. Dani had insisted on stopping for a change of clothes, but at the time I was being a brat and refusing because they wouldn’t let me go back to the shop. “She’d be good for Dani. Looks sweet but has a hell of a bite.”
“Dani doesn’t settle down,” I told them, feeling a bit sorry for the girl already.
“We’ll just see about that,” Keir said, surprising me. He seemed pretty confident which spoke highly of the girl Dani had snagged.
“Dinner is served!” Angelina’s voice cried out as a row of what I assumed were more family members came out, each holding a huge platter of food. My eyes went wide as I took in all the salad, bread, and different types of pastas she lined the table with.
“I think I’ve died and gone to carb heaven,” Dani said, her voice loud now that everyone else had quieted down, but she didn’t look embarrassed. Instead, she smiled when Angelina beamed and came over to pile her plate full of food.
“Just wait until you’ve tasted my cooking, love,” she said, patting Dani’s cheek. “Eat up.” The last was an order for everyone else, the table descending into chaos as plates were filled. The room immediately quieted the moment the eating began.
“Here, try this one,” Keir said, scooping a few spoonfuls of a white pasta dish onto my plate, knowing I wasn’t fond of tomato sauce. He stabbed a noodle with my fork and popped it in my mouth. The rich flavors were so good that a moan followed involuntarily. It was perfectly spiced, a hint of a kick but subtle enough to not overwhelm.
“Keep eating like that, and I’ll make good on my threat,” Keir promised, but there was no heat behind it. Instead, there was almost something softer, an undeniable fondness in both his voice and his eyes.
Unsure of my place here, I silently observed the conversations around me, and I was more thrown off than anything because it was everyday conversation. Mentions of taking kids to practice, upcoming plans that weren’t mafia-related, and even exchanging ideas on owning businesses.
At one point, Hector came back in the room, his eyes landing on me, a smug smile splitting across his face. Well, until Keir cleared his throat, then he scurried to his seat, taking it and not looking back.
“You could ask Sana about that,” I caught Ky saying proudly, my attention snapping to the woman on his other side. “Sana, this is our cousin Ella. She owns a bookstore across town and was talking about advertising online and expanding her business. She needs a logo and some advice.”
“Oh, I found this website that lets you pick color schemes, and you can even use it to create a logo! It autogenerate
s ideas for you to tweak after you pick out a few example preferences. It’s a lifesaver because I’m no artist,” I admitted, picking up my phone and showing her my website.
“Oh my god, that sounds perfect!” she gushed. “My sister Anastasia helped me before, but now that she’s gone, I’ve been hopeless. Our brother Devin was no help; he’s all about weapons and strategy, doesn’t have time for big sis.”
When she mentioned her sister’s name, I wanted to laugh, but instead, I turned to their uncle and raised an eyebrow. He was unabashedly watching us talk with narrowed eyes, and I met his silent stare, wanting him to know he was caught in his lie.
“Well, anything you need help with, just let me know. I don’t know much I can do, but I’ll help if I can,” I promised.
“I approve. She fits in,” she told Ky, giving me a wink before someone else grabbed her attention.
“She’s right, you know,” he teased, though his cheer fell away when I didn’t hide my sad smile quickly enough. Not wanting to freak him out, I changed the conversation.
