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God, he was beautiful when he smiled. He trotted down the stairs and pulled me into his arms. “I’m glad you’re feeling better, love.” He kissed me hard on the lips, then hugged me tight, tucking his chin over the top of my head as he squeezed me. “So fucking glad.”
I reveled in the comfort of his embrace. I’d needed the break, to let him take care of me and spoil me.Actually, “Don’t think you’re done spoiling me. I expect the princess treatment for the rest of my life.”
He kissed the crown of my head. “I promise.” With a joyous whoop, he dashed up the stairs to get ready. “I’m glad you’re back, Ginny!” he shouted from upstairs.
I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face. I was happy to be back too. Rian and Liam would arrive around noon. I pushed my worry about my impending heartbreak aside, locking it into the tiny box I hid deep in my heart. Cormac’s steady presence over the last few days hadn’t convinced me that we had a future together, but I was willing to take it day-by-day.
“Where do you want the booze?” Min-joon asked, pushing the front door open with his foot.
“Out by the pool,” I answered, waving him through.
Jeff followed him in, carrying a bouquet of tulips. He was whip thin, and wore a plaid button down over khaki shorts, with white socks pulled up over his calves. He pushed his glasses up on his nose as he peered at me. “These are for you,” he said, shoving them at me awkwardly. I set them on the counter and pulled him in for a hug.
“Thanks for taking Min-joon in for the last couple of days.”
Jeff’s laugh was hearty, breaking the ice. “As a trial run, it worked pretty well. I think he’s going to stay, actually.” The thought wasn’t quite as heartbreaking today as it had been a few weeks ago, or even a few days ago.
An hour later, our guests started to arrive. I’d changed into a bright red sundress, streaked through with gold thread, and liberally applied make-up over my entire body to hide the remnants of my wounds. I’d found that the visible reminders of the violence made folks uncomfortable. Sure, that annoyed me, but this was a party, and I wanted folks to have fun.
Cheryl and Chana arrived first, on time. Very East Coast of Chana, I liked to tease. Chana grew up in New York, and she’d never shed all of her habits.
“You look great!” Cheryl exclaimed, as if she hadn’t seen me every day over the last two weeks to untangle ourselves from contracts with folks who didn’t want to be associated with the mob.
We walked over to the outside bar, where I poured them each a flute of Prosecco so we could toast. “To friends!” Cormac wandered over, looking delicious in jeans and a black T-shirt.
“To friends,” he murmured in my ear, wrapping his arms around me from behind.
As the patio filled with friends, acquaintances, and business partners, my heart filled too. I wasGinevra fucking Russo, and I had built this life with my bare and bloody hands when I left Yorkfield a decade ago. If I had to rebuild parts of it from time to time, I could do it. I would do it. I was going to hold on to these friends with all the strength I had.
A hintof Irish lilt caught my ear, distracting me from pouring yet another glass of Prosecco for Min-joon, who was tipsily teasing me for my relative sobriety. My eyes caught on Liam’s shock of red hair, then met his gaze. He smiled lazily as he made his way over to me. Rian followed, looking good enough to eat in slacks and button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up to reveal the tattoos on his forearms.
“Whoa there, Ginevra,” Min-joon chastised me, as sparkling liquid spilled over the top of the glass. He rescued the glass and the bottle from my distracted hands as I stared.
When Liam reached me, he swept me up in his arms, lifting me against his chest and kissing me. “God, it’s good to see you,” he said against my lips. When he lowered me back to the ground, I dragged his face back down to mine, kissing him with all of the loneliness and desperation of the last two weeks.
Rian stepped behind me, wrapping his arms around me and leaning his head on my shoulder as I poured out my emotions into my kiss with Liam. When we finally took a breath, I leaned my head back toward Rian. He captured my lips in his, with a gentle, tentative kiss.
“I missed you, princess,” he admitted, his voice soft against my ear.
Min-joon cleared his throat from where he stood beside us, watching with avid curiosity. I flushed faintly. Of course. “Min-joon, this is Rian O’Conner and Liam Byrne. May I present my soon-to-be-former roommate, Min-joon Li?”
The men shook hands, sizing each other up. Rian broke the ice. “Thanks for being there for Ginevra, when we weren’t. I really appreciate it.”
Min-joon grinned and pulled me out of their arms to wrap his own arm around my shoulder. “This woman saved me from myself more times than I can count. She’s good people, the best of people.” He narrowed his eyes. “Just remember, the Korean mob is as powerful here on the West Coast as you Irish are on the East Coast. And we’re meaner sons-of-bitches.”
I looked at Min-joon with surprise, and he winked at me. “Go sit with your partners, Ginevra. I’ll host while you catch up.”
My heart was so fucking full, and I was so fucking scared they were going to shatter it back into a million pieces.
“Hey,” Liam began, tilting my face up to his with a gentle finger under my chin. “Stop worrying.”
My answering smile was wry. “Easier said than done.” I grabbed their hands and led them to empty pool chairs under a bit of shade. Cormac caught my eye from across the pool and acknowledged us with a lift of his beer bottle. He spoke with a producer whom I’d invited on a whim when he reached out to me last week after hearing about my poly family. This was Hollywood, and as puritanical as some were, just as many welcomed me into their world with open arms.
“How are you, baby?” Liam asked as we settled. He lounged in the chaise, drawing me against his leg to sit beside him and resting his hands on my hips. Rian sat across from me, our legs tangled up together. It was as if neither of them could bear a second without touching me.
“I’m surviving. Cormac—” I didn’t know how to describe the last few days. “Cormac helped. So much.”
I didn’t know what to say to them because I didn’t know what I wanted. Instead, I wrung my fingers together until they ached. Rian snatched my hands and drew them apart, holding them in his.
