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"It really is warm for late September," I agree, my bare feet digging into the freshly cut grass.
A warm breeze lifts my hair and I feel a deep sense of peace and happiness watching my friends entertain their children a little ways over. Grim and Beast, and Cynthia's three husbands, Arden, Lorcan and Carrick are playing catch with Iris and Faith who are two years apart in age. They're laughing and messing around in carefree abandon. Looking at them you'd never suspect they're five of the most respectedandfeared gangsters in Europe, they just look like any other family enjoying an afternoon at the park.
"It's not how many men it takes to change a light bulb, but how many it takes to cook on a barbeque, " Cynthia jokes as she points at my men arguing over the best way to cook the meat.
I giggle. "They’ve been squabbling for the last ten minutes. By the time they've got the meat cooked through, we'll have passed out from starvation."
"Speaking of passing out," Cynthia says, lowering her voice as she looks over at me from beneath her long brown hair. "How have things been these past few days?"
"Okay. I've been getting more nauseous, but other than that no fainting spells. My guys have made sure I'm kept well fed and watered," I laugh, rubbing my belly over my cotton summer dress. "At least I’m not showing just yet, any roundness can be passed off as a food baby until I'm ready to tell everyone the real reason why I've suddenly started filling out."
"So you've confirmed the pregnancy?" she asks, leaning in closer. I get a waft of fresh lavender and find myself breathing in her scent. My sense of smell is so much more sensitive these days.
"I'm officially eight weeks pregnant," I say with a smile.
Cynthia grins, her smile transforming her pretty face into a beautiful one. Before I met Cynthia for the first time a few years back, I was really intrigued by her story. Daughter of the late Niall O’Farrell, Ireland’s answer to Al Capone, she witnessed her mother’s murder as a small child and became mute from the trauma. It wasn’t until years later she found her voice in the castle of her childhood friends The Masks, then ended up falling in love with The Deana-dhe after they called in a debt she owed them. Her life, and love story, is as complicated as the rest of ours. I guess where we’re all concerned, there was no easy path to true love.
"You know I loved being pregnant with Faith. It was such an easy pregnancy..." Her smile drops as she stares over at her little girl. She's the spitting image of Cynthia, with the same mid-brown hair and sweet smile.
"You okay?" I ask, reaching for her hand and squeezing it gently as she swipes at her eyes.
"Sorry, please excuse me," she sniffles. “I’m feeling a little emotional today for some reason.”
"Hey, it's okay. You're amongst friends."
She sighs, giving my hand a squeeze back. "Sometimes I just wish life had turned out differently for my friend. She was a good woman. So strong."
"Your friend who Faith is named after?" I ask tentatively. It’s the first time she’s opened up about Faith, to me anyways.
She nods. "Yes, that's right. I wanted to honour her memory by naming our child after her. It seemed the right thing to do. In our daughter, I get to see a life lived, not one taken so brutally."
"I can't imagine how painful that was. I'm so sorry."
Cynthia gives me a soft smile. “Me too…”
Her voice trails off and I give her a moment to gather herself, refusing to pry further. I know a little about Cynthia's ordeal with the Skulls from Grim. She told me how Cynthia’s friend Faith, who was also kidnapped by the Skulls, passed away at the hands of those animals. Her men, the Deana-dhe, alongside The Masks, Beast and her uncle Connall rescued Cynthia from them a few years back, taking out the entire gang in one afternoon. That story has become something of an urban legend amongst the criminal underground. No one knows the full details of what happened, apart from the people involved, and it’s probably best it stays that way.
“Anyway, back to happier things. How’s the sex?”
I choke on my lemonade, laughing when Cynthia grins at me. “Pretty insane, actually. I feel perpetually turned on.”
“Pretty sure that’s what I miss the most about being pregnant, that and the wild dreams. Wait until you wake up orgasming, that’s quite the experience,” she says, giggling.
“Really? Wow,” I reply, shaking my head at the thought.
“Especially when you’re not actually dreaming about the men you love…” Her voice trails off as she smirks, looking over at Arden, Lorcan and Carrick who are currently getting beaten up by a four and a five year old, Grim and Beast encouraging them.
“Wait,Beast?” I ask, wide-eyed.
Cynthia shakes her head. “No. Grim.”
I gasp, and we both fall about laughing. Eventually I contain myself enough to say, “Well, sheishot.”
“Really, really hot,” Cynthia agrees right at the moment Grim makes eye contact. She waves, and we both wave back holding in our giggles.
“Is Lena not coming today? I heard her and Gray are an item now,” Cynthia asks.
“They were invited…” I smile over at her, letting her fill in the gaps.
