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“There’s never been a more beautiful bride,” I told Aislynn. She stood on the pedestal in her wedding dress with pins here and there, places that needed to be tucked and hemmed. Hell, the whole skirt still needed to be lined, but it was incredible. Her team had worked day and night to make her dream a reality, even with the tight deadline.
Yet Ash didn’t look happy.
“It is beautiful.” Ash turned, scrutinizing the gown in the mirror. “It’s not quite right, though. Maybe we need to shorten the train or remove some of the bustles. There’s a lot of work that still needs to be done and no time to finish everything.”
The guilt that had been weighing on me grew heavier.
“No,” Gretchen snapped, throwing a glare in my way. “Come hell or high water, you’ll have the dress you are meant to have. If the queen doesn’t like the new overtime budget, she should have stuck with the original timeline.”
“The queen has no problem footing the bill.” There was no use arguing with her. No doubt we’d be at each other’s throats until the end of time.
The two talked and planned, making small adjustments until things were as perfect as they could be, then Gretchen helped Ash change and left.
She joined me in the armchairs as one of her assistants dropped off a tray of drinks and small snacks before leaving. We each grabbed something small, nibbling here and there.
For once, we were alone. Dominic was busy checking on some things, Nate was with Moore and Tennessee, getting some more practice with our systems, and Grey was dealing with the fallout from O’Bannon’s shitfit. Even Cameron was busy. I was grateful for the alone time. It’d been too long since we’d talked.
“Has your father contacted you again?” The moment I uttered the words, I was reminded that we’d grown up the same. Both daughters of the mafia, born and bred to hold secrets beyond the grave, and Ash had learned how to do it well. If I hadn’t been looking directly at her, I wouldn’t have seen the minute wince. As it was, she said nothing.
Guilt may have held me prisoner in my own head, but I couldn’t just turn a blind eye to something so obvious.
“Are we lying to each other now, Aislynn? I didn’t realize we had reached that point of our friendship.” I kept my voice light, non-accusatory. The last thing I needed was to alienate her.
Another wince, this time noticeable. Finally, she sagged into the chair. “Yes, he has. Sorry, it’s been a source of contention with Cameron lately, so I told myself to keep it quiet.”
I thought about my cousin, who had all but cornered me this morning. “If that O’Bannon prick speaks out of turn to my fiancée one more time, he’s going to find himself six feet under and his son crowned king.”
“I can’t imagine that’s been easy for you,” I told her sympathetically. As expected, she waved me off.
“He’s angry that you took away his spotlight. He’ll get over it or he won’t, but that’s not really my problem. Is it?”
She peeked at me, uncharacteristic fear in her eyes. It made me wonder how much different the O’Bannon household was from mine. Mario had been an asshole, but he was more negligent than abusive. He preferred to put us in our place by reminding us of the power he held. That type of manipulation took tact and patience, neither of which Sean O’Bannon possessed.
“I’ll take care of it,” I promised her.
Ash smiled with relief, reaching over to grip my hand lightly. “I know you will.”
That faith buoyed me. Maybe I hadn’t fucked up her life completely.
“How’s everything with Cameron? Is he treating you well?”
She smiled a little, though she tried not to. “Cameron’s great, maybe too great. It makes me nervous. Men in this life should have red flags, right?”
I thought about my own men, about how long it had taken Greyson and me to get to where we were now. About Dominic’s inability to see me as I was because of who I used to be. About my position being too much for him and for Nate. We’d made it through, though. Well, mostly.
Then there was the possessiveness, the jealousy I saw them try to hide. The over-the-top protectiveness. The fear that it would be too much and one of us would walk.
Were those problems that came from our world or the fact that I was building a relationship with more than one man? Maybe things would be different for Ash because it was just Cameron. Though, thinking of my cousin’s near-feral need to keep her safe, I wasn’t so sure.
“Maybe too many green flags is a red flag, but you also haven’t been around healthy relationships. Neither have I. As much as I want to hope that this is good for you, maybe it’s best to go into it with no expectations.”
“You’re right.” She took a long sip of her drink, looking away as if it hid her disappointment. “Already, I feel like I’m his roommate, not his wife. Maybe that’s all I can hope for.”
Neither of us said anything. While not ideal, it could’ve been far worse.
Finally, Aislynn cleared her throat. “He’s gone a lot, which is nice. The transition between living on my own to living with him has been a little easier with him being out at all hours.”
I didn’t explain what Cameron was doing because I knew my cousin. If he wanted her to know about Joaquin, he would have told her.
