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Trish felt too good against me. Once this was broken, she might escape me again. Selfishly, I wanted all her attention on me. And it was right now.
“Yes.” Her voice was breathy and held a trace of regret that pleased me.
I didn’t want to keep her from her friends. I could endure a meal as long as I got to spend more time with her.
I brushed my lips across hers. “Can we have dessert afterward?”
“As long as Patrick isn’t invited,” she said saucily.
“He isn’t.”
She slid her hand into mine. “Can we start over?”
“No.” I grasped her fingers. “That would mean forgetting our dates. I can’t do that.”
Her steps faltered. “I can’t either.”
For the first time since she’d left me the night before, I felt whole. Like I could take a full breath. As odd as it was to be dependent on someone else, I welcomed it. That was something I hadn’t done since my mother had abandoned us. Trish held so much power over me that the rational part of me screamed to run as fast as I could. But more than that, I liked how she made me feel. Just her hand in mine was worth whatever lay ahead.
“I hope we can take some of that cake you made. Patrick ate all the dessert I had.”
She snickered. “I doubt there will be any left. Sonya’s probably demolished it.”
“We’ll have to improvise then.”
The doorman allowedus entry to the apartment building without hesitation. And when Trish and I walked back into the penthouse hand-in-hand no one seemed surprised.
“I don’t think we’ve met, Andrew.” A stunning raven-haired woman approached me with her hand extended. “I’m Vivian. Daniel’s wife.”
I clasped her hand and nodded in acknowledgment.
“You didn’t learn that hand kissing thing your dad does?” Baker asked, but there was no malice in her tone.Was I forgiven?
“I’ll never be the man he is,” I said honestly.
“That’s Muriella.” She gestured toward the woman in Stone’s arms.
I tilted my head to the side. “Any chance you’re related to Carlos?”
“He’s my brother,” she said proudly. “I hope you’ll stay for dinner.”
“Thank you. I’d love to.”
I glanced over toward the cake to find a large chunk of it missing. I nudged Trish, and she giggled. The sound reverberated straight to my heart.
My phone vibrated against my chest.
“You should answer that,” Trish said when I made no move to check the call.
“I’m busy,” I said, kissing the top of her head. She leaned against me, satisfied that I put her first.
It stopped ringing and buzzed once with a voicemail.
“Check it,” she said.
I fished my phone from my front pocket. Holt.
“Can I take your coat?” Vivian asked. “I apologize, but sometimes it gets a little crazy around here, and I forget my manners. Believe it or not, we’re quite a few short of the entire clan.”
