“Chiara!”
“Sorry, cousin-in-law, but we have orders.” She strutted away to join Priscilla by the shoes.
I couldn’t lie. The dress was fire, but it was going to be the only thing I bought.
Five hours and over a dozen stores and countless bad decisions later, I had just sat down to a late lunch with Chiara and Priscilla when a dark-skinned girl who was tall, chic, and svelte entered the restaurant. She drew a lot of eyes immediately as she spoke with the hostess. A white collar peeked out from the top of her short black dress with double-breasted gold buttons. Her long black overcoat nearly swayed around her knee-high boots as she moved. It was a sophisticated look for someone so young, but she wore it with confidence.
I had to give the girl her props. She was bad as hell, and she was headed this way.
“Hey, y’all,” the girl greeted as she sat across from me in the seat next to Priscilla. “Sorry, I’m late. My man was tripping again.”
“It’s cool.” Priscilla waved her off as she studied the menu without lifting her gaze. “We just sat down ourselves.”
The girl nodded and removed her beret. I watched her finger-comb her wig, which fell into soft, long, jet black waves cascading down her back, before her gaze finally fell on me. “Shit!” she shrieked, causing me to glance behind me. “Whereare my manners? You must be Coby! I’m Niamh. It’s so nice to meet Ocean’s girlfriend.”
“Fiancée,” I corrected automatically before I even knew the urge was there. I didn’t bother to take it back or apologize, though, since it was the truth. Niamh was a good sport about it. She seemed genuinely surprised, then confusedly relieved, telling me she’d been innocently unaware and wasn’t trying to be funny. You never knew with some bitches, even family.
“Really? Oh, my God! Congrats! Priscilla and Chiara didn’t tell me how gorgeous you are.”
“She aight,” Priscilla said.
“I know you ain’t talking with them ashy knuckles.” I rolled my eyes, and the cousins all snickered.
“Hell yeah. You gon’ fit right in with us. So are you and Ocean really getting married?” I didn’t miss her quick glance at my bare ring finger.
I asked Ocean why he didn’t have an engagement ring for me, but all he said was that it was almost ready, so I nodded at Niamh with a close-mouthed smile while my stomach twisted nervously. The engagement and moving in with Ocean had happened so fast. It still didn’t feel real most of the time.
I’m pretty sure it was the guilt over my brother being hospitalized because of my fiancé that wouldn’t allow me to fully accept it in my heart. I said a silent prayer that Roshaun was okay and that he would forgive me for the things I’d have to do to keep him alive.
I was still mid-prayer when seemingly out of nowhere, Niamh started sobbing at my confirmation, which had me side-eyeing her ass while Priscilla and Chiara consoled her. “See, I told you everything would be all right,” Priscilla said gently as she rubbed the girl’s back. “Ocean would never let anything happen to you.”
Chiara, who had reached across the table to hold Niamh’s hand, glanced my way and smiled apologetically when she noticed me staring but didn’t offer an explanation.
Okay then.
“Sorry,” Niamh said once she collected herself. “I’m happy for Ocean. I really am. It’s just…stupid family drama.”
I nodded and was grateful when the waitress came over to take our orders because I wasn’t buying Niamh’s story for one moment. I still had fun at brunch, which we mostly spent talking about the wedding that I hadn’t even thought to start planning. Niamh turned out to be really sweet and funny. Priscilla was as dry as ever, but she was surprisingly the first to volunteer her help with the wedding plans. She was the only one at the table who was married, but when I asked about her husband, she rolled her eyes and mumbled that he wasn’t worth discussing. Chiara was a whole vibe with tea for days about everyone in their family. She had a way of telling a story that made me deeply invested, even though I didn’t know who anyone was.
After brunch, we went shopping again, but only visited a couple of stores before Priscilla announced that her feet were killing her.
The driver took us back to Glainne, and the four of us headed up while Ocean’s guards trailed us with my shopping bags in tow. There werea lot. The cousins helped me put everything away inside my enormous closet, which made even Priscilla, Chiara, and Niamh gasp when they entered.
“Girl, what kind of pussy you towing that got my cousin tricking like this?”
“Bitch, please,” I said with a snicker as I dodged Chiara’s question and hung up my seventy-thousand-dollar wedding reception dress that was still wrapped in a heavy garment bag.
Ocean and I hadn’t fucked yet, but we were getting close and…I couldn’t fucking wait.
The anticipation of his weight on top of me and that dick inside me made me smile, but I didn’t want his cousins to think I was a weirdo, so I brushed all thoughts of fucking aside.
The cousins kept me company for a few more hours. We ate the dinner the chef prepared and were talking about heading downstairs to the bar for drinks when Priscilla’s husband—whose name I learned was Tory—started blowing up her phone. Priscilla and Tory had three kids together, which she happily showed me pictures of on her phone, but I was starting to wonder about their marriage. Priscilla didn’t seem happy, and that made me sadder than it should have. I hardly knew her.
“Oh! I almost forgot,” Chiara said as I was walking them to the elevator. “Here.” She handed me a heavy, black metal credit card. “It’s Ocean’s. Tell him we said thanks and give him a kiss for us, please.”
“Okay, boo. Thanks for today. I had fun.”
“Me too!’ Chiara hugged me tightly before dashing into the elevator like the apartment was on fire. “Call us when you’re ready to shop for your wedding dress!” she yelled just before the doors closed and the elevator descended.
