“At the risk of pointing out the obvious,” Gráinne says drolly, “maybe you should ask him.”
“I shouldn’t have to ask him!” I shout, and then sink back into the couch cushions at my friends’ alarmed expressions. “Sorry. It doesn’t matter anyway. Like I said, it’s not like women get to have real jobs in the clan anyhow.”
“I’m not sure about that. I want a lot of things for my future,” Gráinne shares. “I’m going to medical school after graduation.” When I open my mouth, she cuts me off. “I don’t know where yet. I take the GMAT in a few weeks and will start applying to medical schools in the fall. I’m hoping for NYU. But, I’ll apply to some other programs in the city as well. I’m still a junior, remember? I have a little more time than you do before graduation.”
“I had no idea you wanted to be a doctor.” I can’t hide my shock.
“I don’t talk about it a lot. Before my father passed away—” She pauses. Swallows. “I didn’t think it would be a possibility. He had other ideas for my future, and questioning him was impossible. But, he’s gone now, and Rowan is all for it. So is Luca. In fact, he keeps signing me up to get information from various medical school programs. Every time I turn around, more information about clinical summer internships magically appears in my inbox. He’s been great. Speaking of which, Luca is another thing I want for my future. And I know what line of work comes with him. As long as I get Luca, I’m okay with that. So, yes, I’ll be a mafia wife.Anda doctor. Hopefully, one day—well into the future—I’ll also be a mother. I don’t have to choose. I don’t believe you will either.”
I’m speechless. A tear runs down my cheek before I can stop it. Is it even possible that I’ve set up some sort of false dichotomy in my mind? Could I get to have my family, a decent husband,andmy career? Could Liam be more than I imagined? Could we be happy together? I hadn’t considered it to be a remote possibility—before.
“I… I…” Nothing comes out. Gráinne moves across the room and tentatively hugs me. However, it’s Stephanie who tightly embraces us both before Elizabeth wraps her arms around us all, so that we are in a big huddle. Then, to my utter embarrassment, the tears start to flow. I haven’t had the good cry that I apparently needed because I’m a snotty mess, and my friends don’t seem to mind one bit. In fact, they grip me tighter. They spend the next several minutes holding me as I sob. All my assumptions. All my plans. It feels good to let it all out.
“What happened?” The deep voice of Gráinne’s fiancé booms across my living room.
We all jerk our heads to look at him, wiping our eyes. I have no idea how he got into my house.
“Hey, baby, why are you here?” Gráinne asks him in a hoarse voice, still pressed against my side.
“What happened?” he repeats tersely. I shudder because, damn, he looks scary. He’s obviously ready to go to war with whoever made Gráinne cry. I realize now that my sobbing set off her own tears at seeing me in pain.
She shakes her head. “I just have the best friends in the world. That’s all.” She gives me a squeeze and him a soft smile before turning her shining eyes to each of us in our little group.
He continues to examine her from across the room. “The door was open.” His eyes find mine. “You need to start locking your door.”
“Um, yeah. Okay.” St. A’s is probably one of the safest places we can be, but I don’t argue. I just want him to stop glaring at me.
Gráinne extracts herself from our gaggle of arms and makes her way to him. She throws her arms around his waist. “Why are you here?” she asks again, as she nuzzles into his chest.
“You weren’t answering your phone,” he accuses. Then, weirdly enough, he takes a deep inhale of the top of her head and seems to breathe out a sigh of relief. “I needed to see that you were okay, Angel.”
She hugs him again then steps back from his embrace. “I’m okay. Really. My phone is still in my purse. I’m sorry to have scared you. The girls and I needed to process a lot today.” At his look of utter confusion, she smiles. “I’m going to stay to help clean up our kitchen mess and then I’ll see you at home, okay? Everything isfine.”
She’s obviously tamed the beast because he just nods and closes the gap to kiss her softly. “Take your time. Sorry to interrupt.” He looks to me. “Lock your door.” And with those parting words, Luca Larozzi leaves my living room. Dear God. He always looks ready to hurt someone.
“Um, wow.” Stephanie chuckles. “We, uh, better lock the door.” She gives a four-finger salute to the empty foyer that Luca just left. For some reason, we all start to giggle. All the stress from the prior conversation gets released in the form of laughter.
“There are some good guys in the mafia.” I smile, looking at Gráinne. She obviously has a guy who would move heaven and earth to keep her safe.
“There are,” she agrees. “And also in the clan. Good can take on lots of forms, Tare. Some may even surprise you.”
I nod. Nothing is as I thought it was, and I feel more unbalanced than before. Whatwouldhappen if I let go of my anger? Could I realize my future dreams while being married to Liam? What if I gave him a chance? I’m still not sure, but the prospect isn’t nearly as implausible as it seemed only a few hours ago.
LIAM
Three days. She waits three days before responding to my text. Seventy-two hours of somehow avoiding me at every turn. Four thousand three hundred and twenty minutes of me getting irritated for absolutely no reason at my brother and my best friend as I wait in purgatory.
Look, it’s not like I thought we’d spend every waking moment together. I knew Taryn would want her own life. She hangs out with the girls, volunteers at a local food bank, and spends a ridiculous amount of time in study groups. I had no plans to interfere in that. I have my own shit to do. But, this is the first time that I’ve felt uneasy about her absence. Her avoidance. I realize the space shouldn’t bother me so much. But fuck. It does. She saw a side of me that most people never see. A side I rarely allow to make an appearance. I may have scared her beyond what I can fix.
I still text her multiple times a day. I gave her space on Sunday, deciding against returning her call. But I reached out on Monday. And on Tuesday. And again first thing this morning because I’m stalkerish enough to know her first class isn’t until this afternoon. Now, she’s the one ignoring me. I tried to lighten things with inappropriate comments about picking up where we left off. About what I want to do to her later—in graphic detail. I regret not finishing what we started in her TV room. If I had it to do over, I’d have slammed the door in her asshole ex’s face and then taken her up to her bedroom. She may not think it would mean anything but I’d just have to prove her wrong.
I have no idea how she feels about that now. My last text was a picture sent at sunrise, the first daffodil that had pushed its way up through the thawing earth, outside my living room window.
Me: Bright spot of beauty in an otherwise gray world. Thought of you.
I figured she’d like that. It makes me sound like a pussy, but I hoped it would balance out all the flirty texts that obviously aren’t working for me. Ididthink of her when I woke up today. That was about an hour ago. Her response, when it finally comes, shocks me.
My beauty: Do you want me to be a lawyer?
