“I like him,” Celeste says as she piles out of the town car at JFK. “He’s a billionaire—he even smells like one. Definitely not Landon. But I think he’s a good man, Sel. That’s what you deserve.”
“Thank you, Celeste.” I needed to hear that.
“I hope you can come back soon.” Celeste touches her belly. “We’re going to be busy, and so are you. But I’ve already said yes to being your maid of honor, so I’ll be at your wedding for sure.”
“Of course I want you to be my maid of honor, but I haven’t asked yet. Did Griffin?”
Why would he ask her if we were just doing something small?
“Griffin asked. And he’s keeping the rest a secret, so don’t pry. It’ll be before we have our babies, so I’ll see you soon.”
My head spins.That man makes no sense.
“Please,” I say, hugging her. “I know you have to tell Landon I’m okay, but don’t let him know anything else. I want to put that part of my life behind me.”
“I will. See you soon, sis.”
“I love you.”
I watch my family walk into the terminal. Suddenly, I feel both relieved and desperately alone.
25
GRIFFIN
“What an exhausting few days,” I say, sliding into bed next to Selena. She is already nestled in, looking gorgeous, nude, and freshly showered.
“I watched you today,” I say. “With the boys. With your sister. With Scarlett. And I realized something.”
She looks at me, unsure.
“You light up around chaos,” I tell her. “You make it make sense. Maybe I don’t get it yet, but I want to try. For you. For our baby. For us.”
Tears well in her eyes. I know she’s been waiting to hear this.
“It was a relatively pain-free experience for me,” I admit. “I think we should hold off on having three rowdy sons, but one... might be manageable.” I touch her face and kiss her lips.
She rests her head on my shoulder. “You’re better at this than you think.”
“At what?” I kiss the top of her head.
“At being nice.”
She nestles in and falls asleep. While neither of us has the energy for sex, somehow this warm, glowing quiet feels better.
The next day, we attend the Children's Future Foundation Gala. It’s a non-profit that helps underprivileged children attend university. It also provides legal support for incarcerated parents—something I think Selena will appreciate, given her interest in defense law.
“You look unbelievable,” I tell her as she turns away from the mirror.
She is wearing a crystal-covered dress that looks like liquid glass. It’s solid but gives the illusion of being sheer. Her hair is swept up into an intricate twist with crystal butterflies. I had a glam squad come to the house just so she didn't have to travel in case her stomach flared up.
“I have to say, I feel like a princess. A naughty princess, but royalty all the same.” She’s actually blushing.
“You can’t see anything, but I sure wish you could. But then I’d have to murder people left and right for looking at my wife.” I scoop her into my arms and kiss her neck.
We didn’t have sex last night, but I made up for it this morning.
“I don’t even know ifIwant you looking at your wife right now,” she teases. “This morning was a little insane. But I liked it.” Her cheeks flush redder.
