The answer comes from deep inside, the strongest, clearest part of me. The part that didn’t speak until I got away from my stepmother and Mr. Parker. My life isn’t like it was before. And it will never be again. I love my boyfriends, but I have a few different passports and my own bank account. I have friends from Dreams. If I wanted to get away from Velvet House, I could. I hold Eli’s gaze squarely and wait for him to tell me what they’ve decided.
“We, that is to say, my brothers and I, have always seen ourselves as a family,” Eli says. “A family that is united. Unbreakable. Closer than blood.”
“Of course,” I say.
“But you are the beating heart of that family, Pryntsesa,” Adriano says gruffly. “The world we built before you arrived no longer exists.”
I pinch my lower lip, pulling it down. “What does that mean?”
“It means everything’s changed,” Bobby says lightly. “For the last twelve months, we’ve been moving away from the illegal stuff, selling off businesses we no longer want to be associated with.”
“Going legitimate,” I say, repeating Eli’s words.
“Yeah,” Doc says. “But we don’t just want to benot crooked, Tits. We want to give you the life you deserve. That’s why you’re allowed to pick up as many shifts at Dreams as you want.”
“Allowed?”
Doc rolls his eyes. “Encouraged. Whatever. The point is we want you to make decisions because it’s what you want.”
I let go of my lip. “So I could maybe…open a restaurant?”
“Yes,” Doc says. “But I’ve got alottaopinions about food safety that youwillbe taking into consideration.”
I bring my hands together at my mouth, which has fallen into a wide O. “Seriously! I can have a restaurant!?”
“Of course.” Adriano reaches across the table and rubs my arm. “We will build our new world around you.”
“And our children,” Bobby says quietly.
“Yes, that being said,” Doc raises his glass of vodka to me. “Give me permission to never pull out of you again, Tits. I want babies. Beautiful blue-eyed babies.”
Bobby snorts. “Brown eyes beat blue nine times out of ten.”
“Brave of you, talking like you can get anyone pregnant, you spermless fuck.”
“The baby will have green eyes,” Adriano growls. “January’s eyes are green and mine are green—”
“That’s not how genes work,” Doc says, leaning back in his dining chair. “Anyway, I tested myself last week. I’m blasting boys like it’s my job. We’re talking two hundred and fifty million infour millilitersof cum. You assholes don’t stand a chance—”
“You havenotmeasured that right,” Bobby interrupts. “You’re bullshitting about your jizz the way you bullshit about everything else, you no good, lazy…”
As Doc and Bobby argue back and forth, with plenty of commentary from Adriano and Eli, I anticipate the entire evening being wasted over pointless squabbles. I wouldn’t normally push so hard, but this matters to me. The happiness of my future children—not having children if it means them being unhappy—is too important to let my men behave this way. I need answers and I need them now.
“Guys,” I say, slapping both hands on the table. “Does that mean when it comes to having kids you promise not to be weird and controlling?”
Everyone stops arguing about sperm and looks to Eli. He takes a slow sip of his scotch. “We’re…open to the idea of being less conservative with our views on child-rearing.”
“What does that mean?”
“We don’t know if we can change,” Eli says, looking around at his brothers. “Or what changes are possible, but we vow to try.”
I frown. “I don’t want to be rude but that doesn’t sound very convincing.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, when I first came down to this super-secret meeting, I was expecting a lot more thanwe’ll try. I mean, that’s not very specific. It could mean anything.”
Doc grins. “You’d make a great lawyer, Tits. You sure you don’t wanna go to law school instead of running some food joint? You can be the Busty Brunette Legally Blonde.”
