In my gut, I knew that Sammy truly did understand.
And that did not soothe the itch.She shouldn’t know, damn it.No one should have to know.I didn’t wish it on anyone.
Trying to fight to prevent the wall from snapping down, I thought of Ali’s face.Her smile.Her laugh.How those pretty blue eyes softened when she told me she loved me.The intense itch began to ease, and I could think straight again, the threat of the wall descending thankfully fading.Blinking at our surroundings, I realized I’d been following Sammy’s directions without considering where she was guiding us.
“Why the fuck are we back at the warehouse?”I demanded.
“Oh, that.Sorry.I meant to ask earlier, but I got distracted.I’ve been tasked with dismembering Gaviria’s body.It’s one of my favorite parts.Do you want to help?”
“You’re fucked in the head,” I told her point-blank.
She grinned.“So, yes?”
Ali
JUNE
My sister gettingmarried and announcing she was pregnant wasn’t nearly as surprising as Hayat bringing not just one date to the wedding, but two.Only for Maddie’s date to the reception to cut in while Hayat was dancing with one of her new rock star boyfriends and promptly decide he was going to be partner number three.
With how crazy our lives had been in recent weeks, I shouldn’t have been too stunned by all the new developments.Pregnant, married big sister.Pseudo-sister suddenly being in a poly relationship.Or was it a why choose?Reverse harem?I wasn’t sure what to label it.What I did know was that I’d never seen either Abi or Hayat so happy.
And I was going to be an auntie!
Both my parents and godparents were grumpy about it all, which was one hundred percent understandable.Hayat’s new situationship was interesting, but not as much as the fact that Abi was now a Vitucci.She went and got herself knocked up by a much older man, who just happened to be the eldest son of the most powerful crime family in the country.
At least Sammy was part of the deal.I loved that she was my new sister.
Generic wedding reception music played, giving the guests something to sway to on the dance floor.I watched Sixx twirl Aubree before swinging her back to him.Her laughter caused me to smile as she steadied herself with one hand on his shoulder, her blond hair falling down her back like a pale waterfall.
He smacked a kiss to her cheek then looked straight at me, his brown eyes softening.There was something less strained about him this past week.Although I hadn’t seen him except for our video calls, I’d heard it in his voice when he talked.Or perhaps it was that I wasn’t feeling the strain.Either way, he’d been different in the best kind of ways.Laughing more.Letting other people a little closer.
Like his aunts and his mom.From the moment Sixx and his family had arrived for the reception, I’d witnessed how much more open he was with them.Those who didn’t know Sixx well wouldn’t have caught the subtle changes, but I’d noticed as soon as I saw him.His body was usually coiled tight, already prepared to not react the moment someone brushed against him.Those dark eyes, so much like his father’s, weren’t nearly as shuttered, giving the world a peek into the beautiful soul that normally only I got a taste of.At one point during dinner, he’d caught Roanna’s hand and given it a tender squeeze that paused the conversation at our table.The quiet only lasted a few heartbeats before everyone rushed to fill the silence for fear that it would break whatever spell they thought Sixx was under.
After the song ended, London waited eagerly off to the side, her hand extended to allow him to decide whether he was up to dancing with her too.Already, he’d endured more physical contact in a single afternoon than he normally would allow in a full month.With a smile that took my breath away, he grasped London’s hand and twirled her away.
Roanna and Aubree watched them for a bit before they dropped down into chairs on either side of me at our table.They hadn’t done any assigned seating for the reception.My parents and godparents opted to sit with Poppy and Gammy.Vaughn’s parents sat with his brother, Ryan, and his wife, Nova.Emmie and Nik chose to sit with them, which was a bit terrifying.Not just for me but everyone in the ballroom.Emmie was the embodiment of big dick energy, and although I’d only met Vaughn’s mom for a short time the night before, Anya Vitucci had an aura about her that was…lethal was the only adjective that fit, and even that felt inadequate.
Abi and Hayat were at the bridal party table with Sammy and their men.I wasn’t a bridesmaid, and that wasn’t because Abi and I weren’t close enough for her to include me.She didn’t have to make me a part of her wedding for me to understand that she loved me.We were secure enough in our relationship that we didn’t take offense over that kind of crap.Unlike some sisters, we had never had a period in our lives we’d been jealous of each other.I hadn’t ever compared myself to Abi, and I doubted she’d done that with me either.We were separate people, with entirely different life goals.I cheered for her as loudly as she cheered for me.
Since I had my pick of sitting anywhere I was comfortable, I’d chosen Sixx’s table with his parents, all three of his aunts, Derrick, and Sam.They’d all treated me like family my entire life.Roanna and I did as many mother-daughter things as I did with my own mom.When I bought Mother’s Day presents, I always had one to give her as well as Mom and Aunt Lucy.
“I’m not complaining, but what the fuck is up with my son?”Roanna asked, ducking her head close so no one would eavesdrop on our conversation while still watching Sixx dancing with London.
He dipped her back playfully, which caused London to giggle so happily that it caught more than one person’s attention.Sixx wore an indulgent smile, his face not locked in concentration as it normally was when he was in a crowd.He wasn’t in safe mode to keep his walls up.
“I don’t have an answer, Ro,” I told her honestly.
Other than Sixx spending a little time with Sammy the previous Sunday after he’d left my house, as far as I was aware, the rest of his week had been normal.I wasn’t sure what he and Sammy had done.Sixx called me later that night to tell me he didn’t remember the majority of what had happened after they arrived at the same warehouse from Friday night.It couldn’t have been too bad, and even if it were, I trusted Sammy to keep my boyfriend out of jail.If being friends with my new sister helped Sixx in any way, I wasn’t going to discourage them from spending time together.
“Should we expect more little surprises like this?”Aubree wondered.“It hasn’t just been today.All week, he’s been more talkative.Definitely less stoic.”
“Mestre called me after Sixx’s class earlier in the week.One of their newer students was having a bad day, and Sixx hugged the boy.”Roanna picked up her water glass and took a thirsty drink.“Not a quick pat on the back either.Mestre said it lasted at least twenty seconds, and the boy was the one to pull back first.Later in the week, the boy’s mother called me too.Said that she didn’t know my son well, but she wanted to thank me for raising such a good kid.She and her husband are going through a contentious divorce, and her boy has been struggling.Whatever happened during class, it helped him in more ways than one.”
“You have raised a good son,” I told her.“He’s the best guy I’ve ever known, Ro.”
“You’re biased,” she teased, bumping her shoulder lightly with mine.
“Of course I’m biased.You’re in my top three favorite moms in the world.Biased doesn’t mean I’m lying.”
