“You aren’t the only one who drank too much. Mickey, Gio, and Ben are all still in bed. I heard poor Casey puking in the bathroom. Her morning sickness has been really bad the last few days, and Dan is already warming up the helicopter to take you guys back to the warehouse.”
“You’re leaving?” Addi asks quietly as Tristan helps her pour some syrup on her pancakes before cutting them into smaller, bite-sized pieces. I smile as I watch him, but I see Vienna’s face fall a little.
“Yes, but it’s only for a few days. Maeve and Suzy are going to bring you back to Banebridge, and after we take care of a couple of things, we can all be together again like one big happy family,” Xavier assures her, draining the rest of his coffee.
I see tears well in her eyes, and her bottom lip drops and starts wobbling.
“Oh hey, no, none of that. I’m not leaving, and you promised me a Mario Kart tournament. I bet we can rope in Gio and Mickey as well if we ask nicely.” Sage scoots onto the stool next to hers, and Maeve passes him the next plate of pancakes.
That promise from Sage has Addi perking up, and we decide to leave while she’s distracted. The four of them give her a hug and a kiss before doing the same with Sage. She beams the whole time, basking in their love as I watch, feeling awkward. Seeing them all together, and how even Sage fits in perfectly, really highlights how emotionally stunted I am.
“Are you okay?” Suzy hip bumps me, and Maeve crowds closer, blocking me from their view.
I swallow the lump in my throat and nod. “Yeah, I just don’t know how I’m going to fit,” I admit with a whisper, and Suzy cups my cheeks while Maeve rubs my back.
“Give it time and yourself a little grace. This is all new to you. You’ll find your stride, I promise. Just don’t give up.”
Maeve nods her agreement. “Blended families take work. Don’t put any pressure on yourself, at least not until after we’ve gotten over the next big hurdle. Once that has all been dealt with, you can decide what you want your life to look like. For now, just enjoy the little bits of peace you can snatch here and there.”
I give them a wobbly smile and take a deep breath, appreciating their advice. I realize everyone is looking at us and waiting for me. “What are you doing?” Addi asks, unable to hide her curiosity.
“Well, Tori is like my baby girl, just like you are your mommy’s baby girl, and I was just giving her some love and advice like your mommy does for you,” Suzy explains, going over to the fridge, pulling out a carton of juice, then pouring Addi a glass. “Now shoo, you lot, and we will see you in a few days.” She waves us out of the kitchen, and I feel Addi’s gaze on my back.
“Hang on. You didn’t think you were leaving without giving me some sugar, did you?” Sage jumps out of his chair, pulls me to a stop, and whirls me around, dipping me dramatically before kissing me breathless. I’m so stunned that it takes me a moment to react, but before long, I’m kissing him back and gripping his shirt like my life depends on it. When we pull apart and he sets me right again, Addison laughs and cheers.
“Me next, dip me too, Sagey.” She jumps off her stool and holds up her hands. He releases me after one last kiss and grabs her, spinning her around the kitchen before finally dipping her and kissing her neck. I leave the kitchen to the sound of delightful girlish squeals and a smile on my face. I run to catch up with the others who are already cresting the hill. I hear the sound of the rotor blades whirling, and the five of us climb into the chopper with a smile for Dan.
We put on our headsets and strap in, and the bird lifts into the sky. “We’re going to leave as soon as we get there. Once you fill the chopper, head back to the hangar. Mario wants you to move into one of the houses at the back of the mansion, but I’m sure he won’t notice if you don’t.”
“That’s good, because I’m on one of the teams assigned to Club Hell. I spoke to Nico, and he told me that there is a manager and four security guys who belong to the Maricusos.Apparently, they only report in once a week, so we are going to take care of them tonight, then we will be free to help with the main house the night of the wedding,” he tells me, and I nod.
“Good. It seems like Sam and Dean are on top of it.”
He chuckles at my nicknames for my guys. “Yeah, they have everyone organized for the raids on the properties. You guys just focus on cutting off the head of the snake.”
“Oh, believe me, we will.”
The flight isn’t long, and before I know it, we’re setting down at the warehouse. Dust and debris kick up as the five of us climb out and wave goodbye to Dan before he takes off again. I press my hand against the biometric scanner, and we enter the warehouse.
“Okay, Tori, you ride with me, and you three take the other truck,” Xavier instructs as I press my hand to the inside scanner to lift the cargo bay doors. They groan as they slowly open. Colton takes the wheel and drives the first truck out, followed by Xavier with the second one. I press my hand on the scanner again and let it close behind them before exiting the warehouse, shutting and locking it up.
I hurry over to Xavier’s truck and climb up into the cab after giving the others a wave as they pull out.
“We worked out a route on the flight over, and Tris is going to take the lead. We will stop in two hours for food and a bathroom break. Hopefully this shouldn’t take longer than four hours, and we will head straight to the Kitty Kat Club once we hit Suncity and unload everything.”
“What are we going to do with the trucks when we’re done? I haven’t thought that far ahead.” I study his profile as he keeps his eyes on the road. He’s so freaking handsome, and now that I’ve gotten to know him much better, my feelings are growing by the day. I can’t believe this man is my husband. I guess we’re going to have to decide what to do about that once we get to thefinish line, but that’s another future Tori problem, although I won’t deny I feel sad about the prospect of divorce now.
“We can drop them off at Mario’s vineyard. There’s ample room for parking there. Vienna and Colton both have their cars there, so we can drive them back to your place in time for the rehearsal dinner.”
“Great, just how I wanted to spend my evening, watching everyone fawn all over the vapid bitch and having her smirk in my face,” I complain, making a face.
“Yeah,” he grumbles. “I want to cut her every time I see her put her hands on him.”
“Oh, of course you would. I hadn’t even thought about how you would feel. I was focused on my own jealousy and hatred.” I reach out and give his thigh a squeeze.
He takes my hand and presses a kiss to the back of it before returning his to the wheel. “I’m just happy that you were feeling jealous, considering how we treated you. I thought we lost you for good. We are so incredibly sorry we lied to you, but we couldn’t risk Addi.” He takes his eyes off the road and looks at me, and I see all the guilt and fear he’s feeling.
“It’s okay. I understand. I hope you can forgive me for my deceptions as well.”
