Whatever happened between them, she’s not ready to talk about it.
She hesitates before blurting out, “I asked my agent to set me up for new auditions.”
“Jazz, that’s wonderful!”
She scoffs. “Let’s first see if anyone is interested.”
“Hey.” I hook my arm around hers. “That’s already a big step. It took guts. I’m proud of you.”
She flashes me a smile. “But this is your birthday party, and we’re supposed to talk about you. I bet Dante gave you something big and shiny that comes in a Hart Diamonds box.”
“Actually…” I bite my lip. “He gave me Teszner Agglomerates.”
Her eyes flare. She pulls away. “He did what?”
“Yep, it came as a shock to me too.”
To be honest, Dante and I haven’t spoken much since his confession. He never told me who the woman he took to the restaurant was, and I no longer want to find out. I don’t need to. I trust him when he says he’s not touched another woman since we’ve started seeing each other.
Jazz’s brow pleats. “Does Leander know?”
“We don’t have contact. Dante doesn’t want me to talk to him.”
“That’s definitely wise.” When I raise an eyebrow, she quickly adds, “You know I’ve never liked your brother. I think he’s the only person in the world I utterly and truly hate.”
I grin. “Except for Reino?”
She waves a hand. “That’s a different kind of hate.” Taking the kettle, she busies herself with pouring water in the teapot. “We better get back to the others. Noah is dying for a slice of cake.”
When we return with the tea, three gift bags are waiting next to the cake.
Noah runs to me. “Open them, Mommy! I made you a drawing.”
Jazz takes the tray from me to free my hands.
“Thanks, sweetheart.” I hug him. “I can’t wait to see it.”
Noah climbs onto a chair, grabs a gift parcel with a big, blue ribbon, and hands it to me. “This is from Jazz.”
I open my gifts surrounded by the people I care most about in the world. There are bath products from Jazz, scented candles from Emily, and a picture of Flash from Noah.
While Jazz pours the tea and Noah smells the bath salts and candles, Dante slips an arm around my waist. “We’ll have a proper party tomorrow.”
The strain in his voice gives me pause.
“Today is only for family.” A smile curves his lips. “Tomorrow is for everyone.”
I tense. Everyone means the people connected to his business. That’s what’s expected when you’re high-ranking like Dante. Birthdays aren’t only for making toasts with champagne. They’re valuable opportunities for mingling and closing business deals. That’s why he’s doing this today, trying to keep the celebration small and intimate. Those big parties are stressful. You always have to be alert, watching your back while everyone criticizes the dress you’re wearing.
Emily lights the candle on the cake.
“Mommy, come!”
I’m flanked by my husband and son as I take a place at the table.
Noah tugs on my hand and looks up at me with his innocent face and those big amber eyes he inherited from his father. “Remember to make a wish.”
I look at the people around me, the people I love. There’s so much that doesn’t make sense. Not remembering my own birthday is perhaps the biggest red flag of all. A part of me still doesn’t want to know. But I can’t move on until I’ve dealt with the experiences I’m suppressing. I can’t remove the barrier that remains between Dante and me if I don’t know what it is. I can’t fix what’s broken if I’m too scared to face it. I have to be brave—for me, for Noah, and also if I want my marriage to work.
