Valentina? What? I sneer at Tommy over her head with a look that says “control your fucking woman.” His eyes move to Giovanna and back to me.
“Gi,” he says mildly. “We’re good?”
“Your brother,” she says, releasing my shirt and smoothing it with a flat palm, “is a whore.”
“Ah.” Tommy shrugs one shoulder.
“Fucking pussy whipped bitch,” I mutter.
“Settle down.” Tommy’s voice is low, angled away from Gavin, who is talking to Matti and may or may not be pretending not to notice what’s happening over here. “Vin, as yourconsigliere, I need to know if the wedding is happening or not. You told us you don’t want it and I’m hearing about you with Valentina, stalking Sophie at her restaurant, but no confirmation that you’ve ended the marriage contract.”
“Not here.” Giovanna’s smile falters as she turns back toward the room slowing filling up with more people. “It’s the babies’ birthday and you two are absolutely not going to spoil it.”
I roll my eyes as Tommy gives me an extra second to answer his question. When I don’t he shakes his head and follows her to greet incoming guests. I go get another drink.
When Sophie arrives, I’m staring at the door, waiting.
She comes in with her arms full of gifts stacked to her chin, a bag over each shoulder, her hair down around her face and her cheeks pink from the cold. She’s laughing before she’s fully through the door as half of it slips out of her arms and tumbles to the floor.
“Where are my nieces and nephew?” she calls out, and three people answer her at once as Gavin jumps to help her.
Then she sees me.
It’s less than a second. The laugh doesn’t disappear exactly, but it pulls back, recedes, like a wave pulling away from the shore.
We don’t speak. We don’t move. We just exist in the same room, and for a minute, I can’t hear anything, can’t see anyone else but her. I fucking pray she doesn’t sayrossoright now.
Gavin takes the rest of the gifts from her arms, bending to say something close to her ear, and she tips her face up toward him and smiles.
I look away.
“Oh, you know what,” Sophie’s voice is bright and louder than it needs to be. I turn back to see her touching Gavin’s arm lightly. “I actually just realized I didn’t update the specials for tonight at the restaurant. I’m just going to say hi and drop these off and then I should probably—“
“I can take you,” Gavin says immediately. “If you need to get back.”
“No.” I hear the word before I realize I’m saying it.
Sophie pointedly ignores me, but fuck if I’m letting that Irish fuck take her anywhere when I’m standing right here.
“I’ll take her home,” I say, looking at Gavin. “You can go.”
“No.” Sophie’s voice is final and directed at both of us. “No need. Gavin, thank you, truly. But it may be a little while, and I don’t want you to wait.”
Gavin is looking between us. He can feel it, whatever this is.
“Okay,” he says slowly. “I can just drop you off if you—”
“We’ll get her back. Thanks so much for coming, Gavin.” Siena steps forward from nowhere, her smile enormous and entirely insincere, and tucks her arm through Sophie’s, walking her over to me. Which confuses the fuck out of me. Didn’t Giovanna just yell at me because she thought I was stepping between the two of them?
“Yes, thanks so much.” Giovanna blinks at Siena but picks up on the shift and takes his arm, turning him gently but firmly toward the door. “Let me introduce you to a couple of people on your way out.”
I don’t take my eyes off Sophie who’s watching the two women suspiciously, looking as confused as I feel.
Matti and Tommy exchange a look. “We’ll go get the kids,” Matti says. “They’re the only ones not at this party, and it is technically for them.”
Siena pats Sophie’s arm and gives her a look I don’t understand and follows my brothers. Then we are more or less alone.
I can’t take the space between us for another second and before I can think it through, I cross to her, reaching out to put my hands on her shoulders then pull away, stuffing my hands in my pockets. Fuck, am I fucking nervous right now? Is this what that feels like?
