That made me laugh hard enough to snort. “He definitely is.”
“And you. How are you?”
I switched the camera view to the front camera. “I am tired, but I’m good. Really good.”
She smiled. “You look happy.”
That made me glance towards the bathroom where I could still hear the shower running. “I am.”
I missed Thailand. I missed the weather, the food, the quiet parts of that life, the version of me that had gotten strongerthere. But I had to admit I loved what being back home was turning into.
Messy as it had gotten, painful as parts of it had been, I loved this life.
Ploy must have heard it in my voice because she smiled and said, “I’m glad you happy. You didn’t want to go home. See? You are where you’re supposed to be.”
I looked down at Cairo and nodded. “Yeah. I think I am.”
Riding to the estate for family dinner felt like I was in a presidential motorcade. There were so many black SUVs around us that it looked like we were escorting a head of state instead of a gang member, his woman, and their newborn son to family dinner. There was one truck in front of us, one behind, and two flanking our vehicle. It was excessive, but after everything with the Crown, nobody was taking chances. Reek especially wasn’t taking chances. He kept one hand resting on Cairo’s carrier and the other on his gun, which sat in his lap.
By the time we got to the estate, it was already chaotic inside. Family dinner at the Cartiers was never quiet, and with all the babies and kids added into the mix, it felt even louder now.
Chef Eddie had shown out. The table was full of food. Platters of lamb chops, lobster tails, greens, macaroni, roasted potatoes, cornbread, and two kinds of rice were lined up on the island buffet style. Cairo was sleeping against my chest in his little carrier while I ate, and every few minutes somebody leaned over to kiss him, touch his cheek, or tell me how much he looked like Reek. Of course, Reek ate that up.
Across from us, Aria had a full plate in front of her, including lobster, which was one of her favorites. That was why Legend noticed first when she couldn’t eat her food.
“What’s wrong?” he questioned her.
“Nothing,” she uttered, though she was slightly frowning.
Legend was not buying that. “Aria.”
She took a sip of her drink and tried to smile through it. “I’m fine.”
But I could see that she wasn’t. She kept pushing her food around more than eating it. Every time she lifted her fork, she looked like she had to make herself do it. Aria didn’t play about lobster. For her to have it sitting on her plate untouched meant something was off.
Livia added, “You don’t look fine.”
Aria rolled her eyes, already irritated that attention was shifting toward her. “I said I’m fine.”
Legend sat his fork down. “You ain’t finished nothing on that plate.”
“Maybe I’m not hungry.”
He stared at her for half a second and reminded her, “You got lobster in front of you.”
That made a few of us laugh because he was right. Aria would’ve eaten that first on any normal day.
Zahra leaned forward a little. “What’s wrong?”
Aria sighed, like everybody asking was getting on her nerves worse than whatever she was physically feeling. “I just don’t feel well.”
That earned her a round of skeptical looks from the table.
Saint was the first one to say it. “What kind of not well?”
Aria frowned. “Just not well.”
Legend’s whole attention was on her now. “Since when?”
