“Today.”
Aria dropped her fork and looked around at everybody, irritated. “Why is everybody acting like I’m dying?”
Nobody answered that because everybody was thinking the same thing.
Then Aria caught the expression on Zahra’s face and groaned. “Oh my God. Stop tripping. My tubes arefried.”
That made the whole table react at once. Livia laughed first. Tempo nearly choked on her drink. Zahra covered her mouth, still looking suspicious.
Legend, however, did not smile. He sat there looking at her like he wanted to believe that and didn’t at the same time.
Aria pointed at him with her fork. “Do not start.”
He leaned back in his chair. “I didn’t say anything.”
“You didn’t have to.” She cut her eyes around the table. “None of y’all do. My tubes are burned. Fried.Cooked. Done. There will be no more surprises from me.”
Saint laughed under his breath. “That’s what you said last time.”
Aria glared at him. “And that’s why nobody asked you.”
That cracked the table up all over again, but underneath the laughter, I could still feel everybody watching her, waiting to see if she was really just under the weather or if family dinner was about to turn into another family shitshow.
And in this family, it honestly could have gone either way.
LIVIA CARTIER
By the time family dinner wrapped up, the house had settled down. Everyone had said their goodbyes. The kids were down for the night. Icon and Legend were in the office, most likely talking about the attack on the Crown they were due to make in a few days. The darkness of the threat of the Crown and this upcoming attack had been putting a dark cloud over everything as of late, even the happy family moments. It was there at dinner. It was there when me and Icon made love.
Every time my man left this house, I prayed that he would return and had visions of getting “that” call. Every time I left the house, I feared one of his opps would turn their rage towards me. That finally happened the other day. I’d seen my life flash before my eyes. But, under that fear, I felt a peace that, no matter what happened to me, Royal would be okay. He would be loved and well taken care of. That was even more confirmation that I had married the right man.
Aria had gone to lie down when everyone started to say their goodbyes. So, I went to check on her. I took the halls towards Aria’s suite and knocked lightly when I got to her opened bedroom door.
“Aria?” I softly called.
She was lying on the bed with her back to the door. When she heard me, she turned slowly.
I walked over to the bed, asking, “How you feelin’?”
She let out a breath and rubbed her stomach. “Still sick to my stomach.”
I sat down beside her and studied her face. She looked drained, enough that it was bothering me. “You think you’re pregnant?”
Aria cut her eyes at me so fast it made me laugh. “Go to hell, Livia.”
She was serious as hell. She didn’t crack one smile. In fact, she was glaring at me. She had never looked at me with such disdain, but I wasn’t offended. At this point, we were sisters in every way that mattered. That was what happened when you married brothers who ran an organization together and built your lives in the same house, under the same pressure.
“Areyoupregnant?” she spat.
My eyes rolled at her attempt to deflect. “I take my birth control on schedule, and my man respects the fact that I am too scared to go down that road again just yet. Your man, however, doesn’t give a damn.” I laughed as I pulled out my phone. “Don’t try to change the subject.”
Aria groaned and rolled onto her back. “Livia.”
I hit the side button twice, activating Siri, and asked, “Can a woman still get pregnant if her tubes are burned?”
Aria covered her face with one hand. “I hate you.”
I lightly pinched her. “No, you don’t.”
