Page 37 of The Arianna Arrangement

We walked into the suite that my mom and Becky were sharing with their kids and mom made her way to me with her arms wide open. “My baby boy is all grown up.” She wiped a tear from her eye and I fought to hold in the eye roll. “Come. Sit. I’ve missed you with you being gone the past two months. I don’t know how I’m going to survive when we go back to Crestwood and you’re living in your own house.”

“My house is just down the road from yours. I’m sure we’ll see each other all the time.”

She shrugged. “It just won’t be the same. And you leaving just marks the beginning of all my babies leaving me.”

Leyla plopped down on the other couch. “If it’s any consolation, I don’t think Damon will ever move out.”

“Would you quit fucking following me around?” We turned to see Daniel, Apollo’s youngest, following his big brother, Davis, into the room.

Daniel shrugged. “You’re the one that refused to walk me to Aunt Silver’s room so I could hang out with Brown and Vander. If I can’t hang out with them, I guess I have to hang out with you.”

Apollo and Becky were suspiciously absent, which meant he probably had her in their room making up for the time they lost this summer. “Where’s Darla?”

“With Aubrie in Aunt Jemma’s room.” Davis rolled his eyes. “She got to leave, but I had to keep an eye on this one. It’s not fair. I wanted to hang out with Brayden.”

My mom picked up her phone and sent a text, which was returned immediately. “Sterling said to bring Daniel to her room and she’ll watch him, then you can go hang out with Brayden. Take Damon with you. I don’t care which room he’s in, just have your aunt text me to let me know where he is.”

Davis smiled. “Thanks, Aunt Ash. You’re the best.”

She gave him a wink and soon all three boys were gone. “Alright. Leyla and I have been working hard on what we talked about and I think that everything’s in place.” She looked at me like she wasn’t sure if she wanted to say more, but of course, she did. “How have things been between the two of you since that dinner?”

She meant the one where I had to spank my fiancée. “Strained. I mean, she’s acting like it’s no big deal, but I’m struggling with everything I’ve had to do this summer, that included, and I feel like it’s bleeding into our relationship.”

Mom nodded. “That’s understandable. But remember, she grew up in this world. She knows how things go. That girl also isn’t one that is going to pretend to your face that things are fine when they aren’t. If she was upset, she would have told you. I think you just have to push on and try to get your relationship back to normal. It’s only a few days until you’re married and out of here.”

“Thank God. I couldn’t handle much more.”

A few minutes later, Apollo came back into the room, a smirk on his face as he gave my dad a nod. “You ready?”

We had to go do our final tux fitting so they could be sent to the estate for the wedding, then we were meeting Lucian and Sandro at The Crimson Room. It was a private gentleman’s club where the rich men of New York frequented. Sandro said it was on neutral territory and all the syndicate meetings were held there in a back room.

Lucian apparently wanted to try to flaunt our alliance amongst the others. I mean, it’s not like everyone didn’t already know that our families had this arrangement and that Ari and I would be getting married soon. But rarely did the things Lucian did make sense, so we were just along for the ride.

Chapter 17

Arianna

“Please tell me your mother isn’t joining us for our nail appointment?” Leyla flopped back on my bed while I stepped into my flip flops.

I chuckled. “Nope. She has too many things to do for the wedding and said she’d have a manicurist come to her later.” I couldn’t say I minded. Some time with just Ashley and Leyla would be nice.

“Thank God. That woman gets on my nerves and after the dress fittings, there’s no way we could get away again.”

Leyla had been appalled when my father had Tucker spank me, and Tucker had been a little weird and distant since then, but it wasn’t his fault. I knew that running off that morning would have consequences.

We headed out front to where the cars and guards were waiting, Ashley standing outside the car talking to her husband. Zephyr smiled at us as we approached before taking Leyla into a hug. “You girls have fun. But be good.” He gave Leyla a stern look and she just rolled her eyes.

The drive to the nail salon wasn’t too long and I was so ready to get pampered. I know we’d just been to a spa the weekend before, but after the summer I’d had, I wanted all the finer things in life at once.

Leyla’s aunts met us there and I was glad. I loved these women so much.

As we settled in to get our pedicures, the gossip started.

“So, Leyla. Was that Bradley on the phone last night?” Becky looked at her with a grin.

Sterling, however, rolled her eyes. “Again with that one? Ley, honey, I love you so much, so no disrespect, but how dumb are you?”

I chuckled, but Leyla rolled her eyes. “Yes, it was Bradley. No, not again with that one. I dumped him last night. Turns out he’d gone out the night before with Shawna and thought I wouldn’t find out. He forgets that I basically run Crestwood Prep so I knew about it before he’d even gotten her chair pulled out at the restaurant.” She gritted her teeth and basically growled. “Something he never bothered to do for me.”