Page 79 of The Arianna Arrangement

Tucker gagged. “Please don’t answer that aloud.”

Zephyr was seriously considering it, so I decided to make one final push. “Your family is very sex positive, so walking into Kiss and Tell and buying a sex toy doesn’t bother any of them. But a lot of Crestwood is stuck up and frigid. Women worry about judgement and gossip. Giving them a place to drop that worry and connect with like minded women could prove to be a gold mine. And if not, you know the cover business will be profitable. Hosting a brunch would no longer have to be a stressful affair for women when they could do it at our club.”

Zephyr gave me a nod. “You have my vote. But I don’t make the decisions by myself, so we’ll schedule a time for you to present this to my brothers. I think you stand a good chance of them agreeing with you. Especially Percy.” He chuckled. “It might actually be enough to get him to give up real estate and join the family business.”

I let out a sigh, relieved that my future was starting to line up just how I wanted it to.

Epilogue

Arianna

I couldn’t believe senior year was coming to an end. Bradley had come back to Crestwood around Christmas, but he didn’t come back to school. According to Charlotte, he’d gotten his GED and was taking some business classes online while working to figure out how to run his father’s company.

He’d had his hands so full that there had been no time for him to bother any of the Givenchy family.

Maybe Sandro wasn’t wrong and this actually wasn’t a terrible outcome. Not that I’d ever tell him that.

“Arianna Givenchy.”

I smiled as my name was called and I walked across the stage to claim my diploma. There was a loud cheer from the crowd and when I turned that way, I saw my family. All of the Givenchy’s were on their feet cheering, as were Sandro and Valentina. My mother was here, but standing and cheering was beneath her.

Leyla and Potter were called next, and as soon as we were back to our seats, Leyla pulled out her phone to snap some selfies. Before long, the ceremony was over and our family was filing onto the football field to congratulate us.

Tucker took me into a big hug, pressing a kiss to my temple. “I’m so proud of you, Vita Mia.”

Sandro was next, pulling me into his arms. “Congrats, Ari.”

Grandma Givenchy made her way over and placed an arm on Sandro’s shoulder. “You and your wife are coming over for the celebration, right?”

Valentina smiled and placed a hand on her baby bump. “Of course. I’ve heard all about these famous homemade rolls and the little one is dying to try them.”

After everyone was satisfied with how many pictures were taken, which was a million considering there were three Givenchy’s graduating, we headed over to the Givenchy estate to party.

Well, not party party. But we ate good food and had a blast hanging out.

“So, Ari, how’s your venture coming?” Sandro was so busy lately that we hadn’t really had time to talk, just exchanging texts here and there.

I smiled thinking about the new business that the Givenchy’s all readily agreed on and immediately got to work setting up. “Velvet and Vine opens in two months. We’re kicking it off with a back to school brunch. Figured we’d give the moms somewhere to celebrate the kids going back to school.”

Valentina smiled. “I love that idea. I think it’s awesome that you’re doing this. Growing up the way we did, we didn’t get to see women really play a role in any of the businesses or do anything other than be arm candy and a baby factory, so seeing you do something else is refreshing.”

Even though I knew she’d come to terms with her position in society, and her place at my brother's side, I still didn’t think she was satisfied. I hoped that maybe when the baby was born in a couple of months, she’d feel content.

Leyla plopped into the seat beside me and rested her head on my shoulder. “I can’t believe this is our last night together.”

She was leaving in the morning to start a new journey at NYU. While no one came out and said it, I think they wanted her out of Crestwood before Bradley found his footing in his new job. Zephyr sold the opportunity as a chance for her to spread her wings, and my bestie didn’t waste a second before jumping on board the opportunity.

I laid my head over on hers, knowing this was going to suck. Majorly. How I would survive in this world without my BBF was beyond me.

“It’s not forever, just for a little bit. You’ll be back on holidays and I’ll come visit you there, too, after things die down with the launch.”

She sighed. “I know. I just feel like I’m going to miss so much.” Her hand lightly swiped along my side, not bringing anyone’s attention to the motion, but I knew what she meant.

I found out two weeks ago that I was expecting. As much as I hadn’t thought I was ready to be a mom, I guess the universe had a different idea. We hadn’t told anyone yet but Leyla. There was no way I could have kept it a secret from her, even if I’d wanted to, but I didn’t want anyone else to know until we were out of the first trimester.

At the time I got pregnant, I’d been on the pill, but when I came down with the flu and didn’t get out of bed for a couple of days, I’d forgotten to take it. I went right back to it, catching up on the doses when I felt better, so part of me worried that I’d end up having a miscarriage.

While I knew I’d have the entire Givenchy clan supporting me if that happened, I didn’t want that. I didn’t want their pity, so I’d begged Tuck to keep it a secret until we knew we were in the clear.