Total pages in book: 94
Estimated words: 91979 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 460(@200wpm)___ 368(@250wpm)___ 307(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91979 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 460(@200wpm)___ 368(@250wpm)___ 307(@300wpm)
I sighed.
“Anyway…” Tex cleared his throat. “Even though things are a bit tense, we’ve been through way worse—”
Andrei chose that moment to stroll in with his wife. “Who ate all the bacon?”
“Do you mind?” Tex growled. “I’m trying to make an announcement.”
“Here you go, man.” Ash handed him the plate.
Andrei winked and then scowled at the mimosas and pulled what we all knew was a vodka flask out of his jacket and dumped some in a cup with orange juice, took a sip and handed it to Alice like he was testing her drinks now or something. Then again, a lot of people wanted them dead, so maybe not the worst plan of action.
“As I was saying…” Tex stood now. “Dante brought it to our attention that Phoenix and Bee just had their twentieth anniversary and have yet to take a trip in the last fifteen years. As crazy as things have been lately, they’ve been worse, so we voted and decided each of the couples will take a trip. And since they just celebrated, they go first, two weeks anywhere in the world. We’re big enough to hold down the fort. The only issue is dipshit over there.” Tex pointed to Junior.
Junior tore into a piece of bacon. “That’s me, right?”
“Yeah, that’s you,” I said sweetly, earning a middle finger and a wink that I felt in all the wrong places.
“We voted last night and wanted to tell the kids today. We’re going to all take shifts, and well, it just feels like it’s time, especially now that our kids are growing up and able to take on some of the load.”
I realized he meant us.
And part of me wondered if the fact that the three of us were all made had been part of the decision making process.
Meaning, I was the last one, ergo, now they felt safe knowing that the Family had a potential boss in place in case the worst happened.
Just thinking about it made me sick to my stomach.
Phoenix grabbed Bee’s hand and kissed it. “We’re headed to Fiji.”
Her expression was completely stunned, and then she mauled him with her mouth, then her hands, and then it was time to look away.
“Ma, aw man!” Junior threw a piece of bacon. “Not in front of the eggs!”
“Save it for the private plane.” Tex laughed. “And I’m happy for you guys, so who takes dipshit?”
“Could we stop with the name-calling?” Junior glared and then smirked with a hand placed on his chest. “I’m sensitive.”
“My ass,” Ash muttered under his breath.
They started fighting like best friends did, and then my dad sealed a fate he could have never known was ever in the stars by saying, “He can stay here.”
I kept my expression calm but didn’t miss the panicked look from Ash or the warning look from Uncle Chase.
Nobody said anything.
Because our secret wasn’t theirs to share.
But I had a sinking feeling I was going to have to work a lot harder at my hate, so I didn’t accidentally lose it to my past love.
And damn us all.
Because our love wouldn’t just be a problem.
It would destroy the families.
Rip them apart.
I knew it in my soul.
I knew deep down, Junior had been right, even though it was so wrong.
I knew that unloving him was the only way we could co-exist.
And now, he was going to be in the guest room connected next door because I knew my dad would want him closest to the living room as well as the gun safe on the west side of the house. Everything was strategic when it came to sleeping arrangements.
God help us all.
Because my dad would kill him if he knew he’d touched me.
And Phoenix would never forgive his own son for doing the one thing he made him swear he would never do—touch an Abandonato heir, want her, be with her, the way he’d been with mom.
Had they dated then? It was unspoken, but I knew there was some sort of bad blood which is why I knew how to press the button, though every time I tried to use it, I knew it was wrong, I never knew how wrong, though, or how horrible, maybe if I did I would have never pushed, but I didn’t, my ignorance was a death sentence.
I gulped and shared a worried look with Ash, only to see Junior already getting up and leaving the room in his usual pissed off manner.
And I was thankful that at least one of us was sane enough to do the right thing.
Walk. Away.
That at least his hate would stay intact, making mine solid.
We just needed to stay that way.
And we’d be just fine.
So why was my heart hammering out of my chest? Why were my eyes looking for hiding places? And why did I suddenly feel the need to confess everything?