"You were gone four months, Karma. Four. And I can count the number of times you messaged me on the fingers of one hand."
Karma has the grace to look sheepish. "I’m so sorry I wasn’t exactly prolific in my communications. It’s just that there was so much happening, I didn’t have the time to return every single one of them."
"Every time I threatened to come over, you’d insist you were fine. If I hadn’t pushed things, you’d have never visited." Summer scowls. "Of course, if you’d told me you were pregnant—" She glances down at Summer’s bump, which is about the same size as her own bump, although, from what they’ve told me, Summer’s further along. "—You’d have come at once."
Summer half smiles. "Maybe I should have, but it didn’t feel right breaking the news to you by text message. Also, you had so much happening and you didn’t hint about it to me, not once."
Karma glances away, then back at her. "Sorry, Summer. I know, I should have told you. My only excuse is there was a lot going on. Marrying the Don of theCosa Nostrais not the simplest way to get inducted into the Mafia lifestyle, you know?"
Summer snorts. "You’re quick-witted enough to deal with anything. Bet you had Michael and his brothers wrapped around your little finger in no time."
"How many brothers does Michael have?" I ask.
"There’s seven including him. Xander, his youngest sibling, passed away in an accident a few months ago." Karma swallows. "It was a car bomb that didn’t fully blow up. It caused enough damage that Xander was killed, and I miscarried my first pregnancy when I was thrown from the car."
"Oh, I’m so sorry for your loss." I touch Karma’s shoulder.
She bites the inside of her cheek. "I was gutted when it happened, but I’m pregnant again now."
"To think you were the wild child between the two of us" —Summer shakes her head— "and now you’re rushing headlong into having a family."
"I always thought you’d be the one to find a man and settle down and have lots of kids first." Karma gazes fondly at her sister.
"I did get married first. I honestly wasn’t in a hurry to have kids, though. But then I got pregnant, and now I’m glad I did. This way, we can share our experiences." Summer beams back at Karma. "And with so many of the Seven becoming pregnant, we’re going to be kept busy with baby showers for a while."
"These Seven are friends of Sinclair?" I heard about them, of course, but with so many new names and faces to keep track of, I’m still not entirely sure who’s who.
"They’re childhood friends. The seven of them run 7A together, and their wives have become good friends of mine. We’ve formed our own sisterhood, which is also my support network." Summer reaches for a glass of water. "You must meet them."
If I stick around that long.
"Are all seven of them based in London?" I tilt my head.
"All except Edward. He left after Ava and Baron’s wedding and is, apparently, traveling the world at the moment."
"That sounds like fun."
Summer hesitates. "I suppose you could call it that."
I narrow my gaze. "That’s not all of it, is it?"
Summer places her glass of water back on the table. "Ava first fell in love with Edward. He left her, asking Baron to keep an eye on her. Then she fell in love with Baron."
"Oh, wow." I straighten. "And she finally married Baron?"
"Not before the three of them slept together."
I open and shut my mouth. "So—"
Summer nods. "Exactly."
Karma glances between us. "Now I’m so curious." She looks at me with sparkling eyes. "I stopped myself from asking earlier, but is there some particularly tasty bit of gossip you’re not sharing with me?"
I can’t stop myself from chuckling. The sisters have such a great bond between them, and they’re so easy to speak with. Not that my family isn’t, but it had still been awkward talking to my mother and I’m still not sure how I’m going to explain JJ to the rest of my siblings. With Summer and Karma, it’s different. They've seen their friend Ava go through an unconventional relationship, so I think they’ll understand my point of view better. Besides, Karma is also married to the Don of theCosa Nostra… So, if there’s anyone I can confide in without being judged, it’s probably these two. I place my glass of water on the table, then fold my fingers together. "Summer already knows this—" I turn to Karma. "I slept with my boyfriend’s father."
54
Lena