“Eh. It’s looking like I don’t have a choice. Our moms are already in planning mode, and apparently, we’re getting married in June.”
Ashley nodded, her eyebrows drawn together. “A little over a year. That’s not so bad.”
“Of this year.”
All four sets of eyes fell on me. “Um. That’s a quick turnaround.” Ashley placed a hand on my arm.
“Yeah.”
All five of us took a drink, looking like we were at a wake, not a celebration.
Frowning at my empty glass, I asked, “Where are Scott and Axel?”
Ashley cleared her throat, her hand smoothing down my arm. “Axel was in the bathroom adjusting the jacket Mrs. Moretti forced him into, and Scott is . . . right there.”
I looked over my shoulder as Scott walked into the room, wiping the corner of his mouth. Nicki was five steps behind him, looking perfect, except her bombshell waves were more tousled than styled.
“That stupid motherfucker,” I muttered, and Ashley sighed.
“Don’t.”
I glared at her. “Don’t? You see the mountain of a man standing by the window?”
Ashley’s eyes darted Aldo’s way and widened. “Oh.”
“Yeah. Oh. That’s Nicki’s fiancé and the dude that will fucking end Scott if he eventhinksNicki’s been getting her jollies somewhere else.”
Ashley swallowed as Scott approached. He leaned in, wrapping his wiry arms around me, and I caught a whiff of expensive perfume. The kind of perfume uptight, hot-as-hell women wore. “Congrats, Red.”
“Nice perfume, dumbass.”
He let me go, subtly sniffing his shoulder. “Jealous?”
“Nope. Concerned. Have you met Aldo yet?”
Scott shrugged and looked around the room. When his eyes fell on Nicki, he tensed. “That’s the accountant?”
“Yup.”
“Fuck.”
“Mhm.”
He huffed out a humorless laugh. “I’m dead.” His hand gripped the back of his neck as he turned to me. “Any chance Luca can keep him from killing me?”
I smiled, trying to keep my expression lighthearted. Scott had no idea how much danger he was in and that Luca was, in fact, the only person who could keep him from catching the beating of his life. Fuck, he’d be the only person who could save him from losing his life if Aldo found out he was fucking his fiancée. “No promises.”
He ran a hand through his messy blond locks, his cheeks pink as he snuck one last look at Nicki. “Yeah. I’m fucked.” The look on his face worried me. It wasn’t the look of a man who was appropriately scared.
Tapping on a glass drew my attention away from my self-destructive friend.
“Can I have everyone’s attention?” Rosa stood in the doorway, flanked by my parents and Marco. “It’s time to make some speeches and toasts, so please freshen up your drinks and meet by the stairs.”
The crowd shifted around, and we all congregated in the large entryway where everyone could fit. Rosa ushered Luca and me up the stairs, and we stood a story above everyone. It was all very Evita.
“Thank you all for joining us to celebrate Luca and Sasha’s engagement. I can’t tell you how special it is to welcome another daughter into the family.” Rosa smiled down at Adriana, then focused back on us. “Sasha is a very special woman. From the moment I met her, I knew Luca had found his other half. There’s nothing like meeting your soulmate.” Rosa wiped her eye and cleared her throat. My chest tightened at the way she looked at Luca. I hadn’t had a moment of ease around Rosa since I’d killed her husband.
Of course I hadn’t.