“I’d love that,” April replies as I stand so I can pull out her chair, and Dad gets up to do the same with Mom as Uncle Frank scoots back from the table. “I’ve never been shopping in Vegas, but I’ve heard there are some really great outlet malls around.”
“Are you kidding? You’ve never been shopping here?”
“Not really. I mean, I’ve hit up some of the high-end stores on the strip, but I feel like those don’t count, since I only ever end the day with one item,” she says, and Mom laughs.
“Well, there are lots of outlet malls and cute little boutiques around here we could go to,” Mom offers while following us into the house. “I can’t do tomorrow because I’m supposed to be helping Malo with something, but the day after, we could leave early and spend the day out, if that works for you.”
“Do we have plans?” April asks when we stop at the front door, her head tipped back to me, and I shake my head. “Good,” she says just soft enough for me to hear before she turns to where my mom is now standing with my dad’s arm wrapped around her waist. “It’s a date.”
“Yay!” Mom cheers, and I want to laugh at the excited look the two of them share, but I hide it and look at my dad.
Like he’s done since I was a kid, he wraps his hand around the back of my neck and pulls me in for a one-armed hug, but instead of letting me go, he holds on a second to say quietly, “I like her for you.”
I wish I could say it wouldn’t matter to me if he and Mom didn’t like her, but it does. I respect my parents and their opinion, and having their support has always meant something to me.
When he lets me go, I kiss my mom’s cheek, then wait for Uncle Frank to release my girl, then accept a hug from him that as always is over the top with lots of shaking from side to side. When we get out to my car, I open the passenger side door for April, then wait until she’s in before I close it and head around the trunk. I get in behind the wheel and start the engine, then rest my hand on the back of her seat as I back out of my spot. As we pass by the front of the house, Mom waves, Dad lifts his chin, and Uncle Frank does a dance with lots of hip thrusts. Hearing April laugh, I grin, then press down on the gas and head to the front gate and through it, only giving the guy who took over for Aye a chin lift as we drive past him.
“I really like your family.”
“They like you too.” I pick up her hand from where it’s resting on her lap and bring it to my mouth so I can kiss her knuckles.
“Your mom and dad remind me a lot of my own parents.”
“I can see that.” I rest her hand on my thigh.
“And you’re a lot like your dad, but I think Malo takes after Frank.” I hear the smile in her voice and glance over at her to catch a glimpse of it.
“Malo is mom’s favorite, and mom is Frank’s favorite so the three of them have always spent a lot of time together.”
“So it makes sense that Malo got Frank’s sense of humor,” she says, sounding relaxed and happy. “I bet it’s interesting when they get together.”
“You could say that,” I respond and we both laugh.
When we get to my house about twenty minutes later, I pull into the garage and park, shutting the door behind us. We both get out, and she waits for me at the door. As soon as it’s opened, Binx greets us with a loud meow, and she scoops him up, holding him against her chest talking to him like he’s a baby, not a cat.
“I’m going to feed him.” She turns to me, and I get into her space, taking Binx from her grasp.
“I got him. Go change and meet me in the kitchen when you’re done. We’ll talk outside.”
Her eyes fill with unease at the mention of us talking, and I reach out to touch her cheek.
“What do you want to drink?”
“Wine, white if you have it,” she says, and I skim my thumb along her jaw, then lean down to brush my lips across hers. When I pull back, her lashes take a moment to flutter open, and she licks her bottom lip before whispering, “I’ll be right back.”
I watch her spin on her heel and disappear around the corner, then a moment later, I hear her feet on the stairs. Looking down at Binx, he blinks at me and meows, then reaches out with his paw toward my face. I rub him behind his ear, then carry him with me to the kitchen and set him down on the floor near his bowls. I go to the fridge for the second half of his wet food and dump it into his dish. With him eating, I take off my shoes, then get a bottle of white wine from the fridge along with a beer for myself.
After pouring her a glass, I open my beer, put it to my lips, and tip it back, taking a gulp before checking my cell, which has links to all the cameras in the club. Seeing that Malo is in the office and things are quiet, I head out the back door, past the deep-set outdoor couch, to the fireplace where I start a fire with the flip of a switch, then turn on some soft music.
When I walk back into the kitchen a couple of minutes later, she’s there holding Binx, wearing a pair of tight shorts and one of my tees that is way too fucking big on her. The tension I didn’t even know I was carrying seems to disappear at the sight of her in my shirt, looking absolutely adorable with no makeup and her hair up in a messy bun.
“I started a fire.” I walk to the counter and pick up her glass, handing it to her before taking Binx and placing him on the floor so I can grab her hand. Snagging my beer off the counter, I take her with me out the back door, then look back at her when she stops suddenly.
“I had no idea it looked like this out here at night.”
I glance around, taking in the glow of the pool, the view of the mountains that appear almost blue under the moonlight, and the way the fire and string lights cast a warm glow around the yard and seating area. I knew the space was cool, but I never knew how much of a mood it set until she was in it. Really, I wish we didn’t have some heavy shit to talk about and that we were just out here to spend some time together relaxing and just enjoying each other’s company.
“Now I can see why you bought this house.”
“I bought this place because the market was shit. It only needed a little work and was in a great area,” I tell her as I lead her to the couch and take a seat, pulling her down with me. “Today, this house would sell for almost double what I paid for it, so I didn’t buy it for the yard—even though tonight I’m seeing it’s awesome. I bought it as an investment.” I pull one of her legs up over mine, then adjust us so we’re close, and her eyes widen ever so slightly.
“Oh,” she says, and I grin, watching her gaze drop to my mouth. Fuck, I want to kiss her, but I don’t. I take a sip of beer and watch her look away to take a sip of her wine.
“Now—the good shit first, or the heavy?” I ask, and she rubs her lips together.
“Heavy first, if I have to choose.”
“Right.” I pull her other leg up so that if she tries to bolt, I have a shot at stopping her. “Before I was born, my dad took out some really bad guys,” I start, and she turns to face me with her lips parting in a silent O. “He thought with them out of the way that it was the end of it, but as what tends to happen, that guy was replaced by another. And even though my father hasn’t been involved in that life for a very long time, he’s extremely cautious when it comes to his family’s protection.” I run my hand up and down the smooth skin of her shin. “That’s why we have security—not because my family has some kind of criminal affiliation, but because someone could decide they want to make a name for themselves and use my family to do it.”