“Salute.” I raise my glass of bubbly. “To Carmine.”
“To Carmine,” Dre echoes, and everyone around the table clinks their glasses.
Once Creed sits down, Stella stands up with her glass of water in her hand. “Thank you, Tristan, for your persistence in giving us all a better future. We’ve all lost loved ones recently, so it’s nice to have something good finally happen. And there’s one more blessing for us to celebrate tonight.” Turning to face Dre who sits beside her, she says, “Little Carmine and Oriana are going to have a baby cousin to grow up with them like the three of you guys, and I couldn’t be happier.”
Everyone cheers, while Dre looks stunned. “Hold on. We’re having a baby? You’re…”
“She’s had morning sickness for a week, you fool,” Creed informs him.
Dre is still in shock as he stares at his wife, obviously seeing what he’s missed. “Mia dolce viperais having a baby viper?”
“God help us all,” Saint remarks but there’s a smile on his face as he gets up from his seat to go hug his sister. “Congratulations, Stella. Cami is going to be so happy —”
“I know, and I can’t decide if I should tell her over the phone or wait.”
“Tell her,” Saint suggests. “It’ll give her something to look forward to.”
Stella nods and hugs her twin brother again, as the two, no doubt, miss their sister being here personally to hear the news.
Even once he’s returned to his seat, Dre is still processing. “You…what…how long have you known?”
“Not long. I wanted to wait to tell you when you didn’t have the case and prison sentence hanging over your head.”
“God, I love you.”
“I love you too,” she says before he wraps her in his arms and kisses her as if we’re not in a public place.
“Hard to believe she hated him just a few months ago,” I remark to Saint.
“Hard to believe he survived long enough for her to stop hating him,” he replies, making us both chuckle.
Creed and Zara, Dre and Stella, they all started out as enemies, and now, they’re happily married with babies on the way.
If it’s possible for them, then maybe there’s some small chance I could convince a stubborn DA to let me into her bed again without blackmailing her.
It’s not like I want to marry her or anything. I just want to fuck her once. Maybe twice if the first time is over too quick.
Being with Kirsten was unlike anything I’ve ever felt before, probably because she’s the complete opposite of me. I’m everything she hates, and she’s everything I want.
And if it wasn’t my family who sent someone to kill her, then who did? Just because they failed the first time doesn’t mean they won’t try again.
Kirsten needs someone watching her back, and it’s not like I have anything better to do.
13
Kirsten
“Kirsten?” Natalie asks over the office intercom as soon as I sit down on a Tuesday morning.
“Yes?” I grit out.
“Your, um, I mean Detective Daughtry is here to see you,” she says way too loudly.
Crap. Bryan doesn’t have an appointment, and I’m certain he’s not showing up unannounced to fool around.
Unlike a certain mobster, he’s usually all business.
“Fine, send him in.”
