Page 76 of Bottles & Blades

“After all of that?—”

I lift my head, watch Rory as she skips over to Chrissy, lacing her arm through my daughter’s and all but dragging her toward the kitchen.

“—it’s time to open a bottle of wine!”

Chrissy glances over her shoulder at me as she’s hauled along, her eyes concerned.

Because she knows I’m worried.

And, fuck, I can’t have that.

Can’t have my regrets and mistakes clouding her present.

“Fuck,” I mutter, rubbing the throb in my forehead. “I need to get out of here.”

“Right.”

Tiff’s soft hand squeezes mine, and I glance down as she asks,

“Your place or mine?”

Twenty-Three

Tiff

I expectedhis house to be ostentatious—a four-lot wide monstrosity like one of those insane mansions the local tech CEOs have.

Instead…it’s homey.

Oh, it’s big.

My apartment could fit ten times over, just on the first floor.

Not to mention his bedroom—and nope, I didn’t even protest when he gave me a rushed tour of the downstairs before drawing me up to the second story, down the hall, through a pair of double doors…

And into this gorgeous master suite.

It’s clearly expensive and luxurious, the carpet so plush my feet sink into it, the bed linens so soft they feel like silk as I trail my fingers over them. Then there’s the bathroom with its huge tub, beautiful steam shower, and walk-in closet the size of a football field (and it’s only half filled with suits).

Speaking of which, Jean-Mi moves toward a dresser on the far side, tugs open a drawer, and pulls out a T-shirt, bringing it over to me.

“For you to sleep in, buttercup,” he murmurs, brushing his knuckles over my cheek and pressing the shirt into my hand. “I think Chrissy left some face shit here, I’ll go grab it for you.”

“I don’t need?—”

“You go on into the bathroom,” he orders—softly, but it’s still an order. “I’ll be right back.”

“Jean-Mi,” I say softly. “Please stop.”

He stills, eyes not quite meeting mine.

“Your ex showing up bothered you,” I whisper. “But that’s not what’sstillbothering you.”

It was something that Pascal found.

It triggered Jean-Mi.

And I can feel his emotions roiling just beneath the surface of his skin.

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