Page 501 of Lodestar

“If it’ll break his heart, why would I want that?”

Wouldit break his heart?

Or would it lessen the faith he had in me? A faith that was on shaky grounds because of the stunts I routinely pulled…?

He often said that he didn’t want me to change. I took that to mean he didn’t care if I showed up to a party with shitkickers on my feet instead of stilettos or if I wore jeans to a funeral. He didn’t need me to coddle his ma or to keep my nose out of the Five Points.

No, he accepted me.

There was no denying that.

In some ways, with the atonement he asked for, what he wanted was harder. Change, for him, required me including him. It meant a molecular shift in how I dealt with business. But, when it boiled down to it, I had to accept that there was no point in being a part of his life if I wasn’t open to that.

So, I guessed I had my answer, didn’t I?

Rubbing my eyes, I muttered, “I think it’s time for somebody else to share. Whose turn is it?”

“There’s this man who wants me but he won’t ask me out on a date because his friendusedto want me,” Cin drawled, tossing a chip down and staring pointedly at Chadwick as she did. “Afriend who I texted recently and who hasn’t texted me back… What do I do to pull his head out of his ass?”

I hid a smirk but Eoghan groaned. “Is this going to be about our love lives?”

“It’s going to be about whatever we need, I guess. If that means you need advice on which jewels to buy your wife, Eoghan, then that’s what it’ll be.”

Though he rolled his eyes, he muttered, “Why can’t you have both of them?”

Savannah arched a brow. “See, there’s my kind of thinking. Why wouldn’t Hermione go for HarryandDraco? It just doesn’t make any sense.”

“Are you talking about a throuple?” Cin crooned. “That’s my favorite dynamic.”

Chadwick, though his ears were burning, cleared his throat. “It’s for kids, Cin.”

“Boring,” she dismissed.

“Who the hell are Hermione, Harry, and Draco?” Troy demanded.

“Lyra’s not old enough yet to have readHarry Potter,” I grumbled to Troy as Ren started purring as he began kneading my lap. “Unfortunately for me, Kat is.”

“I like it. It’s sweet,” Savannah chimed in. “I wish she hadn’t ended up with Ron and that they’d fucked on screen. But hey, it’s for teens.”

“Because teens never fuck,” Eoghan mocked.

Chadwick rumbled out a laugh. “Ever. Abstinence is the only way.”

“Said the bird to the bee,” Savannah sang as she shoved her chips into the middle of the table then, with a pretty smile, chirped, “All in.”

My lips twitched as the rest of the table groused when the majority folded. Only Chad stayed in for the hand.

Ten minutes later, when I peeked at Savannah’s cards before I shuffled them back into the pack, I had to hide my surprise.

My sister from another mister had definitely become better at bluffing—I guessed that was what happened when you became the queen of the Five Points.

54

TEXT CHAT

Star: You’re going to have to stop me from wanting to strangle Rachel.

Lily: She’s not that bad.

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