Page 135 of High Roller

She wraps her arms around my neck and gives me a kiss on the cheek. “I’m good. Sometimes it’s all a little overwhelming, and I’m glad you talked me out of adding more classes this semester. But most of this is excellent stuff that is happening. I’m worried for Lili and what will happen to her if things don’t work out the way they should, but I know that a lot of this is out of my control.”

“We’re going to do everything we can for her, butterfly.”

“I trust that. It’s strange how quickly I’ve become attached to her. You’ve known me for a long time. I’m not the type to get attached so quickly.”

No, she’s not. Grace has always been suspicious of new people. It’s a trait we share and could be what bonded us so quickly in high school.

“You two look awfully cozy over here,” Lili says as she saunters up to us with a glass of wine in her hand. “What are we talking about?”

“You, actually,” Grace says.

Lili raises an eyebrow. “All good things, I hope.”

“Of course, Goddess,” Grace murmurs. “We were talking about wanting the best for you and wanting you to be in our lives.”

Lili raises an eyebrow. “That’s delightful. It seems all I’ve done is make a mess of your lives. It wouldn’t surprise me to hear that you’re eager to get rid of me.”

“Stop that,” Grace admonishes. “Just because we don’t know what’s going to happen doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy what we have.”

“You’re right. May I sit?”

Lili sits next to me, and Grace swings her feet into Lili’s lap. I drape an arm around her, and she lays her head on my shoulder as she strokes Grace’s thigh.

“How are you, Lili? It sounds like a lot is going to happen in the next few days,” Grace says.

“I’m overwhelmed. When I stormed out of the house and went to the casino that night, I never expected any of this to happen. I thought Finn would follow me and I could cause a scene in public. He would get abusive, and people would finally see him for the monster he is. That seemed like the only way to get out of the marriage safely.”

I squeeze her shoulders as I think of all the ways that plan could have backfired on her.

“In some ways, I’m lucky Victor kidnapped me the next morning. Finn might have killed me by now.”

“That’s enough talk of anyone killing you,” I command. “You know it upsets Grace.”

Lili smiles at Grace and pats her thigh. “Don’t worry, sweetheart. I’m going to be fine, especially with whatever plan Victor and the others are cooking up to help me get divorced.”

I move my arm from around her shoulders and reach for my beer, so she doesn’t see me grimace. That plan may be dead already depending on what Hunter Novak has in mind. Tobias is right that we’ll be expected to fall in line. I’m just hoping he’s come up with something clever.

All of that will have to wait until morning. Luke and Matteo are arguing over how to serve the food, Skylar and Bellamy are laughing about something, and Zara is sitting with Tobias talking in hushed tones, and I’ve got two gorgeous women on the couch with me. It’s a perfect night with family. Deep down, I think we’re all aware it’s the calm before the storm, and I need to soak up as much of tonight as I can with both of these women and the people I love the most.

“Will you two quit bitching and feed us already?” I shout at Luke and Matteo.

“Looks like you’ve got your hands full and don’t need food,” Luke retorts.

I flip him off and Grace giggles. It’s a delightful sound. Finally, they lay the food out on the table we set up on the deck, and invite everyone to dig in. When we have our plates of steak, baked potatoes, and the street corn I added to the meal, Matteo pulls Skylar to the center of the deck with him and reaches into his pocket.

“I asked her a few days ago, but this is the first time she’s seeing the ring.”

“You’re finally getting married?” Bellamy squeals. “How? When?”

Owen pulls her down between him and Tobias. “Give them a chance to tell us, love.”

“Sorry,” she murmurs. “This is just exciting.”

Matteo smiles at Bellamy. “It’s very exciting. We’ve been discussing it and have come to the conclusion that we have to live our lives. I’m going to let Skylar share the details.”

“We’re still going to be strategic about things. My career is important to me, and Matteo staying in the shadows is equally necessary, so we are waiting until some of this mess we are dealing with is cleared up. I’ve been quietly spending time in the studio writing and recording, and I’m dropping a surprise album next month. After that, I’ll go on a stadium tour and during one of my breaks from that, we’ll get married in New York City.”

“Why New York?”

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