Page 43 of The Complication
“Please stop trying to kill Rome,” Declan grumbled. “He’s annoying but useful.”
“Oh, my God!” Rome shouted between choking coughs. “Not only does Declan have a funny friend, but he’s also cracking jokes. I have died.” Rome straightened and looked at Declan expectantly but rolled his eyes in the end. “Not even a smirk. Come on! Gimme a little smile!” I glanced over to see Declan staring at Rome, his expression blank.
Someone bumped my arm, and I turned my gaze to Rome, who was smiling at me like a lunatic. “The man can’t smile. I swear, I think his face would break if he did.”
“Of course he can smile,” I snapped, fighting the urge to flick Rome in the center of his broad forehead.
“You’ve seen it? Really? You’ve seen Declan smile?” Pierce demanded, sounding utterly disbelieving.
“Yes, I’ve seen him smile. I’m shocked you haven’t.” I leaned my elbow on the bar and tipped my face up to Pierce, then looked at Rome. “Naturally, most of the smiles have come after he’s fucked me through the mattress, while shouting my name until he’s hoarse.”
And I’d silenced the room for a second time. They fucking deserved it. How dare his so-called friend demand he smile on cue as though he were a trained monkey! Declan didn’t have to fucking smile for anyone.
A tug on my hair got me to straighten and half turn toward Declan. I expected to see him angry, but one corner of his mouth tilted higher in an unmistakable smirk. “You’re right. You are out of practice.” To further stun me, the man kissed the side of my jaw. “Play nice.”
“You win!” Pierce was the first to throw up his hands. “We surrender. We’ll stop being nosy. How about you show me pictures of this adorable baby?”
He was not the one I’d expected to ask about Joy, but I was more than happy to show off the perfection that was my snuggle bug. Pierce moved out from behind the bar, and I pulled up pictures of my daughter on my phone to show off. Declan remained close, his hand coming to rest on my hip as he watched over my shoulder. More than once, that devil complained that my picture of the moment wasn’t good enough, and he pulled out his own phone to show the pictures he’d taken of her.
My heart melted. One big puddle in my fucking shoes.
I mean, come on! He was showing off my baby girl with such obvious pride. The reticent man began telling elaborate stories of dinners and how she wasdaysaway from speaking in full sentences, although I was still trying to get “Dada” out ofher. If I didn’t know better, I would have guessed that he was already working on her application for Harvard.
Thankfully, Sebastian countered with pictures of his niece while Pierce whipped out pictures on his phone of his twin nephews, who had just finished their first summer of Little League and were about to begin the fall soccer season. We might have gotten off to a rough start, but it was ridiculously adorable seeing these uncles gushing about their niece and nephews. Rome seemed left out since he was an only child. Byron didn’t appear to mind not having a niece or nephew and was more than happy to appreciate everyone else’s kids.
“Well, isn’t this an interesting gathering?”
The unfamiliar voice cut through the large room, and we all turned at the same time to find a slender young man with pale-blond hair and a wide grin standing in the doorway with Wilkins a step behind him.
“Simon! You made it!” Sebastian called out. We’d all moved to a collection of sofas and chairs as they shared pictures and chatted. Sebastian jumped up from his chair, Byron trailing a couple of steps behind him. I watched as Sebastian pulled him into a tight hug that Simon returned with a chuckle.
A glance around the room was all it took to see that the vibe of the party had changed yet again, and not for the better. Rome, who had been outgoing and chatty since I arrived, now seemed reserved and subdued. Declan had gotten up to stand beside Pierce’s chair, his hand resting on the tall man’s very tense shoulder. He looked worried, while Pierce was…frightened? Was that the word? I’d almost thought he was hostile, but when I looked into his honey-brown eyes, I realized it was a mix of pain and fear gathering there.How weird…
I would tuck that bit of information away and ask Declan about it the moment we were alone.
Sebastian released the newcomer and smoothly introducedhim to Byron. He led Simon into the room, where he introduced us. Simon was and wasn’t what I expected. He appeared to be in his early twenties, not much younger than me, with messily styled blond hair and anime-large blue eyes that dominated his slender face. His clothes were nice, but they didn’t give off that “I spent a year’s salary on this outfit” vibe. Maybe he wasn’t yet another billionaire or trust fund baby, like the rest of this bunch.
As we spoke, there was no missing that his gaze kept sneaking over to Pierce and then snapping back as if he couldn’t control himself. However, he hadn’t spoken directly to the man yet.
“It’s good to see you,” Pierce mumbled.
“Is it?” Simon replied, his voice lilting higher in mocking skepticism.
“What made you choose Cincinnati?” Rome inquired, stepping in before anyone could respond. “I thought I heard you had offers from London and Sydney.”
Simon continued to stare at Pierce for another beat. He sucked in a noisy breath and directed his smile at Rome. “Why wouldn’t I? I have friends in Cincinnati who speak so highly of the city. Besides, it’s just a guest residency for a year. London and Sydney can wait for me.”
“Guest residency? Are you a teacher?” I asked, trying to slice through some of this tension with normal conversation.
A bit of the tension eased from Simon’s expression and his smile became more natural. “No, I’m a professional concert violinist. I was invited to join the London and Sydney symphony orchestras, among others, but I thought I would start with something smaller. Cincinnati’s symphony doesn’t have the same rigorous schedule as those cities, and I was contemplating writing some original work in my spare time.”
“Ahh…so you’re like one of those musical prodigies.”
“Something like that. My parents weren’t thrilled with mepursuing music as a career, but they seemed to have mellowed as I proved myself to be better than average.”
“They only want what’s best for you,” Pierce murmured.
Simon chuckled, but there was an unmistakable edge to it. “What’s best for me? Now, doesn’t that cover a multitude of sins? Sort of like good intentions.”
