Page 36 of Ties That Bind Us

“God, I’ve missed this,” Bella squealed as we went in. She was almost giddy, thriving on this type of thing. “You find us a table, and I’ll go get some drinks.”

She scurried off before I could protest. My conversation with Nick was in the back of my mind—I knew he wouldn’t be thrilled with me being here with Bella, but I could keep things under control. Winding through the crowd, I spotted a high-top table toward the back. It took a few minutes but I was finally able to maneuver my way there. I was just getting situated when I heard a familiar voice behind me.

“Well, I’ll be damned.” Jimmy grinned, then leaned in to kiss me on the cheek. “It’s great to see you, Ava.”

A sinking feeling grew in my stomach. I hadn’t had enough alcohol to equip me for seeing my cheating ex-boyfriend.

“Hi, Jimmy.” I smiled uncomfortably. It had been a long time since Jimmy and I had had a normal conversation; it was going to take some getting used to.

“You look well.” He took my hand in his, studying the diamond on my finger, and arched an eyebrow. “The rumors are true?”

“They are. I’m getting married.”

“Good for you, Avs. To a Caponelli no less. Which one? Frankie? Leo?” He slid into a chair at the table, inviting himself to join me as I glanced desperately over my shoulder looking for my sister. Where the hell was Bella?

“Nick, actually.” I smiled.

Jimmy was shocked. “The heir himself, huh? You’ll practically be Caponelli royalty.”

“I don’t know about that.” I laughed, folding my hands together. “I didn’t have much choice in the matter, anyway.”

“Well, congratulations either way. I hope he’ll make you happy.”

“Thanks, Jimmy.” I was surprised at how civil the conversation had been.

“There you are!” Bella shrieked, setting four sloshing drinks down on the table. “Jimmy! How are you?”

“Doing well. It’s good to see the two of you out again, it’s been a while.” Jimmy gave her a charming smile that only repulsed me. She seemed to fall right for it, though, friendly to a fault.

“Tell me about it.” Bella rolled her eyes. “This one gets engaged and it’s like pulling teeth to get her out of the house.”

“It is not!” I defended myself, taking a large gulp of my drink. I knew I was going to need this, and many more to get through the night. Not to mention the connection between Nick and Andrew, whatever it was, was weighing on my mind. I knew I had to let it go—so what if they were friends? Andrew probably had a lot of friends I didn’t know. Who cared if Nick was one of them?

“I never thought I’d see the day Ava Moretti settled down, let alone married.” Jimmy smirked.

“Like I said, I didn’t really have a choice,” I grumbled, regretting my decision to come out tonight.

“That’s not stopping you from enjoying it, though.” Bella snickered.

“Would you give it a rest?”

“You got anything to lighten my sister up, Jimmy? She can’t seem to take a joke.” Bella threw a tousled curl over her shoulder. Bella never took my addiction seriously and still thought I could party like I used to without any repercussions. No matter how badly I wished that was true, it was never just a one-and-done type of thing for me. She could stop herself when she felt like it was going too far, but I couldn’t—at least not with cocaine.

“I got just the thing.” Jimmy fished a packet of white powder out of his pocket discreetly. Just looking at it brought a burning to my veins. I hadn’t done cocaine in months. I hated what it did to me, the downward spiral it brought me to. I wasn’t going to risk that now.

“No, thanks.” I slid it back to him.

Jimmy smirked smugly. “Of course not. Caponelli wouldn’t approve of that, now would he? You already think you’re too good for us now that you’re joining them.”

“It’s not about that. I just . . .” I shifted in my seat.

“Come on, Avs!” Bella begged. “Just a little won’t hurt anything! You know how good it makes you feel.”

I gulped, trying to find my strength. I hated that she was right. When I was high, I felt like I was flying. All my problems disappeared and I was light, drifting in a sort of alternate universe. I used to crave it worse than just about anything, and as much as I hated to admit it, it sounded good right now. If I only had a little, was there much harm in that? I had stopped before on my own, I could do it again. One taste wouldn’t hurt anything would it?

“You know you want to, Ava. Don’t be so pretentious. One more time for old times’ sake.” Jimmy’s voice was enticing as he slid the packet toward me again.

I could do this. I could have one taste and be content. I deserved to let loose and have a good time with Bella and our friends tonight. I was about to give my life away to the Mafia, why not celebrate a little bit?

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