Page 46 of The Almost One

“Kai, can you carry my chair for me please? It might be a little too much for me to take it myself.”

Freya’s whiney voice grates on my nerves as I pack away my own chair, sliding it into the convenient carry-case and throwing it over my shoulder. Petal doesn’t even get a choice as Everest does the same with her chair. And as Marco goes to take mine from me, I glare at him, raising a questioning brow, letting him know I’m a big girl who doesn’t need my man to carry my shit. Being pregnant would be the only time I’d allow it, and I don’t plan on doing that anytime soon.

Shaking his head in amusement, Marco interlocks his fingers with mine and we all head toward our camping spot.

By the time we make it back, the sun has almost fully set and the moon is just visible in the sky. There’s a chill in the air with the light wind, but it’s bearable and we have plenty of blankets at the ready. I allow Marco to set up my camping chair next to his while I start the fire. It’s not too big for now; we have some jumping to do before we use it for heat.

“Who’s first this year?” I look around the group, smiling at Marco’s confusion. I haven’t told him about this part yet.

“Ooh, me!”

Of course it’s fucking Freya. I stand, gesturing for her to come closer. Petal stands as well, encouraging the others to do the same and grabbing Ev and Marco by the hand. I reach out for Marco’s other hand, and Kai, who’s on the other side of me.

“I know you’re new to all of this, Marco, but I just want to say thank you for allowing us to embrace you into our world. We know it’s not for everyone, and we know this year has been tough. So here’s to new beginnings. Are we all ready?”

“Duh, I’ve been ready for ages.”

This is why we didn’t invite Freya to this last year, she’s a total attention hog. As soon as someone else is getting any kind of praise, she’s there, ready to shit all over it.

Petal rolls her eyes and takes a deep breath, closing her eyes and tilting her head to the sky. “Let the energy of the Summer Solstice help you release, recharge, and bring you balance.”

Ev, Kai, and I repeat her words, with Marco joining in halfway through when he realizes what we’re doing.

We all watch as Freya jumps over the small fire, then we cheer to her new beginnings. Maybe she’ll be less of a bitch this year…

She heads straight for Kai when she’s finished, with an angry glance at where our hands are joined, immediately interjecting herself in his place. “Why don’t you go next, Kai?”

He shrugs and moves to stand in front of the fire. We repeat the process for him, Ev, then me, and I’m not entirely sure if Marco’s going to do it or not, but he eagerly steps forward. He comes straight for me when he’s finished his jump over the fire, wrapping me in his arms and lifting me, spinning me in a circle and kissing my neck.

“This is fun. Thank you for including me,Tesoro.”

I could get used to this carefree side of him. I know Aly and Justin are around somewhere being all stealthy and shit, plus a few others whose names I don’t know, and there are still some dangerous things going on, but tonight is special for so many reasons.

Petal steps forward, ready for her jump, and I see the moment Ev decides that’s not happening. But he calls Kai over and they both stand either side of her, flanking her.

“What are yo—” Ev nods once at Kai and they both bend, grabbing a thigh each and securing her back, lifting her over and across the fire as she squeals in delight before they place her gently down again.

Her giggle brings back all the sunshine and I know this is going to be a great year. How could it not be?

CHAPTERFOURTEEN

MARCO

One night away with my favorite little witches so Mother Nature could recharge their earthly bodies—their words and sure as fuck not mine—was all I could spare. Tomorrow night is the pre-opening of the new and improved Mancini Hotel-SoHo. It’s our headquarters, the pillar of our chain, and if it doesn’t look perfect, it reflects on every site we own.

I must say, I actually do feel somewhat reinvigorated. Doesn’t mean the urge to bitch slap Kai didn’t come over me once or ten times, but here’s the thing: having River as a wife puts a lot of shit into perspective. The value she puts on friendship is something I admire, so for that reason alone, I call upon every ounce of self-control whenever that dude decides to put his hands on my wife.

It’s always seemingly innocent. Ruffling her hair, saving her from the imaginary mosquito on her shoulder, thumbing a drop of beer from her bottom lip. Okay, fine. I almost broke his wrist when I intercepted that smooth move.

Little fucker has his own wife. Maybe he should worry about what’s coming out of her mouth a little more and a little less about River.

“Heard you went out and got rejuvenated by Mother Nature last night.” Tyler stands at the bottom of my stairwell as I trot down, swinging my jacket around and closing the middle button. “You still look like an old bastard to me. Guess it didn’t work, huh?”

As I reach the last step, I walk right up to his smug face and slap his cheek like I’m the Godfather and he’s my minion. “Don’t be jealous, Tyler. Not a good look on you, brother.”

Chuckling, he shakes his head and follows me out where Enzo is waiting for us. Tonight, we’re taking the limo so we can enjoy ourselves at the club. With everything ready for tomorrow, I don’t need to be at the hotel until late in the morning to sign off on the last-minute changes that are inevitable for the kind of party we’ve planned.

Before all that, we’re going to surprise my wife at her workplace, so I can watch her in her element and support her in her endeavors. Also, who the fuck doesn’t enjoy a good burlesque show?

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