Page 54

One day, they’d have children too, and they would be tied together forever, even if they divorced.

The vodka churned in my gut. I slammed my empty glass on a nearby table so hard I heard a small crack.

Dante’s eyebrows rose. He wisely kept quiet, but his speculative gaze remained on me as Jordan and the rest of the party joined us.

“You look like you could use another drink.” Jordan handed me another vodka. His face had flushed crimson, a sure sign he was drunk. “C’mon, loosen up a little! This is a great night.”

I took the drink and downed it in one gulp.

Ayana’s bachelorette was tonight too. What were they doing? Were they also at a bar, or were they at a strip club?

A mental image of some oiled-up male dancer grinding against her flashed through my head. My hand curled, itching to reach into my mind and pull the imaginary asshole off her.

Will grimaced. “I can’t believe you drink vodka straight. That’s…” He trailed off when I looked at him. “Cool,” he said hastily. “Super cool.”

“How are you feeling about the wedding?” Kai asked Jordan. “The big day is coming up soon.”

A shadow crossed Jordan’s face. “I’m excited, but I wish the circumstances were different,” he said. “At least my grandmother will get to celebrate with us.”

Everyone made an obligatory noise of sympathy for the ailing Ford matriarch.

“It’ll be nice to get the ceremony out of the way so you can enjoy the reception,” Killian drawled. The electronics and telecommunications titan lounged against a nearby railing, drawing the attention of several bachelorette parties nearby. “My staff is thrilled that they can finally plan a wedding at Westford, considering they’ve given up hope on me.”

Westford was his family’s castle in County Mayo, and Killian was an infamous bachelor who’d publicly vowed never to marry. That didn’t stop every other woman in Manhattan from trying to lock him down—a feat that had proved useless over the years.

“Any advice from the married men in the group?” Topher clapped a hand on Jordan’s shoulder. “He’s never had a long-term relationship before Ayana. We need to prepare him before he makes a fatal marital mistake. I’m not flying all the way to Ireland for the reception so he can get divorced a month later.”

Laughter and chuckles all around.

A quick divorce. Nowtherewas a thought. I took solace in the possibility, no matter how remote it seemed.

“Hey, have a little more faith in me,” Jordan protested. “Ayana and I get along great. We’ve never even fought.”

“That’s because you’ve never been married yet,” Topher countered.

“My advice: don’t listen to anyone who says you have to get along with your in-laws,” Dante said. “The less you see them, the better. In-laws are assholes.”

“No,” Kai corrected. “Yourin-laws are assholes. Mine are lovely.”

More laughter as Dante scowled at his friend.

His wife Vivian was on notoriously rocky terms with her father. He was the one who’d arranged her marriage to Dante. Though Dante and Vivian’s relationship had worked out, there were whispers that Francis Lau had pulled some underhanded maneuvers before the wedding that landed him on both his daughter and son-in-law’s eternal shit list.

“I like Ayana’s parents, so I don’t think that’ll be a problem,” Jordan said. “They’re so nice, and they make the best food.”

Dante opened his mouth, but Kai cut him off. “Don’t listen to Russo. He doesn’t know how to let go of a grudge,” he said. “My advice is to listen, be patient, and never, ever rearrange your wife’s books without permission.” Kai frowned. “You would think alphabetical order by title makes sense, but apparently, it’s not ‘aesthetically pleasing.’”

“Why would you rearrange her books?” Xavier looked appalled. “That’s rule number one of being in a relationship, married or not. Don’t touch their shit. If I tried to reorganize Sloane’s stuff, I wouldn’t be here right now. I’d be dead.”

“She was on deadline, and I was trying to be helpful,” Kai said defensively.

“Well, it was a stupid move.” Xavier turned to Jordan. “I’m not married, but personally, I think the key to a happy marriage is sex every day. Sometimes twice a day.”

My teeth ground together.Fucking Xavier.I couldn’t kill him, but I sure as hell could think about it.

“Jesus.” Topher groaned. “No one has anyactualpractical advice? J, you’re so cooked.”

“Look on the bright side.” Killian grinned at an increasingly nervous-looking Jordan. “If you get divorced, you can get tips from Davenport on how to win her back. It worked for him.”