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Nothing has happened yet that can’t be forgotten or forgiven.
Attraction is normal.
Acting on it?
That’s something else entirely.
And after tonight?
Christian knows precisely where the line is.
And friend or no friend, he’d better not fucking cross it.
Chapter 44
The Family I Chose
MEGAN
The afternoon air is warm but crisp, the kind of rare, perfect Los Angeles day where the sun isn’t oppressive but gently filters through the palm trees that line the park’s pathway.
I push Deuce’s stroller at an easy pace, his tiny body snug beneath the light muslin blanket I tucked around him before we left. The faint sound of his soft breathing assures me that he’s still fast asleep, completely oblivious to the world beyond his dreams.
Lena walks beside me, hands tucked into the pockets of her cropped hoodie, her sneakers scuffing the pavement as she kicks at a stray pebble.
It’s been a while since we had time like this—just us.
No club business.
No security details lurking in the background.
No Hunter, Lars, Vaughn, or Christian watching over us like we’re helpless.
Just two women, a baby, and a perfect day.
“So,” Lena says, tilting her head toward me, a playful smirk tugging at her lips. “Are we ever going to talk about the fact that you’re getting married to my brother in, like, two months?”
I let out a breathy laugh. “Try six weeks.”
Her eyes widen. “Jesus. That soon?”
“Yep.”
“And you’re just…what? Casually walking in the park like you don’t have a million things to plan?”
I glance at her, brows raised. “Did you just meet me? Have I ever been the ‘bridezilla’ type?”
Lena scoffs. “You haven’t had time to be. You’ve been too busy running a nightclub, having a baby, painting a masterpiece, and surviving a kidnapping.”
“Yeah, well,” I sigh, adjusting my grip on the stroller handle, “those things tend to keep a girl distracted.”
“So what’s the plan?” she presses, her voice lighter now. “Are we talking about a big fancy wedding or something small and intimate?”
“I think we’re past the point of a big wedding.”
“Well, how can I help? I’ve been begging you for an assignment for weeks.”
“I want something elegant but simple,” I tell her. “I don’t need a giant ballroom with two hundred guests because first of all — I don’t know two hundred people. But I do want it to feel…special. Like a night neither of us will forget.”