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While it will still be some time before the lads begin to make their way to the States, I’ll be heading out. I need to put boots on the ground. I’ll be back for the Alliance meet and making some rounds in between, but I’ll be making New York my home.

Reality has set in today. I was made aware of Toby’s request for a seat at the Alliance table and I had also been told about his in-laws. However, seeing him wearing a crown on his head has solidified so much. LaSalle and Logan are going to pull this off.

The young lads will be kings in their own right or die trying. This fact has caused me to look at my own life. I have money, I have power, I have respect, but does any of that matter?

Seeing my nephew marry a woman he’s willing to start a war for showed me I don’t have shit. It’s not just Toby. Wyatt is married, Noah has Bean, Felix might as well propose, and Braxton … I’m not going to tell him what I really know about him and Heather.

The sweetheart owns my nephew’s heart and always has. I’ve been taking the piss at him all day, but in all honesty I’ve been watching his back. There’s something more going on with him and Heather this visit.

“I’m going to call it a night,” Lucy murmurs, seeming to catch on to the shift at the table.

“Things are winding down anyway. I’ll walk ya to the house,” Jeremiah offers.

“Thanks.”

I look around, and sure enough, things are starting to thin out. I hope Braxton and Heather got enough of a head start to avoid this one getting between them tonight. There’s a tension greater than the one that’s usually there between them.

This little friend of Heather’s has something to do with that, so I’ve kept the little cockblocker busy. Once I watched the two disappear, I kept the drunken lass on the dance floor for a bit.

That was until I caught a glance of my ma and da’s table. Dean has been sitting with them and Cass and Joe as she laughs and wipes at her tears. I can only imagine the things my ma and Cass must be saying.

I ended my dance with Lucy to come and watch Dean while I talk shit with my nephews. I can’t say that Lucy has kept up with a word we’ve said. She’s in bits and we haven’t been speaking at a pace many outsiders can follow.

The whole time I’ve been complaining about my options for an after-wedding bedmate, my eyes have been on Dean. She came to this wedding dressed to kill. The black flowy pants outfit she has on complements everything about her—her curves, her height, the sexy gold heels on her feet.

Although I’ve kept my distance today, I’ve noticed how breathtaking she looks. Her locs are piled on top of her head in a bun with a few hanging loose to curl around her face. Those doll-like features are more pronounced than ever.

“I’m headed out too,” Carrick mutters.

“I’ll be talking to ya before I leave. Remember patience.”

He gives me a nod before he takes off. I sigh to myself. He isn’t wrong; Malcolm needs to be more careful.

However, I’m not going to chastise him for it tonight. Malcolm has a lot to learn, but he’s willing. Laughter peals from across the now-growing-empty tent.

“Fuck, even her laugh is beautiful,” I groan to myself.

I’ve kept my distance from Dean to have time to clear my head. I shouldn’t mix business with pleasure and there is a high likelihood I could if I pursue her. Besides, I’ve been busy with business.

Braxton came in for a few days before the wedding to get more information on Ernest Kline and the Albanians. Making sure Cassie’s boy doesn’t get himself into something he can’t get out of has been my priority. Lasalle is working on getting the Albanians to hand Kline over to me.

I’ll green-light Brax as soon as I get Eugene out of there. He’s been working for that asshole and the Albanians long enough. There’s a lot that couldn’t have been done without him in place.

I’m pulled from my thoughts as my ma flags me over to her table. It looks like Dean is trying to make a run for it. I wish I hadn’t had to spend the day running interference. I would have loved to have gotten her on the dance floor.

The way her top crosses over her breasts and reveals her back and midriff has made it hard to ignore her presence. However, I didn’t think today was the optimal day to sort out our shit. There is still a lot to be worked out between us, no matter how we proceed.

I stand and saunter over to where they are. I’m starting to feel that whiskey I downed with Heather. They were right, the lass can drink and handle her liquor.

I shake my head as if to clear it. I’m just on the right side of hammered. I wouldn’t mind taking Dean back to my old bedroom to spend the night fucking this off.

“Aye, here he is. Ya don’t have to head out on yer own. It’s easier to get lost between here and the house than ya think.

“Ronan, will ya please get the lass to her room safely? I’ll see ya both at breakfast, so it is,” Ma says.

I narrow my eyes at Ma as I read between her words. I had no plans to stay the night here. In order to be at breakfast, I would have to.

“Aye, I will walk ya up. Ya can get lost out there pretty easily. I don’t think we have enough sober guests to send out a search party if something should happen to ya.”