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CONOR

Though I was sweaty from my workout, I pressed a kiss to Star’s shoulder and waited for her to take the box in my hands.

“What’s this?” she asked.

“Something to make you happy, and seeing as you’re about to eat with family, you could probably wear it too.”

Laughing, she untied the ribbon on the box and smirked. “Flannel PJs?”

“I got a matching set for me and one for Katina as well.”

Her eyes gleamed. “We’re definitely wearing these tonight. Aidan will show up in Brioni, Camden in vintage Gucci, and Savannah in her designer du jour . We have to break glass ceilings.”

“Not sure we can do that in a penthouse. Aren’t we too high up?”

“You have to start somewhere.” She peered at her watch then grabbed my arm and started dragging me toward the bedrooms. “We have enough time to change. You go and get ready and I’ll give these to Kat.”

“Nah, I gave her set to her earlier. Hers have polar bears on them. I just got us regular plaid.”

With a shake of her head, she chuckled. “You’re one of a kind, Conor. You know that?”

“I mean, I try.”

Still needing to clean up after my workout, I pulled out the new PJs that I’d actually physically bought—hadn’t just ordered them online—and headed into the shower.

After washing up, I changed, just in time to hear the doorbell.

Knowing it’d be the food, I left that with Star and went to our office to check how my 3D printer was progressing, then I scanned my emails and made sure some programs were still running.

A half-hour later, Star called out, “Conor, Savannah just texted to let me know they’re on their way up.”

The doorbell sounded again. I stretched then shut my computer down for the night, smiled at the new picture frame on my desk of Kat and me on the Staten Island Ferry, and moved into the hall to greet my brother, Savannah, and Camden—the reason for the dinner.

I caught them just in time to hear Savannah grumble, “I spent thirty grand on your new wardrobe, Star, and you wear pajamas to meet with us?”

“We’re among family, aren’t we? I’m jealous I didn’t think of it,” Camden, Savannah’s brother, joked as he hauled Star into him. “God, it’s good to see you. When Savannah told me that you wanted to meet up, I was so freakin’ happy?—”

“Star?! The polar bears are winking!” Katina chuckled as she pulled out her pajama sweatshirt as she ambled down the hall. Kat flashed a glance at the door, then she blanched. She dropped the hem of her sweatshirt. Gulped. Blushed. Then rubbed her eyes. “Is that…” She peered at Savannah, and Aidan, then studied Camden. “Savannah,” she whispered. “You’re the best aunt ever!”

Savannah grinned as she shoved Camden in the shoulder. “Meet your number one fan in the whole universe, Camden.”

Though he grinned back, he held out his hand for Kat. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Katina. It’s an honor to meet my numero uno fan.”

Kat gaped some more then, in a flurry of energy, barreled into Savannah. She squeezed her so hard, Savvie yelped, then she quickly grabbed Camden’s hand and shook it up and down like she was the Hulk.

“Sir, I just need you to know that Untold Promises changed my life.”

Star snorted, but Camden sent her a dead serious look and stated, “It changed mine too. I’m glad we had the same vibe from it.”

Her eyes turned round and for a moment, I didn’t know if she was going to melt into the ground or just fade to dust, but she only whispered, “I knew we were soul mates.”

Chuckling, Star retorted, “What have we said about being a stalker, Katina? Come on, brat, let’s stop freaking Camden out.”

Kat nodded then drifted backward. “This is my house, Camden. Mi casa es su casa, okay?”

Aidan laughed as she darted toward her room, muttering about telling Juniper and Ginger. I’d thought they were a style of teabag from Starbucks for a week until Star told me they were her new frenemies at school.

“You’re still trying to hide from the paps? It’s that bad, Camden?” Star asked, breaking into my train of thought as she beckoned everyone into the apartment and guided them into the living room.

Determined to focus, I heard Camden admit, “This time of year always sucks.”

“If you want to stay with us, I don’t think Conor would mind,” she offered, shooting me a glance.

I hitched a shoulder. “Kat said it— mi casa es su casa, Camden. We have plenty of room here.”

He shot me a sheepish grin. “Thanks, but it’s okay. I’m staying at the Langham. It’s just that I was saying to Aidan how difficult it was to get out of the hotel with the press haunting my every waking move.”

“The offer’s there,” I said amicably, earning a kiss from Star as she clapped her hands together.

“Do we want something to drink first or food?”

“Food!” Savannah barked. “I’m hungry.”

Aidan and Camden laughed but Star just rolled her eyes and snagged Camden’s and Savannah’s hands to tug them forward. The move was borderline juvenile and it made me happy to see.

She’d settled into the penthouse as if there’d never been a day where she wasn’t here. Mostly, I wished that there hadn’t been a time when she hadn’t been here, but hell, I had her now.

Leaving the three to walk ahead, I stayed behind with Aidan. “Why’s this time of year hard?”

“I don’t know,” he answered with a frown. “But I do know he’s a gambling addict. Got the shit kicked out of him two Christmases ago by some two-bit bookie.”

I hitched a shoulder. “If Camden’s finding it tough right now, then maybe him hanging around Savannah will help? You know how close-knit they are.”

“Close-knit and argumentative as fuck. I totally understand why Ma used to knock our heads together when we were kids. They never shut the hell up.”

“Is that why you tried to dump him on my door?”

“How do you know that was my endgame?”

“You didn’t offer to let him stay with you.”

“I like the guy but the pair of them together drive me insane.”

Chuckling, I walked with him toward the dining room where the trio had already started digging into the food that Star had ordered.

Spying the dozen-plus cardboard takeout boxes, I laughed when I saw she’d gone for broke and had ordered Italian, Chinese, Korean, and steak.

“For me, I assume?” I teased, grabbing the steak and dumping it on a dish without waiting for an answer.

“You’re turning into one-hundred-percent prime rib,” she joked.

“You need to diversify your diet, Conor. You know red meat isn’t great for you, don’t you?” Savannah chided, pointing at me with her chopstick.

I grunted but it was Star who said, “Nag your own husband, Vana.”

“You’re not married yet,” Savannah pointed out.

She jerked the neckline of her top down, revealing the phoenix with my name interspersed amid the ephemeral lines. “See that? I’m as good as married.”

“You’re not a brother in the MC.”

Star sniffed. “Honorary brother.”

“Since when?”

“I don't know. I'm guessing since I got my ass blown up for the club.”

Camden’s brows lifted. “Your ass got blown up at a club?”

“No. An MC is a motorcycle club, Camden,” Savannah explained.

“I’ve watched Sons of Anarchy like a normal person,” he argued. “But since when do you know an MC, Star?”

“Since I’ve been living with one.”

Camden shook his head. “I’m the rocker but you’re the rebel.”

“Let’s not tell your fans that, huh?” Star derided, slurping down some noodles.

Camden flashed a glance at her now-covered tits. “Does that really mean you’re married?”

“It does in the land of the Sinners’ MC.”

Aidan, having grabbed some fettucini Alfredo, asked, “When did you get that, Star?”

“Recently.”

He sighed. “When?”

“A short time ago.”

Aidan mocked, “I guess that’s me told,” to which Savannah laughed and bumped fists with Star. The look he shot me was pointed. “By someone other than you. Thanks for the update, Kid.”

I ignored him. Cut off some prime rib. Blinked at him. “It wasn’t about anyone other than Star and me.”

Aidan grunted.

“You didn’t tell Mom and Dad about… this ?” Camden asked, breaking into our stare-off.

“Why would I?” Star countered, forking up some Pad Thai. “We all know how your mom feels about me.”

“I don’t,” Aidan grumbled.

“I kind of do, actually,” I countered. “Lorelei has a problem with Star because of Gerry, Star’s dad.”

“What happened with her dad?”

Star tilted her head to the side at me. “What happened with my dad?”

I hitched a shoulder. “Don’t blame me. Savannah told me this time.”

“Savannah,” she snapped.

“What?! I’d just found out Mom is writing her goddamn memoir?—”

“And you didn’t lead with this conversation the first time we met up again?” Star bristled. “How am I only just learning about this? She can’t publish anything without me signing off on it!”

Savannah sighed. “She felt it was a good time to write about her life.”

“And that included her and Dagger and Gerry being in a menage.”

Camden put down his forkful of Kung Pao chicken. “A thousand hours of therapy didn’t block those memories out of my brain.”

Savannah’s nose wrinkled at the bridge. “Yeah, it was kind of a traumatizing time.”

“Wait, your parents and Star’s dad were in a threesome? As in, living in a threesome?” Aidan gaped at them.

“Yeah,” Savannah muttered. “It was a weird time. They’d lost Casey, Star’s mom, and he’d started using again.”

“Started fucking everything that moved again too,” Star said bitterly.

I rubbed her knee. I knew those memories remained a sore spot when she pressed her fingers to mine, knotted them together, and didn’t let go.

“And you became a problem child,” Camden retorted.

“Can’t deny I got to be a problem. Whenever he used too much, I’d act out,” she explained to Aidan. “I only behaved when he was clean. Then I realized why he was clean and…”

“She rebelled again,” Camden answered for her. “I didn’t hate it when they were together, but I didn’t like finding them in—” He thrust another digit through the circle he made with his thumb and pointer finger then did some kind of movement that was more like origami than anything else. “—various positions.”

Aidan plunked his elbows down on the table. “I can see Lorelei being into that, to be honest.”

“Of course. She’s all about sexual empowerment,” Savannah agreed. “Did you know the last time I saw her she gave me a vibrator to gift to Victoria?”

Aidan burst out laughing. “No. I didn’t know. Did you give it to her?”

“Sure. That’s why I didn’t tell you. You’d have told me not to.”

He grimaced. “I’d have told you to keep your nose out. Not because I’m a prude?—”

“Oh, I knew that already, babe,” she chirped with a wink.

“—but because I don’t need Eoghan coming to me telling me my wife is corrupting his sister-in-law.”

“Like she’d tell Eoghan what I gave her,” Savannah scoffed.

“She has a point,” I said with a laugh.

“Has she used it?” Star queried. “She’s a sweet girl but looks like she has a stick up her ass.”

Savannah snorted. “I didn’t ask her, dumbo. Just left it with her. It’s there when she’s ready and only she knows when that is. Mom just wanted her to be prepared.”

“It’s weird that Mom even thought about her sex life,” Camden grumbled. “She’s met her, what? Twice?”

“She’s pulled back from her clients but I think she misses it.”

Star frowned. “She’s not working as a therapist anymore?”

Savvie bit her lip. “Nope.”

“Why not?”

“She says she wants to devote her time to her memoir.”

A sharp scowl flashed across Aidan’s brow at something she said, but he simply focused on his pasta before he reached for a slice of garlic bread.

Someone wasn’t thinking about getting laid tonight .

I heaved a sigh at the notion of this meal triggering an argument, but I guessed it meant the siblings would have to get together more often.

I was pretty sure regular catchups were why my brothers and I didn’t argue that much, just bickered.

As everyone settled into their meal and Katina popped her head in for dessert, I realized Star had grabbed her a pizza that she’d been eating in the living room she’d staked as her own.

That was when I knew Katina was capable of being shy. Camden was why, of course. It sucked meeting your idols—I’d know. I was sure I was going to die when I’d met Savannah and Camden’s father, Dagger.

Here, Kat had a golden opportunity to eat with Camden himself, to ask him whatever she wanted, but she was too busy hiding out in her living room.

When she anxiously toed the rug beneath the dinner table, blushing as she peeked at Camden, hovering over cookie dough ice cream as she informed Savannah about my French braiding skills when Savvie had told her how pretty she looked—which had Aidan shooting me a bewildered glance—I experienced the weirdest feeling.

It wasn’t bad, just weird.

Just happy .

So fucking happy.

And it was unusual.

But good.

Fantastic, even.

My family and Aidan’s were tangled together and I loved it. I loved that this was my future.

I loved that this was an unexpected blessing.

In my life, I'd experienced too few of those.

Like she knew where my mind was, Star squeezed my hand. Our knotted fingers remained clasped.

As they always would.