Page 34 of Romancing His Heart

“I totally think the girl could be the screwup. Geez, I almost ruined things with Dex because I couldn’t get out of my own way.” Leaning across the table, Lanie asks, “You won’t make me seem like a total moron when you write our story, will you?”

“Ah, it won’t really be your story. I was just asking for ideas. I write fiction. It will all be fiction,” Sloane replies on autopilot.

“Our story will be your bestseller,” Preston boasts.

“No way. Our story has love, heartbreak, even the freaking mob. There is no way your story can top ours,” Trevor challenges.

“Neither of you would have stories if I didn’t help you get your girls,” Dexter points out. “So, by default, I think that makes Lanie and I the top story.”

“You’re delusional.”

“Get out of here.”

“I’m not going to lie, Loki has some pretty big shoes to fill,” Colton adds to the fray.

I glance around the table. Sylvie is thoroughly enjoying herself while everyone else is arguing about who had the best fucking love story.How the hell does anyone survive in this chaos daily?Glancing at Halton’s sour face, I realize he’s onto something because no one bothers him. On his other side is Seth, who shockingly looks comfortable and at ease here.

That’s when I notice Sloane. Her thumbs are tapping her middle fingers at a frantic pace, and it makes me antsy for her.

Noticing my agitated state, Sylvie places a hand on mine, requiring me to look away from Sloane and make eye contact with her.

“She’s not used to the chaos that comes with this big family, but if there was ever a person that needed the love of a large group, it’s her.” Sylvie nods her head in Sloane’s direction, and I notice she’s adjusting her ponytail again. That’s the third time in less than five minutes. “It’s okay,” Sylvie encourages. “This is a lot for her. She was fine at Christmas, but I think that’s because all the attention was on Emory. Go ahead.”

Not that I needed Sylvie’s blessing to leave dinner, but it sure makes the guilt a little less heavy. I stand so abruptly I nearly knock over my chair, causing everyone to turn in my direction.

“Loki, are you okay?” Emory asks, standing immediately.

“Yeah, I think I just need to lie down for a while. Sloane, think you can, ah …”Fuck, what the hell can I ask her to help with and not sound like a dick?

“Yup, coming.” As if rescued from the electric chair, Red jumps to her feet, saving me from having to come up with an excuse to get her out of here.

“Oh, hey, Sloane? Hold on a minute,” Julia says while reaching behind her. “GG said to give you these.”

I watch in shock as Julia tosses a giant box of condoms across the dinner table. Red stands frozen in place, so I snatch them from the air and shoot Julia a nasty look.

Taking Red by the arm, I guide her to the elevator. Once we’re alone in the car, I let out a sigh of relief. Leaning against the wall, I pinch the bridge of my nose. From the corner of my eye, I watch Red. She’s in shock, and I guess I would be too if I weren’t used to those guys.

Taking a step forward, I bend my knees to get a good look at her. “You okay? I know they’re crazy, but they mean well.”

Red nods and attempts a smile, but I know it’s bullshit.

“I forgot how intense it is when we’re all together. Usually, Easton and Halton balance out the crazy, but with East up north, I guess Halt just wanted to stay in his own lane.”

“I guess.”

The elevator chimes, and I hold the door for her to exit first. As we walk down the hall, I keep my eye on her. I’m not sure why or what the hell I’m supposed to do now. I just knew she needed to get out of the pressure cooker, and I did, too. Halfway to our apartment, I hear a loud crash.

“Th-That came from your apartment.”

She’s right. No one else lives this far down.

The noise has Red freezing in place, so I grab her hand and pull her back the way we came. Pressing the button while keeping myself between her and our apartment, I pray it comes quickly. The stairs are too risky since we would have to pass our door to get to them, and we can still hear chaos coming from the end of the hall. Thankfully, the elevator pings almost instantly.

Thank fuck.

Shoving Red inside, I want to press the button and make a run for our apartment, but I have no weapons on me. The smart thing is to get to Preston’s and grab Seth. Hopefully, whoever is in there will still be around in three minutes.

The second the door opens, I drag Red into Preston’s foyer.