“So what did you do?”
She lowers her eyes. “Pushed him.”
“You know that ain’t right. You won’t make friends round here by pushing kids, Molls.”
“He deserved it,” she mumbles.
“If he didn’t want you to play and the other girl was too weak to stand up to him, then it’s their loss. Move on and find another friend,” I say and she nods, causing her brown ringlets to bounce. “Now, let’s go and eat dinner before it gets cold.” I sweep her up in my arms and carry her downstairs.
Sunday dinner is one of my favourite times of the week. I sit back and listen to Hannah and Alice speak about their week and they fill me in on their move here from Manchester and some of the things that went wrong. “So anyway, we just went and ordered a new couch because what’s the point in getting that tatty old one repaired?” says Alice with a laugh.
“It was my comfy couch,” moans Hannah. “I loved it.”
Normal chat is what I crave the most. Listening to them talk about ordinary everyday shit makes me feel like them and I can almost pretend that this is my life—normal.
“Mummy wants a new baby,” announces Molly and the two women fall silent. I arch my brow in Hannah’s direction and she blushes. Hannah never blushes!
“That’s enough talking. Eat your dinner,” says Alice firmly.
“You wanna fill me in on that?” I ask, keeping my eyes fixed on Hannah.
“Molly must have overheard—” begins Alice, but I shush her and wait for Hannah to speak.
“I was going to talk to you about it, but not like this,” says Hannah quietly. “I thought we could meet for coffee one lunchtime?”
I scoff. “You wanna meet for coffee?”
“I just thought maybe a calm setting and-” she begins.
“We never talk over coffee, Hannah. Tell you what,” I snap. “I’m here now so let’s just get shit out in the open.”
“Molly, why don’t you go and watch television,” suggests Alice.
“And why don’t you join her,” I snap.
“Blu, it’s kind of something that we all should talk about,” says Hannah calmly, but I’m past calm and when I stand she nods to Alice for her to do as I’ve said. I wait for them to leave and then glare down at Hannah.
“A baby? How the fuck is that gonna work?”
Hannah smiles and it pisses me off more. “Blu, this is the twentieth century. Lesbians can have babies.”
“Newsflash, you need a man and a woman to create life. That shit doesn’t go out of fashion.”
“I love Alice,” she says with a sigh. “And I want us to have a child together. Molly would love a brother or sister.”
“Half brother or sister,” I mutter.
“It doesn’t have to be,” says Hannah with a hint of hope in her voice.
Chapter Two
GIA
Vinn drops down into the seat opposite my desk. My office is small, just big enough for me and my assistant, Eva, to have a desk each and a few extra seats for clients. I also have some storage space out back, but it’s mainly full of junk. My company, Giazilla, is my baby. I got this business off the ground with hard work and dedication. Now, I have a great reputation for knowing my shit when it comes to events, such as weddings, birthdays and any other celebrations that require organisation. “What do you want, big brother?” I ask.
“Why won’t you let Dad move you from this pokey little office to somewhere bigger?” he asks, looking around the small space.
“That’s not why you came,” I say with a sigh.
“Okay, hear me out,” he begins and I groan because whenever Vinn says that line, it means I’m gonna hate whatever it is he has to say. “Ricardo Donini,” he announces proudly.
“The boy who once pinned me to the floor and put his wet lips on mine?” I ask, screwing up my face in disgust.
“He did what?” asks Vinn. I clearly never told him that story.
“In his defence, he was eight years old, but still—it put me off kissing for life.”
“His Dad just died, and he’s taking his family in a new direction. He needs us, and what better way to help than to join us by marriage?”
“Bullshit,” I mutter. “You say he needs us, but what do you need from him?”
“Your mind is so suspicious,” says Vinn, casually leaning back in the chair. His bodyguard, Gerry, taps on the office window and points to his watch. “I have to go. I need Gerry on a job for me later, so he won’t be around to collect you after work. Riggs is sending someone instead seeing as he let me down on the manpower side of things,” he says, standing up and fastening his suit jacket. I smile, he reminds me of Dad when he does that.
“I have appointments all afternoon,” I say. “I’ll be done by four.”
My appointments run back to back and by the last one, I’m running purely on adrenaline. “You should eat something,” says Eva. “You look pale.”
“I didn’t get a chance to eat lunch,” I admit, and Eva gives me a disappointed look. Hiring her was the best decision I ever made because she keeps me on track.
“Tomorrow, I will force feed you if you don’t eat. You can’t keep skipping meals.”
The office door swings open and Blu stands in the doorway. “Ready?” he mutters. His voice is deep and rumbling and it suits his whole persona.
“Ready for what?” I ask.
“A lift home, princess,” he snaps impatiently. “I was told four.”
I glance at my watch and groan. “Shit, is that the time already?”
“Clearly, unless Gucci is wrong,” he says with disdain, nodding towards my Gucci watch. I get the impression Blu doesn’t like me and I’m not sure if it’s because of who I am or if I’ve done something previously to piss him off.
I stand too
