Chapter 28
Chapter Twenty-Eight
IVY
H anging out on a 30-meter mega-yacht with split-level decks and a pool with your best friends and your dog wasn’t a bad way to spend your afternoon. Not. At. All.
Up top was the master suite complete with a jacuzzi and access to the helipad, and down through the main cabin’s corridor—where all ten luxury full-service cabins were now occupied by friends, family, and various staff—was a glass-bottom floor with a view to the ocean below. Each room was more impressive than the last. Large living spaces, lounges, three full bathrooms, and a main pool area in the rear.
Of course, Wynter, Juliette, and I immediately parked ourselves on the pool deck. Christian’s father and Aisling—I couldn’t get used to calling them my in-laws—opted to retreat back to their bedroom. And Cobra hung next to me, her head against my thigh, staring at me like I was the best thing that’d ever happened to her.
Fuck, I was happy. I had a husband who was lighter than I’d ever seen him and a dog who was chipping away at my heart one lick at a time.
“That dog is scary,” Juliette muttered when she reached for me too suddenly. Cobra growled softly at her sudden movement, watching her like she was ready to maul her. I’d never let it go that far, but it felt good to know I was safe with Cobra. I might’ve finally found the one bodyguard I would never try to ditch.
“Wynter, do you think it’s a good idea your mom’s here?” I asked hesitantly. “Christian’s still coming to terms with Aisling being his biological mother.”
She chewed on her bottom lip. “I thought maybe it’d force them to talk it out.”
I didn’t think it was that simple, but I didn’t voice my opinion. Juliette, on the other hand, didn’t hold back. “Maybe Aunt Aisling needs to acknowledge that her decisions have fucked up a few lives.”
I shot her a glare, urging her to proceed with caution. Considering she and Dante had finally reached a stage of mutual trust, I assumed he’d shared a thing or two about his and Christian’s childhood.
Wynter’s delicate eyebrows furrowed. “She fucked up her own life, nobody else’s.”
I shook my head at my friend. She couldn’t be that naive. But then, maybe she needed to believe that in order to move on.
“Just let them deal with whatever’s going on in their own time,” I recommended.
Juliette glanced away, her voice dry as gin as she muttered, “Yeah, give them another decade or two, I’m sure they’ll work shit out.”
“Jules,” Wynter and I scolded, and she raised her palms up in surrender.
She hesitated, thick emotion laced through her voice.
“I’m sorry.” I shot her a surprised look to find her face lost all color, and her voice was so quiet I almost missed her next words, “I’m the last person on this earth that should judge her.”
Silence stretched out with a volatile edge, consuming and confusing.
“What do you mean?” I asked, frowning.
She waved her hand. “Oh, nothing.”
Azure water surrounded us as far as we could see. The soft sound of waves crashing against the yacht as the boat bobbed, almost as if hovering above the water, contrasted with the strained conversation among us.
“If I knew my brother owned a yacht like this, I would have begged to borrow it months ago,” Wynter remarked, breaking the tense silence and shifting away from the topic. She was wearing oversized sunglasses and a pink sundress, looking relaxed and serene. We didn’t bother with bathing suits, instead just soaking up the sun and occasionally dipping our feet in the pool water.
“I’m so happy to see you both,” I said, smiling wide.
“Same,” Juliette said. “Plus, hanging out on a yacht is always a good idea.”
Wynter and Juliette talked excitedly for the next few minutes while I watched them from my lounge chair, letting my mind drift to thoughts of Christian. I was infatuated with his smell, his hands, his voice, his rare smiles, the way he always seemed to appear when I found myself missing him.
What we had was complicated, but it worked for us. Life was good, and I was beginning to see that loving him was inevitable.
“You and my brother…” Wynter smirked, pulling me out of my happy thoughts. “You seem happy.”
“Don’t grill her,” Juliette chastised. “They’re gorgeous together. Let them be.”
“I’m not grilling them. I’m just excited to see them happy,” Wynter protested, her eyes growing soft. “And the way my brother looks at you, it makes me melt.”
“Everything makes you melt.” Juliette smirked. “Probably because of the hormones.”
I gasped and sat up in my chair, crisscrossing my legs. “You’re pregnant?”
Wynter sighed, then nodded her confirmation.
“I know, it didn’t take long. You can say it,” she muttered.
I let out a loud squeak. “That’s amazing. I’m so tickled for you. Davina is having a baby. You’re following right behind her. I hope—” Laughing, I stood up, grabbing her hand and pulling her into an embrace. “I’m just so ecstatic. You’re going to be the best mom.”
“This might be almost as good as stealing money,” Juliette stated matter-of-factly as she joined the hug. “Maybe we can steal this yacht and turn it into a girls’ trip. We might not have many more opportunities with Davina about to pop out a boy.”
“No, this is better,” I said, smiling. “Much, much better. Nothing compares.”
“Besides, we’ll be better at having babies than stealing,” Wynter agreed.