My heart warmed for my friend.
“You called me when you were leaving your house. Then you texted when you were ten minutes away, then five, then you texted as you pulled up in the driveway,” I told her with a grin.
“Well, I know this is a reunion for the ages, and I also know you’re a hot piece of ass. So I wouldn’t be surprised if Jay caught you in this golden hour sunlight and totally forgot about his incoming dinner guests,” she taunted, grinning at Jay.
He, of course, didn’t grin back. He hadn’t changed that much. But he did give her a mouth twitch that communicated he was not only amused by her but familiar with her. It warmed me more, to see that familiarity between two very important people in my life. But something bitter tainted it. A jealousy that was borne when Wren first arrived, talking about Jay with a familiarity that hadn’t developed out of normal circumstances. That had been borne out of my heartbreak.
I quickly swallowed that bitterness. This was not the time to dwell on such things. This was a time to rejoice, to celebrate, to bask in the fact that despite the circumstances surrounding Jay’s and my relationship, we were having a dinner. An almost normal dinner with my best friend and her boyfriend. Yes, her boyfriend was an ... enforcer? Hitman? For my fiancé—I still stumbled over that word, even thinking it. The fiancé who ran what I understood was the majority of the criminal underworld of L.A., whatever that meant. I knew it meant sex workers, murders and making enemies.
Mental note to get specifics on what the criminal underworld consisted of before I married the man who ruled it.
Wren kissed my cheek then perched herself on the barstool beside me. Karson did the masculine chin lift thing with Jay then set about to pouring Wren a glass of wine.
“This is exactly how it should be,” Wren voiced with a playful smile aimed at the two men. “Men in the kitchen, waiting hand and foot on the women.” She took the glass from Karson, and I clinked mine to hers.
“Amen,” I concurred. But I wasn’t looking at my friend, despite the fact I missed her and loved her dearly. My eyes were on the man in the kitchen who, incidentally, was staring right back at me.
“We’re engaged,” I blurted, still staring at Jay. His expression didn’t change, but his eyes twinkled. Many would not say twinkled but glittered with murderous intensity, but potato, potahto.
Wren squealed with glee, clapping her hands together, slamming her glass down on the counter and jumping out of her seat. She snatched my hand, yanking it forward so quickly that she almost dislocated my shoulder, staring at the empty ring finger before glaring back up at Jay. “Where the fuck is the diamond?”
“Wren—” I muttered, immediately going to Jay’s defense.
She held her hand up. “Nuh uh.” Her eyes were still on Jay. “Jay is a big, bad boy, and he’s adept at speaking for himself. He is also very wealthy and has good taste, therefore, there should be a four carat, oval cut, solitaire diamond sitting on that finger.” She yanked my hand up in order to wave it in Jay’s face.
I scowled at her and snatched my hand back. “We haven’t had time for all that,” I snapped.
Still, Wren didn’t look at me. “Oh, you had time. Months and months. More than enough time to call the best jeweler in the city and get something custom made. Why in the fuck did you come over here if not to profess your undying love and demand forever out of this beautiful creature.” She pointed at me aggressively.
I’d expected Jay to be pissed. Furious. This was a man who exuded power. He was used to people being afraid of him, treating him with respect. Wren was making it clear that she wasn’t afraid of him and definitely wasn’t afraid of a fight.
But Jay did not look pissed, not in the slightest. He looked ... amused? Cue the bitterness at the weird, positive and almost playful connection between the two of them.
“I came here for Stella,” he responded simply.
Something about the way he said it sent soothing shivers up my spine, and my gaze went lazy toward Jay.
“Hmmm.”
The sound came from Wren. I reluctantly looked at her.
“I guess I’ll give you a break on the diamond since you’ve got my best friend looking like that,” she conceded, waving her hand up and down. “Looking like herself again.” She pointed at Jay. “But upon arrival at LAX, there better be a fucking jeweler waiting with the most perfect ring to ever exist.”
Jay nodded seriously.
I let out a snort.
Karson’s mouth twitched.
All was well in the world.
I did not ask how Jay busied himself while I was working. I highly doubted he sat around watching Netflix all day or lounging on the beach. He set up a makeshift office in the second bedroom of the cottage, but he didn’t spend any time in there when I was home. The second I walked through the door, his attention was on me. Wholly.