He stumbled a bit.
“Um, aren’t you supposed to be helping me walk, not the other way around?”
“The ground’s uneven.” He was a shit liar. “And, no, I’m not some creeper in my thirties. Not that thirties is that old. You’re just that young, you know? Like when you’re in the first grade and suddenly being ten years old is an adult.”
“Oh, I’ve always been one of those.”
“A first-grader?”
“An adult.” I winked.
His laugh was rich and amused. “Says the girl who’s having trouble walking in heels.”
“But the ground’s uneven…” I licked my lips. “Right?”
His eyes narrowed. “You’re terrifying.”
“You’re like the second old man to tell me that today.”
“I’m not an old man!” He raised his voice a bit.
I studied his sculpted biceps and massive body, the way his face had darkened with a hint of five o’clock shadow that always made itself known later in the day and sighed. “Sure, whatever you say.”
We stopped in front of the sleek, white marble bar top. “For the lady?”
“Milk,” Tank said with a grin.
I smacked him on the arm. Not an inch of fat on him, was there? “I’ll have white wine—”
Tank’s sigh interrupted me.
“What’s your deal, dude?” I elbowed him harder.
“Typical. Perfect daughter. Perfect, innocent little…girl gets boring white wine. I think I’d shit myself if you got anything harder than—”
“Whiskey, neat.” I changed my mind and then looked behind him.
“Why the hell are you staring at my ass?” Tank shoved me lightly.
“What?” I laughed. “You said you’d shit yourself. I’m waiting for the storm.”
“Disgusting.” He sighed, despite the cute bartender hiding a smile.
I grabbed my small glass and lifted it in cheers to Tank. “You’re the one who said it.”
“See…terrifying,” he mumbled. “And as loath as I am to admit it, I’ll have what the small child next to me is illegally drinking.”
I stuck out my tongue. “I’m not a small child, you asshat. Oh, also, he’s on the Abandonato payroll. He checks my ID, he gets checked out”—I paused for drama— “of life.”
Tank took his drink and lifted a brow. “That true?”
“I don’t ask questions. Whatever the princess wants, the princess gets,” he answered wisely and then nodded his head. “Cheers, Miss Abandonato.”
“Cheers, cute bartender. Cheers.” I lifted my drink in the air and then clinked it with Tank’s as we both walked off toward the rest of my cousins. They were all sitting around with numerous bottles of wine, looking as relaxed as I suddenly felt with the whiskey burning down my throat.
Maksim and Izzy were clearly still on a break.
Though I had insider information that Chase had threatened to turn Maksim inside out if he kept sneaking into the house, a lot more went down that nobody knew.
Not my story to tell.
And I had to take sides—naturally, I took Izzy’s since we were good friends. I couldn’t ask for a better cousin.
Then there was Valerian and Violet close by, him in his tux, her in her dress as they slow danced by the group.
Serena, my other cousin, and her boy toy, soon-to-be fiancé, Junior. He had her tucked against him as he played with her hair.
And then there was Ash.
My favorite.
His expression dark, circles under his eyes—I was afraid the most for him.
Not of him.
King kept trying to get him involved in the conversation, but it was like every time he said something, it pissed Ash off more, and the alcohol went down his throat like water.
I normally wasn’t with those I referred to as the older cousins. The Five Families all had a ton of kids, and they kind of arranged us in order from the bigs to the littles. Until you turned eighteen, you weren’t allowed to hang out with the bigs because, according to all the dads, they were a bad influence—bloodthirsty, beautiful, scary, loyal, and sometimes, when necessary, mean.
But I was just shy of eighteen now.
I was ready to join.
They’d always tried to include me. I mean, it wasn’t like I was a stranger, but I could tell they tried to censor themselves around me. Case in point, the minute Junior saw me, I knew he was going to pull both hands away from Serena’s boobs, and she’d stop massaging the obvious bulge in his pants with her one fingertip.
I may not be deadly.
But I noticed everything.
And they were seconds away from sneaking off and screwing against the nearest hard surface.
Tank walked in silence next to me. “Your cousins are all crazy.”
“Yup.”
“I like it.”
“Me, too.” I smiled up at him. “It keeps things entertaining.”
“You may be small,”—he wrapped an arm around me—“but I’m glad you’re finally going to be at the big kids’ table, Tiny.”
“Awww, Tank, that was very drunkenly heartfelt. Thank you. And might I add I’m very glad you didn’t shit yourself earlier? Not a good look if you wanna pick up one of the bridesmaids.”