She couldn’t tear her gaze away from the joyous couple. It was so evident, how much they felt for each other. How much he felt for Ella. An unwanted sensation of jealousy threatened, but she pushed it away. “Why?”
“The fact that the photographer caught him looking at me like that. He was mortified the first time he saw the picture, I saw it written all over his face. He’d never admit it, but I know.” Ella smiled, her gaze soft. “He looks vulnerable and he hates that. You know how macho men are.”
Stasia rolled her eyes, thinking of her very macho Italian brothers. “Oh yes, I know exactly what you’re talking about.”
Laughing a little, Ella met her gaze. “Rhett loves to bluster around and act like a badass, but I know the real Rhett. This photo is him to a T. It represents the man I see every morning when I wake up and every night when I go to sleep. So I told him it was going on the wall. He had no choice in the matter.”
“I love it,” Stasia said with utter sincerity. She wished she had a man who looked at her like that. Like she was his everything.
If she’d given Gavin much of a chance she might’ve had that with him.
“Come on.” Ella led her deeper into the apartment, arriving within a room that was small, the walls lined with shelves filled with books, two overstuffed dark blue velvet couches facing each other, a woman sitting on each couch.
“Ladies, this is Anastasia Renaldi,” Ella announced with pride.
The two women stood, both of them smiling, both of them walking toward her with open, friendly faces. Stasia braced herself, waiting for the other shoe to drop, waiting for them to say something spiteful or mean, but it didn’t happen. The complete opposite happened.
“Oh, it’s so wonderful to meet you. I’m Tessa.” The woman wrapped Stasia in such a close embrace she was sure she’d smell like Tessa’s perfume for the rest of the night. Not that it was a bad thing—the woman smelled fabulous. “Alex’s wife.”
Stasia stared at her openly. She’d thought Alex would have chosen a more refined, polished woman as his wife. Someone tall, thin, with pale blonde hair and icy blue eyes, the typical society wife who only wore couture and a twenty-carat diamond ring.
Tessa was in jeans and a soft black sweater, a simple gold band circling her finger. She was voluptuous, with full breasts and hips, and her dark hair was pulled back from her face, wild wisps falling freely about her face.
In fact, if Stasia wasn’t seeing things, she swore there was a stain on the front of Tessa’s sweater…
Tessa glanced down at the stain Stasia stared pointedly at. “I’m a mess, I know.” She sighed. “Breast feeding around the clock does that to a woman.”
“Oh.” Stasia felt about two inches tall. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to stare…”
“It was either the stain or the giganticness that are my breasts.” Tessa laughed and waved a hand. “If they get any bigger, I’ll have breast reduction surgery.”
“Alex would never let you.” Ella smirked.
Tessa swatted Ella’s arm lightly. “You’re right, he wouldn’t.”
The other woman approached. She was tall, more fashionably turned out, her gaze direct, curious as she studied Stasia. She held out her hand, a cool smile curving her lips. “I’m Gracie Worth.”
God. Hunter’s wife. Stasia stuck her hand out as well, prepared to shake when Tessa shoved Gracie closer to Stasia. “Give her a hug,” Tessa urged. “She’s your sister now.”
“Sister-in-law,” Stasia added feebly as she and Gracie quickly hugged. “I guess.”
“We’re all sisters here, if not by blood, by name, at least.” Tessa sent a glance in Ella’s direction. “Well not quite since Rhett hasn’t officially made Gabriella a Worth, but we’re working on him.”
“Don’t pressure him,” Ella admonished. “He works at his own pace.”
“I’ll say.” Gracie smiled, patted Stasia on the shoulder. “It’s so good to meet you.”
Stasia felt like she was in a daze, shocked by their good nature, their easy acceptance of her. She never, ever thought in a million years she would be so welcome in the Worth family.
Well, by the Worth women. The men still hadn’t ponied up. Stasia had received the positive DNA results a week ago. She’d come back to New York immediately, her mother at her side.
But now what? What was she supposed to do?
“Let’s sit and drink wine,” Ella suggested. “We have a lot to talk about.”
Stasia sat amongst the group of women, in awe of their easy camaraderie, how much they laughed and joked with each other. She was used to men. Growing up with three boisterous brothers did that to a woman. Believing she’d have a handle on the Worth brothers since she knew what it was like, she thought it would be easy to approach them. Easy to get them to like her, accept her.
She hadn’t counted on their women reaching out to her. But they had. Before the brothers had, even.