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He waves a dismissive hand. “Not important.”
“Oh, let me guess, you were with some girl?” Rose teases.
“Not just any girl,” I interrupt. “You were with your executive assistant again, weren’t you?”
Marco rolls his eyes, but a grin teases the corners of his mouth. “You know how much Nico frowns upon that… so of course, I wasn’t with Mel.”
“Liar,” I hiss.
“Naughty Marco, fucking the admin.” Rose’s singsong has my second roommate scowling. “That’s why I love Clara. She’s like sixty and a little firecracker. She keeps the Valentino brothers in line without any funny business to worry about.”
“Hmm, that’s a good point. I should suggest a change of staff to Nico.”
Marco drags his hands across his face and lets out a grunt. “You keep your opinions to yourself, Maisy. I don’t need you ruining a good thing. And fuck, I will never survive all day in this apartment with the two of you without my coffee.”
“So let’s go get one.” Rose tips her empty cup. “I could use a refill.”
“And I would love out of this penthouse for an hour,” I add.
“I don’t think so.” Marco shakes his head.
“There’s a Starbucks literally across the street.” I grab his forearm, rise to my tiptoes, and give him my best puppy dog eyes. “We can even bring Giuseppe.”
“And you know Aldo goes everywhere I go.” Rose ticks her head at the door where her guard stands. The tension may have defrosted between the half-brothers, but it didn’t mean Dante ever let his wife out of his sight without a guard at all times.
“Or I could just send Giuseppe to get something for all of us,” he replies.
“No, come on!” Rose and I whine in unison.
“I want to see what specials they have.”
“There’s an app for that,” Marco retorts.
“Please!” I’m bouncing on my tiptoes like an over-eager puppy who has to pee now.
“Fine,” he growls. “But we keep it quick.”
“Yes!”
A few minutes later, the three of us, along with our two trailing bodyguards are crossing Park Avenue to the nearby Starbucks. Marco is on high alert, the joking, laidback twin I’ve come to know morphing into an exact replica of his brother.
Turning to Rose, I ignore his paranoia and enjoy the lovely spring day with my friend. As worried as I am for Nico, I can’t deny the hint of excitement at the possibility that this will all be over soon. Once Jasper is gone, I can go back to some sense of normalcy. I can consider building a new life with Nico.
As we walk into the coffee shop, Rose lets out a groan, her nostrils flaring. “Mmm, it smells amazing in here.”
“I never remember you being such a coffee fan. I thought you were all about the Macha lattes?”
“I was, but Dante’s on my ass about transforming my body into the perfect temple…” Her words fall away, and crimson coats her cheeks. “He’s adamant about putting a baby in my belly.”
I let out an embarrassing squeal that has every head inside Starbucks spinning in our direction. My own cheeks flush before I lower my voice and whisper, “Oh my gawd, Rose, that’s amazing! So you guys are officially trying?”
Her head dips. “That’s the understatement of the year. We’ve been fucking like rabbits.” She flashes me a silly grin. “It’s pretty fun, I’m not going to lie. But it’s also slightly terrifying. I feel like Dante and I are barely responsible enough to take care of ourselves.”
“You guys are going to be great parents, I know it.”
“Thanks, Mais.” She squeezes my hand and leads me up to the barista.
Once we’ve all ordered our beverages, Marco sits with our guards and lets Rose and me have a table to ourselves. He clearly wants nothing to do with the squealing from earlier. Thank goodness. I can’t really catch up with my friend with Nico’s brother hovering.
