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Unable to resist, he brushed his lips against hers before reluctantly letting go.

“Come on. I’ll show you around.”

“You sure you want to do this?” Smoke inquired, glancing at Aella through the rearview mirror. The two had nearly been inseparable since the shooting. Probably because Severo’s presence at home had been scarce. Aella wanted nothing more than to snatch a moment to pick her father’s brain, but he’d been on a rampage since Eric’s death.

She’d had a hard time getting in touch with him, even to reveal her and Cassius’ plan to go through with getting married.

“I have no idea,” she finally answered, sighing. “Don’t even ask me questions; you might accidentally change my mind.”

“You tell Ria?”

Aella’s eyes met his in the reflective glass. “Are you crazy? Have you met her? She would lose her Black ass mind and call me every name and traitor in the book.”

Chuckling deeply, Smoke turned his attention to the road. “Yeah, her bratty ass would throw a fuckin’ fit.”

“Exactly. I’m not in the mood for that right now. Life is hectic enough as is.”

The car fell silent, each of them lost in their thoughts, before Smoke asked, “So you’re really going through with marrying ol’ boy?”

Aella bit her lip to refrain from smiling as Cassius’ face materialized in her mind. “Yeah, I think I am. Why? You think it’s crazy?”

Smoke shrugged. “It doesn’t matter what I think, Elle. This is your life. Bro talks a lot of shit, but I can see he has a good heart. You could do a lot worse.”

“So he told me the night we officially met,” she snorted. “Arrogant ass.”

“Arrogant enough to keep you from walking all over him. Sounds like exactly what you need to me.”

“Excuse me, sir.” Aella raised a hand to her chest. “Whose side are you on?”

“The side that gets me off babysitting duty,” Smoke teased.

“Oh, whatever. You wouldn’t know what to do if I weren’t here to brighten your life.”

“Live my life normally, as I should,” he grinned at her in the mirror.

Aella fell silent, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth. “Do you ever wish you had a different life? A normal one? Without so much chaos and bloodshed?”

“Nah,” Smoke swiftly denied. But that was as far as he would go.

Despite how close they were, Aella knew there were parts of Smoke’s life he never spoke about. He didn’t have much family that she knew of, and she had never seen a woman around. It seemed a lonely life, and she wanted more for him.

“Why? Do you?”

Aella snorted. “All the time. I wish my daddy had been a boring banker or loan officer.”

“He’d have to take a hell of a pay cut,” Smoke joked.

“Sometimes, it feels like it would be worth it. Especially during moments like these,” a wave of grief consumed Aella as she thought of how she’d never have the opportunity to see Eric again. It was hard to fathom how a man who’d been a constant part of her life for longer than she could remember was snatched away so swiftly. However, Aella knew it came with the territory of the lifestyle she’d been born into. Sudden death was an unfortunate possibility that no one could escape.

A chill swept through her, and she rubbed her arms, thinking back to the argument between her and her father that resulted in them not speaking. Because he’d been concerned for her safety. Granted, the solution to his fears was extreme, but she couldn’t deny that maybe she had gotten complacent because, for a long while, the dangers hadn’t affected them.

Hadn’t affected her.

“You have about two minutes to decide whether you want to change your mind,” Smoke’s voice interrupted her morbid thoughts. “We’re almost here.”

Sucking in a deep breath, she momentarily held it, then released it slowly. “Keep driving.”

“Bet.”