Champagne Brunch: The Stiletto Sisters Series by Ainsley St Claire

Author:Ainsley St Claire [St Claire, Ainsley]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2021-04-11T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 19

Axel

Alana sits next to me on the park bench, and we watch the boys run around the playground like they haven’t had access to open space in weeks. She looks exhausted. Her black eye has become a lovely shade of purple, and she has a swollen, split lip. I asked her earlier if Marco did it, and she said we’d talk when the boys weren’t around. That’s her way of telling me I’ll never know, but I suspect it’s why the police were so willing to send her home to me.

“I have a friend coming over for dinner tonight,” I tell her.

“Male or female?”

“Female. And she invited me to go away with her to a wedding next weekend in Maui.”

Alana nods. “Good for you. I’ll be able to manage. Do you want us to move out by then?”

I shake my head. “You stay as long as you need to. One of my players needs a bodyguard now, so I’ve become familiar with a good company if you think we need to worry about Marco.”

There are tears in her eyes. “I doubt it. Marco should be in jail for a while.”

I put my hand on her arm. “I want you here. I adore the boys. My assistant, Kelly, has her kids in an elementary school in the Avenues. We can introduce the kids, and then they’d know someone they’ll go to school with.”

She gazes out at the boys, who are playing well together. Clay, the oldest, has his baby brother on his lap as he zips down the slide. “Clay has only been homeschooled. We just moved too much to put him in a classroom. He may be behind.”

“He’s only in first grade. We can get him help if he’s behind, but maybe staying put for a while will be good all of them. Plus, we can enroll Duke in kindergarten and find a daycare for Laird. That way you can focus on baby Tavish.”

“It’s all so overwhelming,” she whispers.

“You’re not alone.” I reach for her hand. “Do you remember when Marco slipped me that pot brownie laced with LSD when I was in sixth grade?”

She nods. “He thought it was funny. Even today I won’t accept anything from him.”

“You were there while I tripped for almost two days. You managed Mom and Dad. You made sure I was okay.”

“It was my fault you got the brownie. Marco wanted me to eat it, and I wasn’t hungry.”

“It wasn’t your fault. I would have done the same for you. You stuck by me, and I will always stick by you.”

She doesn’t look at me, just watches the boys. They’re sun-kissed towheads and you can definitely tell they’re brothers. “I’ve made so many mistakes,” she whimpers.

“Me too. But we’re going to get to a happy place.”

She sighs. “Tell me about your friend. She’s not a girlfriend?”

“She is, but we’ve not had the talk.” I really like Mia, even though I don’t usually get serious.

“What talk is that? Do you want to go steady?” Alana teases.

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