Chapter 253

“Of course, Gorgeous,” Luca says, frowning at me a little, like he’s ashamed that I felt like I had to ask. He loosens his arm around me. “You don’t have to –“

“I know,” I say, interrupting and looking at him quite seriously. “But Luca, it’s not like we haven’t had our own challenges these past two days too –“

He smiles at me, at the understatement of it all, and I can’t help the matching smile that takes my lips.

“I just don’t want you to think you’re not important to me,” I murmur, pressing a warm hand to his cheek and sending a great deal of warmth down our bond. “Or that she’s more important, or –“

“I get it,” Luca says, nodding to me and pressing a kiss to my cheek. “We’re good, Ari – go check in with your friend! Friendships are important!”

A great deal of love swells in me at Luca’s support and I hug him tight for a moment, so grateful for him. Because there’s something in me that knows that he came off as the selfish one in this whole thing – that he was the one to first say he wanted me to give up Jackson, that he wanted a timeline on me making my choice between them.

But really, overall, Luca has been so supportive of me at every turn. Hell, he was eager to have me even when he thought it meant changing his entire understanding of his sexuality. He just…loves me, and wants me to himself like everyone else with a mate does, and he isn’t shy about voicing that. But when it comes to what I want, and what I need?

At every turn, Luca has been on my side, even if it takes him a moment to get there.

I’m just so, so lucky to have him in my life.

“Love you,” Luca murmurs, holding me tight for a second before he lets me go. And I beam at him, pressing another kiss to his mouth before I stand up and move over to the bar. Ben – angel that he is – takes two glasses of champagne off the little tray next to Daphne and carries them over to Luca, wanting to keep him company.

“Hi,” I say, almost skipping to Daphne’s side, where she hands me a glass of champagne and gives me a shy smile.

“Hi,” she replies, laughing a little.

“Be careful with that,” Jesse calls to me with a studied frown, peering over Daphne’s shoulder. “I poured this champagne, and checked to ensure the bottle was sealed before I opened it, but Daphne may have slipped something in that when my back was turned –“

Daphne groans, covering her face with her hand and shaking her head, even as she laughs a little at Jesse’s teasing.

“You could wake up on the floor of this train twenty-four hours from now, or absolutely anywhere else, completely under Daphne’s control –“ Jesse continues in mock-seriousness, grinning at me now that Daphne can’t see.

“Will I never live this down!?” Daphne calls, her face still buried in her hand.

“Oh, when you’ve given him ammunition like this?” Rafe asks, laughing and stepping close, taking his own champagne glass from Jesse. “Daphne, this is enough for years worth of teasing. He may spin this one out until the end of time.”

Daphne sighs, dropping her hand to look up at the Prince and the Duke with a little good-humored exhaustion.noveldrama

“Greatest midwinter gift I’ve ever been given,” Jesse says, grinning at her and lifting his glass of champagne in her direction. “I’m eternally grateful, Daph.”

“Yeah, yeah,” she murmurs, flapping a hand at him, “saves me from having to buy you a sweater, doesn’t it?” We all laugh as the train chugs along, our little car rocking softly from side to side as we go.

“To Daphne,” Rafe calls out, raising his champagne glass. We all do the same, everyone smiling – even Daphne, who blushes a warm and pleased red. “Who has knocked us all out with her poison, yes, but especially with her warm presence and rich company. We’re so pleased you’re here, Daph.”

And as I raise my glass to my friend, I don’t miss the way that Rafe smiles at her.

It’s a smile that I’m not sure I’ve seen before on Rafe, a very…rare sort of smile. That he perhaps saves for a very rare sort of girl.

Anxious, my eyes dart to Ben, who I see…

Well, I see that Ben doesn’t miss it either.

And that his own smile looks more forced than it usually does.