Chapter 53

53

Lena

"Hey, Mom!"

"Hey, Dinky." My mother's sweet yet strong voice comes through the phone.

She still prefers to call instead of FaceTime, and thank God for that. I'm not sure I want to see her face when I confess the thing I've been meaning to tell her for so long. I've been putting it off, so much so, I haven't even gotten on the group chat since I moved out of JJ's place a week ago.

To be fair, I've been busy getting settled into my new place—which is in close proximity to Summer and Karma's place—while continuing to work at Kane Corporation. At least I haven't seen JJ since that day. He's only communicated with me through email and his personal assistant, which was good, even though I really don't enjoy interacting with Karen. Only, I miss him. More than I'd care to admit it. I've been trying to work out my feelings toward him, and I'm still unclear about what I'm going to do about it. I wasn't going to talk to my family in the midst of it. Also, what was I going to tell them? That I had a threesome with JJ and Isaac?

"I had a threesome, Ma." I squeeze my eyes shut. No, no, no, I didn't just say that. My ma's quite broadminded. She knows and accepts Isaac's bisexuality. She even asked me if I was in a three-way relationship with Isaac and Ben, and actually seemed disappointed when I said no.

She comes from a conservative Indian background, but her sensibilities are very much that of a hippie flower child of the sixties. Still, it's not every day you confess something like that to your family, especially in a telephone conversation. That's part of the reason why I haven't said anything in the group chat or called any of my family, knowing once I did, I wouldn't be able to stop the truth from coming out. And I can't even blame it on them. When it comes to my family, I just don't have a filter.

There's silence on the other end, then, "You know I'm not going to judge you for anything you do."

"Yeah." I blow out a breath. "I know that, and I should've told you something earlier, but I'm still trying to work things out in my head, you know?"

"Was it with Isaac and a friend?"

"It was with Isaac and his father." She can't see me, but if she could, she'd see me trying to hide from her gaze. Again, praise God for giving me a mother who refuses to use FaceTime.

"Oh."

Not much fazes my mom, but I think I succeeded this time.

I swallow. "Umm, Mom, you okay?"

"Are you okay?" Her tone is worried. "It's not something you got coerced into, is it?"

"You mean by Isaac?"

"By his father. He must be quite a bit older than you."

"He's twenty-six years older than me, Mom."

There's silence again... which seems to stretch at least a week.

Then, "You're old enough to know what you're doing." My mother's tone is soft. "I know your instincts must have told you it was okay to do so." She pauses. "And Isaac was fine with this, presumably?"

"Isaac and I are no longer together."

"Ah… I see."

There's a pause again.

"Me and JJ... uh, JJ, that's Isaac's father, and I?—"

"You're with his father now?"

"Not really. I mean, I am, kinda, but not. I moved out of his house and am renting a place until I figure out my next move. But don't worry, Mom, I also have friends here. Friends who have proven to be a great support network. In fact, I was on my way to meet them when you called."

"So, you and JJ, are you going to get back together?"

"I'm not really sure, Mom," I say honestly.

"It's good you're taking your time to figure this out. Relationships are not easy, honey. God knows I've screwed up my fair share of them. And most of the time it's because I was impulsive, know what I mean? I allowed my heart to carry me away... Which, admittedly, in the moment, it wasn't too bad, and I still believe it was the right thing to do. I just wish I had the maturity to take things a bit slower." I sense her moving around. A door bangs in the distance then, "Mom?" Josh's voice reaches me, followed by more footsteps.

"Who are you talking to, Mom?"

"Your sister."

"Dinky? You're talking to Dinky?" I hear the sound of the phone being taken from Mom, then, "Dinky? It's you? Why haven't you been on the group chat? We were beginning to worry that you and Isaac were having trouble, and maybe that's why you'd gone all quiet."

"It's that, and more. I'm not with him anymore, but I am with someone else."

It's Josh's turn to go silent, then he chuckles. "O-k-a-y, well, that was fast. Either way, Isaac wasn't one-hundred percent into you, you know? He was always going on about his paintings and his art and finding his muse. You should've been his muse, Lena. Anyone could see you were too good for him."

"Ah, thanks, I guess. Josh, I gave Mom the lowdown. I'm sure she's going to share my news over family dinner."

"Right, well, gotta go. Mom's threatening to hold back her chicken curry if I don't hand the phone over to her. Bye, Dinky. Love you."

"Love you, too, Josh."

"Dinky?" My mom's voice again. "You do you, okay? Don't worry about what the world thinks of you. Don't worry about what we make of your man or your relationship. If he makes you happy?—"

"I think he does, Mom."

"—then you need to figure out what you really want and go after it, ya?"

"Ya." I nod. Tears prick the backs of my eyes, and I lift my head toward the ceiling to keep them from spilling over. "I'm so sorry I didn't talk to you earlier."

"I understand the need for getting clarity on the status of your relationship in your head, but I also wouldn't have let more time go by without calling you."

"I know that." Maybe I counted on it. It's one of the things I love about my family, especially my ma. She knows exactly when to push and when to hold back. "Love you, Mom."

"Love you, honey. Now, I'd better go before your brother eats all of my vegetables before I can cook them."

I disconnect the phone, and it pings with a text from Summer.

You coming? Karma and I are waiting for you.

"You sure he hasn't put cameras in your apartment, or bugged your phone, or has his security team following you?" Karma Sovrano cups her palms over her obviously pregnant stomach. She's staying at her sister Summer Sterling's townhouse in Primrose Hill. Karma and Michael came over from Sicily to attend Massimo and Olivia's wedding.

I've learned that Michael kidnapped Karma for a debt he thought her father owed his, but instead of exacting his revenge, he married and then fell in love with her. In that order. Karma had messaged Summer—or rather Michael had messaged Summer on behalf of Karma—to let her know she had a beau in Sicily, and that she should not worry. Karma stayed away nearly four months, during which time she'd gotten married and fallen pregnant. She probably would have stayed on in Sicily until the child was born, but Summer finally lost patience and told her she was hopping on the next flight to see her. At which point, Karma turned up with Michael in tow. Summer has refused to allow them to return to Sicily. She must have been very persuasive because both Karma and Michael have stayed. In fact, they managed to rent the townhouse next to the Sterling's. Because Michael had to return to Sicily for a few days for work, Karma has temporarily moved in with Summer. The sisters have had a wonderful time catching up.

I visited to hand over some important documents that JJ insisted I hand-deliver to Sinclair Sterling. Summer saw me and insisted I stay for dinner. Why the documents couldn't be emailed, like a normal person would have done, I don't know. Apparently, alphahole is old-fashioned when it comes to communication. He insisted they were so confidential he couldn't risk emailing them. He was also firm that it had to be me who delivered the documents in person. So here I am, after a delicious dinner that Summer whipped up for us.

She brings out big bowls of ice cream, and the three of us happily inhale the chocolate chip concoction. I place my spoon in my empty bowl with a sigh, and that's when Karma asks that question. Now I glance at her from under hooded eyelashes. "Um… JJ no longer runs an underground crime syndicate. So, he wouldn't resort to those tactics, would he?"

Karma and Summer exchange looks.

"What?" I glance between them. "What are you not telling me?"

"JJ's not blood-related to the Sovranos, or to Sinclair and his friends, but they are very similar in their approach to business. And toward their possessions," Karma finally offers.

"I'm not a possession," I protest.

"I say that in the most complimentary fashion," she adds.

"Is it complimentary to be seen as a man's possession?"

"His most valuable possession," Karma corrects me. "You already know my history with Michael. I've met JJ a few times since I married my husband, and I guarantee you, he's as much an apex predator as the Sovranos ."

"He doesn't move in those circles anymore. In the time I've worked at Kane Enterprises, I can guarantee you the business is above-board. And I've worked closely with JJ. I have access to his correspondence. I've sat in on mergers and discussions. I know the cashflows, the projections, the P I gave in and accepted his suggestion.

"I know we haven't known each other that long, but you can talk to us." Summer leans over and takes the empty bowl from my hands. Meanwhile, Karma hands over a tissue.

I dab at my eyes. "It's nothing. I'm just being emotional."

"You're from LA, aren't you? You must miss your family," Karma says gently.

"More so now that I split with my boyfriend."

"So, it's really over?" Summer tilts her head.

"It is."

"And JJ…?"

I shake my head. "I see him in the office, but it's strictly business." Of course, I asked for distance, only I didn't think JJ would accept my conditions and toe the line so willingly.

Karma has a curious expression on her face, but she doesn't probe about my link with JJ. Not that it's not evident, with what I said earlier. "It must not be easy, being on your own." She walks over and sits down next to me. "I'm glad you're so close to Summer."

Karma glances in Summer's direction. "I spent the last few months away from Summer, and I missed her every second." She winces, then rubs her chest.

"You okay?" I frown.

"Yeah, this pregnancy is giving me heartburn. It seems to have gotten a little worse lately, that's all."

"Are you taking your medication?" Summer leans forward in her seat. "It's one of the reasons I was so worried about you and tried to call you. I mean, I'm sure you wouldn't be that irresponsible. But I also know how stubborn you can be."

"Of course, I'm taking my medication." Karma rolls her eyes. "And we do have pharmacies in Sicily, you know? We're not completely cut off from the rest of the world."

"Considering you never returned my messages; you might as well have been." Summer scoffs.

"I did text you back, didn't I?"

"You were gone four months, Karma. Four. And I can count the number of times you messaged me on the fingers of one hand."

Karma has the grace to look sheepish. "I'm so sorry I wasn't exactly prolific in my communications. It's just that there was so much happening, I didn't have the time to return every single one of them."

"Every time I threatened to come over, you'd insist you were fine. If I hadn't pushed things, you'd have never visited." Summer scowls. "Of course, if you'd told me you were pregnant—" She glances down at Summer's bump, which is about the same size as her own bump, although, from what they've told me, Summer's further along. "—You'd have come at once."

Summer half smiles. "Maybe I should have, but it didn't feel right breaking the news to you by text message. Also, you had so much happening and you didn't hint about it to me, not once."

Karma glances away, then back at her. "Sorry, Summer. I know, I should have told you. My only excuse is there was a lot going on. Marrying the Don of the Cosa Nostra is not the simplest way to get inducted into the Mafia lifestyle, you know?"

Summer snorts. "You're quick-witted enough to deal with anything. Bet you had Michael and his brothers wrapped around your little finger in no time."

"How many brothers does Michael have?" I ask.

"There's seven including him. Xander, his youngest sibling, passed away in an accident a few months ago." Karma swallows. "It was a car bomb that didn't fully blow up. It caused enough damage that Xander was killed, and I miscarried my first pregnancy when I was thrown from the car."

"Oh, I'm so sorry for your loss." I touch Karma's shoulder.

She bites the inside of her cheek. "I was gutted when it happened, but I'm pregnant again now."

"To think you were the wild child between the two of us" —Summer shakes her head— "and now you're rushing headlong into having a family."

"I always thought you'd be the one to find a man and settle down and have lots of kids first." Karma gazes fondly at her sister.

"I did get married first. I honestly wasn't in a hurry to have kids, though. But then I got pregnant, and now I'm glad I did. This way, we can share our experiences." Summer beams back at Karma. "And with so many of the Seven becoming pregnant, we're going to be kept busy with baby showers for a while."

"These Seven are friends of Sinclair?" I heard about them, of course, but with so many new names and faces to keep track of, I'm still not entirely sure who's who.

"They're childhood friends. The seven of them run 7A together, and their wives have become good friends of mine. We've formed our own sisterhood, which is also my support network." Summer reaches for a glass of water. "You must meet them."

If I stick around that long.

"Are all seven of them based in London?" I tilt my head.

"All except Edward. He left after Ava and Baron's wedding and is, apparently, traveling the world at the moment."

"That sounds like fun."

Summer hesitates. "I suppose you could call it that."

I narrow my gaze. "That's not all of it, is it?"

Summer places her glass of water back on the table. "Ava first fell in love with Edward. He left her, asking Baron to keep an eye on her. Then she fell in love with Baron."

"Oh, wow." I straighten. "And she finally married Baron?"

"Not before the three of them slept together."

I open and shut my mouth. "So?—"

Summer nods. "Exactly."

Karma glances between us. "Now I'm so curious." She looks at me with sparkling eyes. "I stopped myself from asking earlier, but is there some particularly tasty bit of gossip you're not sharing with me?"

I can't stop myself from chuckling. The sisters have such a great bond between them, and they're so easy to speak with. Not that my family isn't, but it had still been awkward talking to my mother and I'm still not sure how I'm going to explain JJ to the rest of my siblings. With Summer and Karma, it's different. They've seen their friend Ava go through an unconventional relationship, so I think they'll understand my point of view better. Besides, Karma is also married to the Don of the Cosa Nostra … So, if there's anyone I can confide in without being judged, it's probably these two. I place my glass of water on the table, then fold my fingers together. "Summer already knows this—" I turn to Karma. "I slept with my boyfriend's father."