Fix You (The Irish Rogues #3)

Chapter Seventeen Maeve

A s I put the freshly made soda bread in the oven, I eyed my watch to note the time. I then went over to the counter where Mam was preparing the Shepherd’s Pie. “What should I work on now?”

“How about the Guinness pies?”

Wrinkling my nose, I replied, “Why not my usual mince ones?”

Mam shot me a look. “Are you seriously asking me that? You know as well as I do that Guinness pies are special on St. Patrick’s Day.”

I held my hands up. “Okay, okay, don’t get your cacks in a twist over it,” I teased as I made my way over to the fridge.

“I’ll twist your cacks if you don’t keep the traditions alive,” Mam shot back with a smile.

We arrived in Boston yesterday morning in preparation to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day as a family. It was especially important to Mam to be present for Caterina’s first one as a Kavanaugh, so she could help Caterina adopt her new Irish ways.

This trip also marked my first time back in the states since Christmas. While an ocean had separated Rafe and me in the past few months, it had done nothing to dull my feelings for him. Because of the way our families were intertwined, I couldn’t help thinking of him whenever I talked to Caterina, which was quite a lot.

My mind was on him today as we began preparing the food for the feast that would take place in two days. I didn’t have to wonder about seeing him. As this was strictly an Irish holiday, I knew Caterina wouldn’t be inviting her brothers. In a way, I was relieved while at the same time, I would’ve given anything to see him again.

At least we had somewhat different scenery to take my mind off things. Instead of being at the Beacon Hill house, we were in one of our own that the brothers had bought for Mam. With the four of them in permanent residence on Beacon Hill, there never seemed to be enough room when we all came to visit. So, they’d remedied that issue by purchasing a quaint historical townhome a street over from theirs.

As I started heating the butter in a saucepan, Mam’s phone rang. “Can you grab that?”

“Sure,” I replied. While eyeing the pan, I said, “Hello?”

“Where’s Mam?” Kellan demanded.

“She’s right here. What’s wrong?”

Mam glanced over her shoulder at me. “Put whoever it is on speaker,” she suggested.

After I hit the button, Mam called, “I’m up to my elbow in Shepherd’s pie filling. What do you need?”

“Caterina’s been kidnapped.”

At my gasp of horror, Mam whirled around. “Sweet Jesus, Mary, and Joseph! What happened?”

“Some of her father’s men took her from the street outside Alainn .”

While I’m sure Mam was wondering like me what Caterina was doing at the strip club the boys owned, she didn’t utter it. Instead, she asked, “What’s being done to get her back?”

“We’re enroute to Little Italy where her last location showed up.”

My heart twisted with emotions. Worry for Caterina’s safety. Fear for my brothers’ safety. Rage at her father for doing such a thing.

And then my mind went to Rafe, sending an ache through my chest. I couldn’t imagine what he was feeling at this moment. More than anything, I wished I could be there to comfort him.

Mam made the sign of the cross. “Promise me you boys will be careful.”

“We will.”

“How’s Callum holding up?”

A pause came on the line. “Not well.”

“Oh merciful heavens,” she murmured.

“For your safety, we want you to go to the main house. There will be more protection there.”

Mam nodded at the phone. “We will. Right now.”

Unable to keep my worry for Rafe hidden any longer, I asked, “What about the Nerettis?”

“They’re on their way in from New York.”

God, what Rafe must be feeling at this moment. He and his brothers loved Caterina so deeply. There wasn’t anything in the world they wouldn’t do for her.

Panic ricocheted through me at the thought of the men I loved most in the world being in danger. It wasn’t like I didn’t live with the feeling each and every day. It was just horrifically amplified in that moment. “Be careful, Kellan. All of you,” I said.

“We will. Listen, I have to go. Get to the house, and we’ll call as soon as we have Caterina.”

And then he hung up. Tears welled in Mam’s eyes as she wrung her hands. “Poor girl. Even after her bastard father tried to kill Callum, I never dared to think he was as evil as your Da to hurt his own flesh.”

“I didn’t either,” I replied in a whisper.

“Come on. We have to go.”

As Mam turned off the oven and stove, I grabbed Murphy, and then we bolted for the backdoor. Nolan stood waiting for us with his gun drawn. “Mr. Kavanaugh just alerted me I’m to take you to the Beacon Hill home.”

Mam nodded. “That’s right.”

After we started down the backstairs, Nolan followed behind us. He helped us into the car before hopping in the front seat. It was a quick walk to the house and an even faster drive.

Once Nolan had ushered us in the backdoor, he went to meet up with the other bodyguards patrolling the house. Mam and I then spent a good half hour praying while pacing the kitchen.

I prayed for Caterina.

I prayed for my brothers and the Nerettis.

And I prayed for Rafe.

Just when I thought I would go crazy from the anxious silence, I said, “Mammy, why don’t we order some groceries and cook?”

When she turned her wild gaze to me, I gave a nod of my head. “The boys will be hungry when this is all over, not to mention we’ve got the bodyguards to feed.”

My suggestion seemed to knock Mam out of her stupor. “Good idea.”

By the time we’d ordered the groceries online, Mam’s phone rang again. She snatched it up and answered it. At her gasp, I peered at the screen.

It was Callum.

“Is she okay?” Mam questioned.

“We don’t know yet. We’re on the way to the hospital.” He sucked in a harsh breath. “They beat her pretty bad, Mammy.”

“Oh my love. I’m so, so sorry. She’s young and strong. I know she’ll recover.”

“It’s not just her…”

Caterina must’ve made a noise because Callum began talking in a soothing voice in Irish. Then came only soft whines.

“Callum?” Mam called.

The last time I’d witnessed Callum cry had been the night of my rape. Although I couldn’t see him, I knew he was crying. The whimpering sounds he made were those of someone truly devastated.

“She’s…She might’ve lost the baby.”

Both Mam and I sucked in shocked breaths. “Caterina’s pregnant?”

“She just found out today.”

Mam’s face crumpled in anguish as tears pricked my eyes. “Poor lamb. Is she bleeding…between her thighs?”

“No. Not that I can tell.”

“Then have faith, son. That baby comes from strong stock. He or she won’t give up easily.”

Callum choked on a sob. “I hope you’re right.”

“Which hospital are you taking her to?”

“Mass General.”

“I’ll have Nolan bring me down.”

“No, Mam, you should stay there.”

Mam should her head. “You need me.”

While I expected Callum to continue arguing, he surprised me by saying, “Let me get her settled. Then I’ll send someone for you to stay the night with us.”

“I’ll get my things together.”

“Pray hard, Mammy.”

“I will, mo chuisle .”

Tears streamed down my cheeks at her calling him her pulse. Regardless of how old we were, we were Mam’s heart beating outside her chest. She’d said the same words to me as she held me in her arms on the drive to the hospital. Swaying on my feet, my mind swirled with foggy wisps of memories.

Pinching my eyes shut, I willed the memories to flee from my mind. I couldn’t do this now. I needed to be strong for my family…for Rafe. I wouldn’t let him down, not after everything he had done for me.

Opening my eyes, I moved with a new sense of determination. After having Mam sit down, I put on the kettle for some tea. I then asked Nolan to go back to the house to get Mam’s things for her to be ready when Callum called for her.

The groceries arrived, and Mam and I got to work cooking. I’d just put a hearty stew on the stove for the men when Nolan came back with Mam’s bag. “Don’t be alarmed if a strange car arrives. The Nerettis are coming here.”

Furrowing my brow, I asked, “Has something happened with Caterina? I mean, shouldn’t they be at the hospital with her?”

Nolan averted his gaze from mine to stare down at the floor. “They need to clean up before they can go see their sister.”

At my gasp of realization, Mam muttered, “Good riddance.” To my surprise she didn’t make the sign of the cross, which she normally did when death was mentioned.

Alessio Neretti was dead at the hands of his sons. Rafe had killed his father. Or at the very least, he’d had a hand in it.

I couldn’t imagine what he was feeling. What he’d seen or done. Although every day I wished I could’ve been the one to end my father, I realized the emotional toll doing that would’ve had on me.

I certainly didn’t fault Rafe or his brothers for what they’d done. Alessio Neretti deserved to die for kidnapping and putting Caterina and her baby’s life in danger. And just as my brothers had avenged me, the Nerettis had done the same.

“Thank you for letting us know, Nolan,” Mam said, as a means to dismiss him.

He nodded before placing her bag on the table. Needing to keep my hands busy, I went back to working on some soda bread dough.

“He’s going to need you,” Mam said softly.

“I know,” I replied as I twisted my hands through the stretchy concoction.

“Are you sure you can handle that?”

With my hands still encased in dough, I spun away from the counter to pin her with an accusatory glare. “After all this time, you still think I'm a fragile doll about to crack.”

She shook her head. “I never thought that about you. Not even in the beginning.”

“Then why don’t you think I can handle being with Rafe again?”

With a knowing smile, she replied, “Because you just started getting over him, Róisín.”

“That just shows how little you really know me, Mammy. I’ll never be over Rafe Neretti.” Whirling back around, I started forcefully kneading the dough.

At the feel of her hand on her shoulder, I slung her away. “Don’t waste your energy on me today. Caterina should be your focus. Or Callum or Rafe and his brothers. My broken heart shouldn’t rank at the top.”

“You’re my daughter– mo chuisle . You’re important each and every day.”

“I’m sorry,” I whispered.

“Don’t be. Being a young woman is never easy, and it’s so much harder in our world.”

“I could run away before he gets here. Go back to Dublin,” I said.

“Like you’d ever abandon Callum at a time like this,” Mam chided softly.

“Of course, I couldn’t. It was a stupid suggestion born out of desperation,” I replied.

Mam placed her hand on my cheek. “I’m not saying you couldn’t run away from the house tonight. But not so far as Dublin. You could take my place and go to the hospital to see Caterina.”

She was right. I could avoid Rafe. If I saw him at the hospital, we would be surrounded by others. Nothing could be gained or lost between us as long as we weren’t alone. It was only on our own that we forgot ourselves and our responsibilities…and in my case, my heart.

But then I thought of Rafe carrying me in the snow outside Bandia . I thought of his anger as he prowled around the bathroom after I told him about my rape. I thought of him giving me back the lost part of me.

How could I possibly claim to love him and then abandon him now in his time of need? I would be truly heartless.

At that moment, an alert came through that there was a car in the drive. Mam gave me one last fleeting look before we both rushed for the backstairs. I didn’t ask her why she was coming with me.

Maybe it was out of concern for the Nerettis. Maybe it was to give me a buffer from Rafe. In the end, it really didn’t matter.

In silence, we stood at the end of the stairs with our eyes trained on the back door. The first to appear in the doorway was Gianni. At the sight of the blood splattered across his face and clothes, Mam’s hand flew to make the sign of the cross. After a terse nod at the both of us, he continued past us down the hallway to the bathrooms.

Leandro came in next. Unlike Gianni, his face wasn’t stained. Instead, his hands were soaked red. ”Thanks for letting us come here to clean up,” Leo said, his voice strained and his body language tense.

Mam hesitantly reached out to touch a clean spot on his arm. “Oh honey, you don’t need to thank us. We’re your family. Anything that you need, please let us know.”

“Have you heard anything else from Caterina?” I asked.

He shook his head. “She’s still being evaluated at the hospital.”

At my nod, he then disappeared down the hall to join Gianni in the communal showers. “God help them,” Mam murmured under her breath.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Rafe appeared. It wasn’t the blood on his face and hands that startled me.

It was his expression.

There was devastation written across his face that only those who had experienced trauma like me could possibly understand.

As if he was in a trance, Rafe lurched past us without a look or hello. It was as if he was still surrounded by the hell he’d just experienced. Even though my heart ached for him, I remained rooted to my spot. I didn’t know what was the right thing to do at that moment.

“Go to him, Róisín,” Mam urged.

Her encouragement caused me to abandon my indecision. I sprinted forward, hurrying to close the gap between us. “Rafe?” I questioned.

At first, he didn’t recognize that he’d heard me. Instead, he kept shuffling along. Tears burned in my eyes. “Rafe, I’m here for you.”

Without another word, I slid my hand into his blood-stained one. He flinched at the contact before jerking away. “Don’t get that on you.”

“I don’t care about the blood,” I argued softly.

“The sin. Don’t get the sin on you.”

“Oh Rafe,” I murmured as the tears streamed down my cheeks.

“I have to get cleaned up.”

“Let me help you.”

“I don’t want this on you,” he argued.

“I can handle it. I promise.”

Since we needed to be alone, I steered him to the one room in the house I’d never been in. Although I was rarely in the basement, I always pretended like the room didn’t exist. Its sole purpose was for my brothers to use for torture, and I didn’t like to associate them with anything that horrible.

But it was the only other room with a shower in the basement besides the communal one. I couldn’t run the risk of taking him upstairs and tracking blood.

After we slipped inside, I locked the door and turned on the light. At the sight of the instruments, he froze, and my mind immediately spun with what he and his brothers had done to their father in his final moments.

Tugging Rafe along, I led him to the center of the room. After positioning him over the grate, I went over and turned on the water. After adjusting the temperature, I flipped the knob for the shower. Even though he was still dressed, Rafe didn’t move away from the stream.

With his shoulders drooping in defeat, he stared at the bloody water swirling in the drain. I went back over to him and began to undress him. My hands came up to loosen his tie. Once I deposited it on the tile floor, I began unbuttoning his shirt.

“I killed my father.”

“I know,” I whispered as I pulled his soaked shirt out of his pants.

A tremor ran through his body. “We should’ve tortured him for days. He sure as hell deserved it for what he did to Caterina. But in the end, we couldn’t. It only went on for a few hours.”

I slid his shirt down over his arms. “You did what you had to do and what was right for the three of you.”

As the blood-stained shirt fluttered to the floor, Rafe said, “I’ve never tortured a man before.”

“You haven’t?” I asked, undoing his belt.

He shook his head. “My father said it was beneath me as a leader. That there were low-end cogliones to do that work. Now beating men up and asserting dominance with your fists was different to him than torture.”

I made quick work unbuttoning and unzipping his dress pants. “That’s where our fathers were different. Mine said any man who didn’t have blood on his hands was weak. To lead, your men should always see your dirty hands.”

“Fucking bastards.”

“Aye, they were. No corner of hell is too good for them.”

After I pushed Rafe’s pants to the ground, his haunted voice froze me. “As the oldest and the heir, I was the one who slit his throat in the end.”

I pushed his shin to step out of his pants. “How did it make you feel to do that?” I questioned in a whisper.

“Like a fucking animal.”

Slowly, I rose back up to stand in front of him. “You’re too good to ever be an animal, Rafe.”

A mirthless laugh rumbled through his chest. “If you would’ve seen what I did to him, you might change your mind.”

“He hurt Caterina. From what I’ve heard, he allowed Carmine to beat her so hard she could’ve lost the baby.”

“He beat her to lose the baby.”

I gasped in horror. “What? Why?”

“She was to be given to him. Father was going to annul her marriage to Callum and marry her to Carmine to cement his alliance with the Jersey Bratva.”

“Sweet Jesus,” I murmured.

A tormented look flashed in Rafe’s eyes. “He wasn’t always bad.”

From what I just heard about Alessio, I couldn’t imagine that statement being possibly true. But instead of expressing my doubt to Rafe, I said, “What’s a good memory you have of him?”

“Growing up, we loved the Yankees. Father bought season tickets, and instead of pawning us off on one of the bodyguards, he would take us. Whatever we wanted from the concessions, he bought us.”

Rafe shook his head. “It’s the only time I ever remember him smiling at us. He never said he loved us, but he would say, ‘This was a good day, sons’.”

“And that’s where our fathers were different. I don’t have a single good memory of mine.”

“Right now I wished I didn’t have any of mine. It would make all of this easier.” He swallowed hard. “It would make me less of a monster.”

“You could never be a monster.” I placed my hand over Rafe’s heart. “What beats beneath my fingers? That’s what makes you a good man.”

He frowned at me. “I killed my own fucking father, Maeve.”

“And Callum killed my father so that I didn’t have to. Your father and my father tried to destroy their daughters. Instead of protecting us as fathers should, they allowed horrible things to be done to us. My father stood by and allowed a man to rip my virginity from me and made his sons assist. Your father allowed a man to beat your sister almost to death in order to kill her child, and he would’ve allowed her to be raped as I was.”

Staring up into his haunted eyes, I said, “You avenged Caterina tonight, but you also avenged me. By killing your father, you showed the underworld that in the Neretti family, you will allow no one to hurt the women you love.”

Rafe blinked at me. For the first time since he’d arrived, I felt like I was getting through to him. He brought a hand up to cup my cheek. “Thank you, Maeve.”

“You’re welcome.”

“I feel so dead inside.”

“Do you want to feel alive?”

“Yes, I fucking need it. Desperately.” He licked his lips. “I need you.”

“I’m right here.”

“I need to be inside you. The only time I feel alive is when I’m buried so fucking deep inside you.”

My heart thrummed wildly in my chest at his declaration. “Then take me.”

“I don’t think I can be gentle tonight,” he warned.

“I can take it.” I reached between us to cover his growing erection with my hand. “I’ll take whatever you can give me if it means helping you heal.”

An erotic growl erupted from low in Rafe’s chest, which sent scorching heat to my core. As he came at me, he tore at the buttons on my shirt, sending them scattering across the tile floor. His hands then went to jerk my pants and thong down over my thighs.

He barely gave me time to step out of them before he slammed his lips against my own. A rush ricocheted through me at the desire burning in him. It was nothing like our first time, but God help me I liked it.

Rafe’s tongue relentlessly swirled and lashed against my own. He pushed us back until my back bumped against the tile wall. With a grunt, Rafe hoisted me up to wrap my legs around him, causing me to gasp. A shiver went through me at the feral look in his eyes.

Although he appeared wild with need, he put his hand on my cheek and looked into my eyes. With his thumb rubbing across my bottom lip, he asked, “Is this okay?”

My heart melted at his continued concern and always putting my needs above his own. To reassure him, I reached between us and took his cock into my hand, causing him to hiss. Then I guided his erection to my entrance. “Take me just how you want to,” I commanded.

I slid my arms tighter around Rafe’s neck, pulling me closer to his mouth. With a nod, he then flexed his hips, thrusting his dick deep inside me. I moaned against his lips.

His fingers dug into my ass cheeks as he began raising me on and off his cock. My breasts bounced against his chest, my nipples pebbling. Angling me back, Rafe dipped his head to suck an aching nipple into his mouth. His tongue twirled around the peak before his teeth grazed it. He alternated between sucking and biting at my nipple, which coupled with his hips pistoning in and out of me led me to a quick orgasm.

I clung to his shoulders as I cried out. My walls clenched around his dick, causing Rafe to pump harder and faster in and out of me. After my face collapsed against his shoulder, Rafe continued jerking me on and off him at a manic pace. I began kissing a trail across his collarbone. When I tightened my walls around him, he groaned with pleasure. “I’m going to come, Maeve.”

And then it hit me. We hadn’t used a condom. As I began to extricate myself from him, I cried, “No, not inside me!”

Rafe’s hips stilled in their movement. “Oh fuck, Maeve. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. We weren’t thinking.”

After he lowered me back onto my feet, I took his cock in my hands. I pumped him between my fingers. “Let me finish you.”

He grunted his approval. With my hand still wrapped around him, I went down onto my knees. As my tongue flicked across the tip of his cock, I could taste myself on him. After suctioning the head into my mouth, Rafe practically purred. Spurned on by his reaction, I slid my mouth further down his shaft.

Although I didn’t entirely know what I was doing, I let Rafe take the reins. He eased himself slowly in and out of my mouth. Taking the lead, I began bobbing up and down on him. Rafe grunted, “Oh fuck, Maeve.”

As I started working him with my hand and mouth, he began pumping his hips. When he thrust against the back of my mouth, I gagged around him. Tears filled my eyes, but I kept sucking him.

Gazing up at him, heat ignited between my thighs at the sight of him at my mercy. It was such a superior feeling to know I was bringing him such pleasure. And then his orgasm set off, sending his hot cum spurting into my mouth. But I didn’t stop. I kept milking him through his high, swallowing him down as I went.

After the last jerk of his body, Rafe gazed down at me in gratitude. “That was so fucking good.”

He brought his hands under my arms to help me up, and then his mouth closed over my own. With our mouths fused, he walked us back under the shower stream, which was surprisingly still warm.

When I pulled away, he grunted in protest. “We need to finish getting you clean.”

“Can I get you clean?” he suggested, his fingers going between my legs.

I gasped and pulled at his forearm. “I’m serious, Rafe. I don’t know if some of my brothers are coming back, so we need to finish up and get out of here before somebody finds us.”

My words sobered him. After he nodded, I grabbed the special antibacterial soap and squirted it into a washcloth. As I began washing the remaining remnants of blood on his neck, Rafe reached up to still my hand. Creasing my brows at him, I asked, “What?”

“I can’t go another three months without seeing you.”

“You want to try to meet up again for a hookup?”

The intensity of his stare lit me on fire again. But there was something else in his look. “I’m not talking about hookups. I’m talking about really seeing you.”

My breath hitched. “As in dating me?”

Rafe nodded. “After today, I can’t let you go, Maeve.”

“I feel the same way. But we can’t.”

With a frown, he countered, “Why not?”

“You’re engaged, remember?”

He scowled. “Don’t remind me.”

“How can I not? Anything between us has an expiration date.”

“Can’t we at least see each other until I’m married?”

“People date each other for a future, which we don’t have the option of having.”

“People date to fuck and have fun. Can’t we do that?”

No, I can’t because I’m in love with you. E very moment I spend with you is pleasure mixed with pain. I turned away from him to grab more soap. “Come on, Maeve. Say yes.”

A pounding came at the door, causing me to jump. “Dammit. Why do we always get interrupted at important moments?” Rafe growled. He grabbed one of the towels from the shelf and wrapped it around his waist. As he was getting another one, a knock came again.

“I’m coming!” he shouted as he quickly wrapped the material around me.

When he went over to the door, he cracked it instead of opening it. “What?”

“Callum tried calling you,” Gianni said.

“I was busy.”

Leo snorted. “Yeah, we know just how busy you were.”

At my gasp, Rafe growled. “Watch your mouth,” he warned Leo.

Gianni interrupted them. “Listen, Callum called because Caterina and the baby are going to be fine.”

A relieved breath whooshed out of me at the news. “They are?” Rafe asked.

“Yeah, they are,” Gianni replied.

“Thank God,” Rafe murmured.

“They’re keeping her knocked out to help with her healing. But Callum said we could still come and see her. So, get dressed and we’ll go.” As he met my gaze through the crack, Gianni smiled. “You can come, too.”

“Thanks,” I replied.

Glancing around, Rafe asked, “What the fuck are we going to wear?”

Leo laughed. “Orla’s raiding closets upstairs.”

I snickered at the thought of the Nerettis in my brothers’ clothes, which earned me a playful glare from Rafe. “Okay, give me five minutes.”

“We’ll be getting ready upstairs.”

“I’ll meet you there.”

After Rafe closed the door, he turned back to me. “We probably won’t have any more time alone together.”

“Probably not.”

“Will you reconsider seeing me again?”

There was nothing I wanted more. I wanted everything a woman wants in a relationship. Dinners and a movie. Lazy mornings in bed. Wake up sex.

I just didn’t see how any of that was possible with Rafe.

“I don’t know.”

“Come to New York in two weeks.”

“Rafe–”

“You can be my birthday present.”

“Is it really your birthday?”

He nodded. “I’ll be twenty-nine.”

Wrinkling my nose, I replied, “I forgot how much older you are than me.”

Rafe rolled his eyes. “I hardly call seven years that much older.”

“You’re practically decrepit,” I teased.

His eyes narrowed. “I’m not too decrepit to make you come.”

“Well, it was only twice tonight.”

“If we had more time, you’d be in so much trouble.”

I grinned. “Maybe you can make it up to me.”

Hope flared in Rafe’s expression. “Have you ever been to New York?”

I shook my head. “It was always outside of our territory.”

“Then I’ll show you around my town. We’ll go to dinner at the finest restaurant in Manhattan. Then I’ll take you to an Italian’s third love after sex and food.”

I laughed. “And what is that?”

“The opera.”

With a squeal, I replied, “Oh, I’ve always wanted to go. The women always look so elegant and distinguished. I’ve always wanted to look like that.”

Rafe’s knuckles rubbed along my jawline. “I’ll buy you the most beautiful and expensive green dress we can find.”

“You like me in green, huh?”

“Mm, Tesoro , I do. Everyone will be wondering who is the stunning redhead on Raphael Neretti’s arm.”

At the idea of people seeing us, I frowned. “How can we possibly be seen in public considering you're engaged?”

“Edoardo knows I won’t be giving up my dating life until after the ceremony.”

“And what if someone who knows my brothers sees us?”

With a devious grin, Rafe said, “Maybe you should wear a wig.”

“I could do that. I always wanted to see if blondes have more fun.”

“So you’ll come to New York?”

Although my head shouted at me to say no, my heart won out. “Yes, I will.”