The Ruin (Convenience #3) - Stella Gray Page 0,28

Vegas with Monica. My mind has been flooded with images of them holding hands on the plane, screwing in the hotel hot tub, drunkenly deciding to get married at one of those Elvis-themed chapels.

I know I’m just being frantic and jealous, but I can’t help how I feel. Even his “landed safely” text did nothing to assuage my suspicions, and I’ve been stalking Monica’s social media accounts just waiting for something incriminating to pop up. So far, it’s been nothing but the usual sexy selfies—people seem to be loving her new dark hair—and a few unimaginative shots of the Vegas strip lit up with all its flashy neon signs at night.

But he hadn’t picked up my call this morning. Was he just busy, or in bed with Monica?

If only my traitorous heart hadn’t gotten me into this mess. I never should have moved back into the penthouse. Not when things between Luka and me are still on shaky ground.

“I think it’s already dead, Brooklyn.”

“What?” I do a double take at the fork in my hand. Apparently, I’d zoned out a little while repeatedly stabbing one of my sausages. “Oh, sorry.”

I set the fork down and Emzee slides it discreetly away.

Looking back at my sisters-in-law, I see the looks of concern have returned. It’s obvious my little white lies aren’t fooling them, but there’s something nice about them knowing me well enough to call me out. I’d always hoped the three of us would grow close. It’s taken a little time, but we’re definitely getting there. I nearly cancelled on them when Tori called me this morning to see if I needed a ride, but I’m glad I crawled out of bed for this.

“You sure you’re okay?” Emzee asks. “You look like you didn’t sleep very well.”

“Well, Emzee, how well would you sleep if your husband neglected to mention that he was about to spend three days in Las Vegas with Monica Shore?”

She frowns. “It’s a DRM thing, right? A business trip?”

“Supposedly,” I grind out.

Tori gives me a sympathetic look. “You’ve got nothing to worry about, Brooklyn. Stefan goes on last-minute work trips all the time, and yes, sometimes with the models. It doesn’t mean anything is going on. Maybe it sounds naïve, but I used to get upset about it too, until he made it clear how committed to me he is. I’m sure Luka would never put your marriage at risk, either.”

I wonder if those words feel like a total lie as they spill from her mouth? Because they sure feel that way to my ears.

“If he’s going to cheat, I just wish he’d do it with anyone but her.”

“He’s not going to cheat,” Tori insists.

Emzee scoffs at her. “How can you say that, when you know what Luka used to be like? Although, before you came along, Stefan wasn’t much better.”

“You’re really helping out here, Em,” Tori says sarcastically.

“Look, there’s something you need to understand about my brothers,” she says, addressing both of us. “They’re the kind of men who fuck like wild rabbits because deep down, they’re just lost little boys, trying to find something solid to hang on to. But all that time, they could never admit to themselves that what they really wanted was stability. Until they found you two. And now neither of them are even close to the pathetic ‘men’ they used to be. Thank God.”

She raises her mimosa in a toast and then takes a loud slurp.

I take a long slug of my own drink as I contemplate what she just said. “Wow,” I finally say. “That was weirdly deep, and kind of a shock coming from you.”

Emzee grins. “Yeah, well, I’m full of surprises.”

Still, I have to admit that her words do make me feel a little better. Luka does seem like a different man since we got together, and he’s miles away from the arrogant, entitled jerk who tricked me into bed when we first met all those years ago. I’ve seen him be kind, caring, and supportive. He’d seemed truly apologetic about Monica getting the Maxilene job, and sincere when he said that he didn’t just hire her to ensure the company signed a DRM model.

Tori reminds us that our breakfasts are getting cold, and we dig in. The food is delicious, and mixed with laughter and the good-natured squabbles that my sisters-in-law get into, it’s exactly what I needed. We sip our coffees as the conversation lulls into a comfortable silence.

Someone’s phone buzzes with a text, and Tori