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And then Thatcher brings his brother into another tight hug
Right as they pull apart and Thatcher hugs Akara, Jane squeezesmy attention as she says, “Your parents have been worried about you”
I suck in a tight breath My parents I had a quick phone call with them at the airport, so I know their worry is at the top of Mount Everest right now
I give Jane a sratulations, Mrs Moretti” It’s been wildly speculated in the media if she’d take Thatcher’s name
She told o
Jane Eleanor Moretti
She dropped the Cobalt But in her words, “Being a Cobalt isn’t in na a Meadows is in spirit
My cousin lights up at hearing me call her a Moretti, and I hope to feel that happiness one day Co everything Time, companionship, clothes, down to a name
But a prick of anxiety nips atabout that choice
A name
Kitsuwon
Moretti
I’ radar I just want the feeling, the relationship, the romance, and I definitely wish I could just detach fro one of the
So I try et
Jane and I give each other another hug before I leave her side to hunt down my parents As soon as I shift away, I’m surprised when Akara doesn’t follow es closer like he’s been silently instructed to take my detail
Glancing around for Kits, who’s left Thatcher and Banks’ side, I find hi ht
Michael Moretti
Akara is finally able to forreet Banks’ dad
49
BANKS MORETTI
Cousins swar cliff-notes versions of what happened every which way
While uests, I position myself near a cluster of red rose bushes As far from the outdoor heaters as possible, which warm the three fully stocked bars, the packed dance floor, a three-piece orchestra playing Italian classics, a crooner singing way too much Sinatra (Sorry, Grandma)—plus a DJ, four dessert tables, and several round, wicker tables for guests
I’ to shake off some of the extreme talkers, but apparently, everyone wants to freeze their ass-cheeks to come hear my story
Staying in one spot isn’t working, so I just slip between chatting guests Moving like a shadow throughout the gardens And my eyes return to Akara and my dad They speak near a pond where pink rose petals float across the water