“We’ll take a round of tequila,” Soohyuk said as the waitress approached our table. “Actually, make that two rounds.”

“Starting tonight with a punch,” Taeyang said to him. “I like it.”

“My cousins don’t around when it comes to drinking—that’s what I like,” Ryuji said.

Yeji’s twin was in town for the week, and it was good as hell to see him.

Youngdon pounded fists with Ryuji and then clasped Soohyuk’s shoulder. “Your brother’s got a reason to celebrate. We just closed the highest-grossing deal in Kwon family history.”

“ yes!” I clapped.

The table erupted in applause.

While sitting next to Soohyuk, I punched his arm, clamping my fingers around the same place I’d hit. “Proud of you, brother.” I then reached around Soohyuk to shake Youngdon’s hand. “You too, Youngdon.” As he released my grip, I continued, “I love how you guys are ing killing it.”

Soohyuk had texted Taeyang and me earlier, telling us about the deal and that it involved Youngdon’s fiancée, James, so I added, “James is taking over Hollywood. There isn’t anyone more deserving. It’s impressive to watch this all go down and the work you guys have done behind the scenes.”

“My girl’s kicking ,” Youngdon said. “Now, it’s up to you, Jiyong, to shelter that money from the tax gods, so it doesn’t all go to Uncle Sam.”

I laughed.

James had become one of my largest clients. As her earnings increased, so did the workload.

“You know I’m on it,” I told him.

“For what she’s paying you, you’d better be.” He clinked his glass against mine.

“Listen,” I said to him, “if you two start having some kids, it’ll make things a lot easier on me. I can set up—”

“You’re preaching to the choir, my man.” Youngdon took a drink of his scotch. “I’ve told her this countless times. I’m ready. I’m just waiting on her.”

Yuri was young. At the peak of her career.

I understood why she wanted to wait.

“Maybe, during your next meeting, you can talk to her about pulling the goalie,” Youngdon said. “Tell her it’s for tax purposes.”

I chuckled. “Now, that’s a topic I’m staying far away from.”

“I know a topic I’m going to harp on tonight,” Haejin said.

I groaned and nursed my drink. “If it’s Yeji, I don’t want to hear it.”

“Neither do I,” Ryuji growled.

“Yeji? Who the hell wants to talk about Yeji? That girl is a ing mess.” He leaned far away from Ryuji in case Yeji’s brother decided to give him a right hook. “Who I want to talk about is Dara, your goddamn nanny.”

“I second this,” Taeyang said, raising his glass.

“ yeah, I third this,” Soohyuk said.

“Sorry, buddy,” Youngdon said, clinking his tumbler against all the others’. “I’m with them.”

“Same,” Ryuji said.

“Jesus.” I ran my hand through my hair, keeping my fingers locked on my head to dull the throbbing in my skull. A throb that had started the moment Dara and I had hooked up in my kitchen and had gotten progressively worse. “You guys need to lay off.”

“You mean to tell me you’re not banging the nanny yet?” Haejin asked.

“No”—I swallowed—“I’m not.”

And I was angry as hell about it.

Angry the entire time I had been traveling—her texts, when we FaceTimed, nothing but a ing tease.

Angry when I’d returned home and she wasn’t running into my arms.

Angry when I’d watched her cuddle Everly as she recovered from an ear infection because I wasn’t on the other side of Dara, my face on her chest, like my daughter’s was.

But all of that was my fault.

I’d pushed her away.

I’d stopped us from doing more.

I’d told her nothing could ever happen again.

“But you should be banging her,” Soohyuk said.

I’d been home for two weeks.

And it had been two weeks of ing torture.

“Except you know I can’t,” I replied to Soohyuk. “Do you have any idea how hard it is to find someone you can trust to take care of your kid?”

“Can’t be that hard,” Haejin said. “You had Yeji watch her, and I wouldn’t trust her babysitting my ing fish.”

“Watch it,” Ryuji warned.

“This guy,” I said, pointing at Haejin, shaking my head.

“You need to convince me why you and Dara would be a bad idea because I’m still not buying any of your excuses,” Taeyang voiced, leaning onto the table to get closer to me. “She works for you—I don’t see that as an issue. She’s Everly’s nanny—I don’t see why she would have to stop being her nanny, so there’s no problem there. What else you got, brother?”

I drained my scotch, hoping like hell the waitress would hurry up with our shots. Once the burn finally subsided, I replied, “The issue is, if things didn’t work out between us, then I’d have no nanny, and Everly would lose another woman in her life. That’s what I tell you guys every time we discuss this. It hasn’t changed. It’s still a problem.”

“Jiyong, relationships don’t always last. We’re human. Not a single thing in life is guaranteed. I could wake up tomorrow, and Chaerin might not want anything to do with me. Taeyang could return home tonight and find Hyorin had moved all her out. James could come to her ing senses and leave Youngdon’s —”

“Don’t even put that into the uni