Nicco: Devil's Spawn Book 1

Ch. 37: Daddy Issues

NICCO

"Nothing," Aria mumbles, quickly tucking her phone back into her pocket.

Her troubled expression suggests otherwise. "It does not look like nothing."

"Everything's fine," she insists again. "Really."

"Lies."

"Okay, fine. Maybe everything isn't...fine."

"No?"

Her resolve appears to waver slightly. "I guess, sometimes, it just feels like there's not enough of me to go around. Everyone suddenly wants everything from me yesterday."

"Tell them to fuck off."

"I wish." Aria averts her gaze and laughs. "Speaking of things I need to do, I still need to finalize the hotel and transportation for your sister. She's arriving this weekend, right?"

Wincing, I nod. "Unfortunately."

"Unfortunately?"

I sigh. "I love Vivi, but she is not coming as a sister who wishes to spend time with her older brother. She is coming as my parents' executioner. I am not looking forward to the inevitable lecture she will give me about all the ways I have been fucking up at Jackson & James."

"I feel like you're being a bit dramatic."

"You do not know Vivi as well as I do."

"Still, I'm sure she won't be that hard on you. It took a couple of weeks for you to get your act together, but you've been kicking ass as a manager ever since then."

"I appreciate your confidence in me," I note wryly.

Aria arches an eyebrow. "Besides, isn't your sister younger than us? She's still in college. I doubt she'll know enough about Jackson & James to lecture you about anything."

I grumble, "You are not wrong. She is younger than us. My sister turns twenty-two this year. But Vivi is very much an over-achieving perfectionist. She never fails to do her homework. Much like you. But meaner. Whenever she enters a room, I swear, the temperature drops by ten degrees."

"Oh, God," Aria mumbles, "should I be more nervous about meeting her?"

"Do not be."

"Too late. I'm already anxious."

"She will adore you as much as I do. You two are birds of a feather. Rest assured, it is me whom she intends to torment. Not you."

Aria chuckles. "Poor baby. I promise I'll be there to hold your hand whenever your baby sister starts bullying you."

I squint at her with a scowl. "I cannot tell if you are being sweet. Or mocking me."

My girl gives a suspicious-sounding cough. "Anyway, if you don't need anything else, I should probably get going. My never-ending to-do list isn't going to resolve itself."

When she turns to leave, I call her back, "Wait."

Aria glances over her shoulder. "Yes?"

"Can you stay for five more minutes? I wanted to talk to you about our current living situation."

Her eyes flicker. "I...can spare five minutes. What's going on?"

I tell her about my concerns regarding the safety of the neighborhood and the lack of security in her apartment complex. At first, Aria resists the idea of moving into a new place for the remainder of our engagement, but she eventually comes around and agrees to look into rentals located in a safer neighborhood. Like Greenwich or Chelsea. We scroll through several options on the local real estate listings.