CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CRISTIAN WALKED INTO Whiskey Sharp, lifting a hand in greeting as he caught sight of Alexsei.
The brothers hugged and Cristian settled into the chair next to Alexsei’s to wait until he’d finished the cut he was halfway through.
“I booked you for your next cut,” Cristian said. “I figured it would be a good way to catch up with you since you’ve pretty much decided your new life is skipping from place to place.” He looked over to Maybe’s empty station. “Where’s Maybe?”
“She’s at lunch with her sister and Cora. You can just call me if you want to catch up. It’s not like you don’t know my number.”
He’d been spending a lot of nights at Maybe’s place, stopping over each day to water Gregori’s plants, check the mail and keep an eye on things. But each morning he’d woken up with her next to him had been better than anything else he’d experienced.
She hadn’t complained at his presence. And that regular contact with her meant he and Rachel had gained a level of comfort and ease they hadn’t had before. Which in turn seemed to cut down Maybe’s stress level.
His woman was very protective of her sister and she put a great deal of time and energy into making sure Rachel was okay. It was a beautiful thing to watch. To see the love and loyalty between the two.
At the same time, it grated on him that she took the brunt of the hassle with their parents. In his opinion, there was more to what went on between Maybe and her father that she hadn’t revealed. Not to him and perhaps not to anyone.
It was the way she talked around it, skirted something but never gave him anything specific. Not more than a feeling.
“I have your number, yes, but I like to see you and I’m nosy. Seth and I caught some major eye fucking between you and Maybe at his birthday party weekend before last. I want all the dirt.”
Alexsei snorted as he cleaned up the cut, made sure everything was perfect.
“Oh you and Seth, huh? You sure it’s not just you?” His little brother loved gossip with all his heart.
“Seth seriously digs her. He thinks she’s the best thing that’s ever happened to you.”
Alexsei agreed with that.
He finished up with his client and motioned Cristian into the chair before getting him draped up.
“What is it you want to know then? Go on and ask before she gets back. I suspect there might be margaritas with lunch so she’ll be even more talkative.”
“I really figured that would drive you nuts. She talks a lot.”
That made Alexsei laugh. “To be honest, even when I first hired her, it didn’t bother me. Other people who talk that much? Hell, other people who don’t talk that much bother me. Her chirping is...” He lifted his shoulders. “I like it. She has a lot to say. Most of it is unexpected. But she can be quiet. Usually when she’s sleeping.”
They both laughed at that.
“She started taking a class to learn Russian. I only learned of it after the dinner where Rada acted like a total asshole.”
Cristian’s face brightened. “That’s awesome. Not the Rada thing, the language class.”
To Alexsei it meant she considered him worth the time and effort. Considered her ability to communicate with him and access what was a pretty important part of his life as worthy of her hard work.
That was...well, he could count the number of people he believed felt that way about him on one hand.
“I take it you two worked things out? After that?” Cristian asked.
Alexsei nodded and knowing his brother would demand details, he gave some. “We had a talk after leaving the party. I need to be better about not automatically responding to Rada’s demands.”
“I was wondering when that was going to happen. Good for her. Rada is toying with Maybe. Whether that’s an affectionate tease or a smug taunt is the real issue, right? Seems to me, Maybe’s the type to be cool with teasing, but not so much with a taunt.”
“Astute.”
Cris smiled at his brother. “I can be the pretty one and the smart one too, you know. And since you’ve been telling me all this, I’ve figured out what I had suspected. This is serious.”
Alexsei hadn’t expected to be standing there, totally certain just six weeks after a first date, that what he had with Maybe Dolan was forever.
“Yes.”
“You know people will bring up that you’ve only dated for a short while.”
Alexsei nodded. “I’m sure they will.”
“I’m of the opinion that she’s sort of been your work wife for two years, so really, you’ve been courting her this whole time. Not so sudden at all when you think of it like that.”
“Work wife?”
“Yes. People have them sometimes. She handles things here when you’re not around. She does your hair and beard. Exclusively. You spend what? At least six hours a day with her at least five days a week. You were coworkers and then friends. That’s a good base. That’s how Seth and I ended up getting hitched. He reminded me to tell you that, by the way.”
When he put it that way, it made sense.
“She’s going to have to slap Rada down herself. You know that, right?” Cristian asked, his eyes closed as Alexsei used the trimmer.
“She shouldn’t have to. Rada knows what she’s doing. And it’s not like if Evie was doing the same thing. She’s our little cousin, that comes with the package.”
“You won’t get any arguments from me on that. But she’ll still have to do it. Maybe’s smart. She’s badass. She’ll handle it, I’m sure. Especially if you back it up.”
She was a badass without any doubt. But she was soft inside. Vulnerable in ways so few understood. She shouldn’t have to deal with people poking at her and making her feel bad as much as she did. Alexsei didn’t say any of that aloud, knowing she’d be embarrassed by the sentiment.
“What are you doing for Christmas? Seth and I are doing this the American way with a tree and the celebration on the twenty-fifth. I figure you might like to bring Maybe and Rachel over for turkey and whatnot.”
“I’m heading to Spokane with her. To meet the aunt and uncle.” He added quietly, “I’m too old to be nervous about it. But I am. A little.” Maybe loved her aunt and uncle, trusted them and their opinion a great deal.
Because they loved her, Alexsei could only hope they’d see how much he loved her too and they’d be fine.
Cristian’s brows went up. “Really now? Nervous is good though. I was a wreck before meeting Seth’s mom and dad last year. But they’ll like you. Why wouldn’t they?”
“We’ll see. We’re headed out Friday morning first thing to drive to Spokane where they live. We’ll all be back the day after Christmas so it’s just a quick trip.”
“That’s nice. You won’t have to worry about the shop since you’re closed those days anyway. And if it’s bad, it’s not totally endless or anything. What about her parents? They’re here in Seattle, I know that much. Vic says they’re fuckheads.”
“Vic might be slightly biased on that count. But I don’t think he’s wrong. I haven’t met them so all I know is what I’ve been told and have experienced secondhand. They make Maybe very unhappy and that’s all I need to know.”
Cris frowned. “They sound awful. Come over for dinner then. No holiday needed. The week after Christmas, before New Year’s Eve. Seth wants to show off the house and play host and we want to get to know Maybe better. She’s been the weird woman you worked with for a while now, it’ll be nice to know her as the woman you’re in love with.”
“And because you’re nosy.”
His brother flipped him off.
“I’ll check with her on her schedule for next week and get back to you.”
Cristian got up, pausing to pay on the way out and bumping into Maybe as he opened the door to go.
“Hey!” She hugged him. “Sorry I missed you. Loving that haircut. Your brother has some serious skills.”
Cristian preened for her a little. “Seth says no one else is allowed to touch it so I suppose that’s the seal of approval. By the way, I invited you and Alexsei over to dinner next week so we can visit then.”
He gave her one last hug after they chose a time right then and there before he got back on his way.
* * *
IT HAD BEEN many years since Alexsei had been in the kind of snow they experienced in Eastern Washington on the way to Spokane. At least that side of the mountains was flatter than the west side, so the conditions weren’t that treacherous. Especially in the four-wheel drive Rachel had.
As he’d expected, Maybe on a road trip was beyond delightful. Endlessly cheerful in a genuine way. Snarky at times. She made her sister stop for ice cream and other treats and controlled the radio because Rachel insisted on driving.
Alexsei would normally want to drive, but not driving allowed him to pay more attention to his hummingbird.
“All I’m saying is maybe three times is enough Hamilton for now,” Rachel said. “You’ve got nine million other songs, play those.”
“I don’t see how you can hate Hamilton so much.” Maybe scrolled through the music on her phone.
“I don’t hate Hamilton. I just need a break sometimes so stop being so dramatic and choose new music or I’ll choose,” Rachel said.
Before they could bicker any further, Maybe chose something that in a few beats Alexsei recognized as Alabama Shakes. Before long, both sisters sang along and Alexsei smiled.
The drive seemed to go by relatively quickly and Alexsei pretended he wasn’t a little nervous when they finally turned up a driveway and parked in front of a pretty rambler decked out for the holidays with lights around the rooftop and in the big trees out front.
He wasn’t sure what he expected, but the sprite of a woman and her giant male companion probably wasn’t it.
She rushed down the steps toward the car, gathering Rachel and Maybe into a dual hug.
The big guy waited his turn, smiling when both sisters moved to hug him. He left an affectionate hand on Maybe’s shoulder as he said something to her quietly. Her quicksilver smile made Alexsei relax a little.
* * *
“COME ON INSIDE, it’s cold out here,” the tiny woman told them all before her gaze locked on Alexsei’s. “You’re Alexsei. I’m Roberta but most folks call me Robbie. That’s Teddy over there. He’s Theodore, but well, you might have guessed we’re a family who loves nicknames.”
She held out a hand and he took it, liking her already. Teddy followed with a handshake of his own. He didn’t squeeze really hard or anything like that, but he definitely took Alexsei’s measure, which comforted him a great deal, glad someone else cared enough about Maybe to act like that.
They brought in the suitcases and presents. Dogs, and there were three of them he could see, happily greeted Maybe and Rachel. He noted Maybe was far more at ease there than Rachel, though the older sister wasn’t hurting or uncomfortable or anything like that. It was just clear to him that Maybe viewed these two as her parents and Rachel still thought of them as her aunt and uncle.
This made him think about the Dolans once more and the way they seemed to run roughshod over their youngest child.
“We’ve got mulled cider. I figured you might need the warm-up and the alcohol. How was the drive?” Robbie fussed over the sisters a moment. “I put you and Alexsei in your old room. Rachel, you’re in the blue bedroom.”
Alexsei picked the bags up and carried them, with Maybe leading the way, first to Rachel’s room and then the one they’d share.
“I should have warned you about the dogs.” Maybe bent to pick the dachshund up. He licked her face a few times and curled his lip in Alexsei’s direction. “This is Fred. He’s super grumpy but mainly all snarl and no bite. The fastest way to his heart is to feed him table scraps. Which is why he’s sort of portly.” She kissed the top of the dog’s head. “Don’t let Robbie see you though. She got yelled at by the vet because Fred was, at one time, way too fat and it scarred her.”
He doubted much had the ability to scar someone like Robbie, but he resolved not to find out.
They wandered back out to the main room where Rachel had finished putting out all the presents they’d brought along.
“Dinner will be ready in a few hours,” Robbie said, “but there’s plenty of snacks out in the kitchen.” She brought out a tray with mugs of the mulled cider she’d talked about when they arrived.
Snacks appeared to mean the same to Maybe’s aunt as his. Enough food for ten people lined the counter so he made himself a plate and pretended it was more about making sure Maybe’s aunt liked him and not the fact that it all smelled really good and he was hungry.
“Maybe tells us you own the barbershop where she works,” Robbie said as they settled in the living room with plates of food and warm drinks.
Alexsei liked the lived-in comfort of the place. Not formal in any way, but a place that was clearly the heart of their home.
“Yes. That’s how we originally met. Two years ago now.”
“That’s a good living then? I understand there’s a bar too. Does it get wild? Do you have good insurance? And if you break up with Maybe will she have to find a new job?”
* * *
MAYBE GROANED, PUTTING her face in her hands. Alexsei simply patted her thigh. This was what parents were supposed to do. He’d have been offended if they didn’t care at all.
“It was hard the first few years we were open. By the time Maybe came on we’d dug ourselves a nice niche. We aren’t so much a club or a bar as an extension of the barbershop space. We’re closed by ten so we’re fortunate not to have to deal with really drunk clientele. And no, if things don’t work out between me and Maybe, she won’t have to worry about her job. She’s really excellent at what she does. Her clients love her and I’m not a jerk.”
Robbie nodded smartly. “How old are you?”
“I’m thirty.”
“Were you born here or in Russia?” Teddy asked this time.
“Born in Russia. Just outside Moscow. I came to the United States when I was fourteen years old, along with my younger brother, Cristian. He and I both became US citizens in our early twenties.”
Robbie nodded as she filed all that information away, readying for her next volley of questions, no doubt. While he waited, he ate and appreciated Maybe’s warm weight at his side.
“Why aren’t you already married?” Robbie asked.
Maybe held a hand up. “Stop. Oh my God, please stop. I brought him all the way over here so don’t reward that with interrogation,” she told her aunt. “He’s been answering all your questions but now you’re being insulting. I like him. That should be enough.”
“I could have run a background check, Maybe.” Robbie gave her niece a raised brow. “But I didn’t. I’m asking him to his face. It’s not insulting to want to know who he is. He’s in my house. Hell, I’m sure he’s in your house too. So let me do what I need to do to feel better. Because you like him. Otherwise I wouldn’t care.”
“I’m not insulted at all,” he assured Maybe, touched by the ferocity of her defense. “My aunt has asked you all that and worse.”
Maybe laughed, which lessened the tension considerably. “She has.”
Alexsei ate some cheese and garlicky hunks of salami before continuing. “I had been engaged to the woman I’d been dating for two years. We broke up nine months ago. There was no dramatic reason for the split. Neither of us was angry. We just didn’t love one another. She wants to be with someone who adores her and I want to be with someone I adore. My ex is still looking, but I’ve found what I wanted.”
Maybe blushed and gulped down some cider.
“This ex of yours, you have contact with her? You’re friends?” Robbie asked.
“I’ve known her since we were young. She was one of the first people I got to know when I moved to this country. I still care about her because she’s part of my extended family.”
“Enough.” Maybe sat straighter. “Look, we’re jumping about forty-five thousand steps here. He’s here at Christmas to meet the parents essentially. That’s a big step for us all. Brad doesn’t count because he was a turd and good riddance.”
“Brad is my ex-fiancé. I have one too,” Rachel explained. “He doesn’t come to dinner and talk in another language my new boyfriend can’t understand though.”
He winced.
Rachel went on. “But to your credit, he was a cheating, thieving asshole and you’re not. Or, you’d better not be, because I’d have to maim you.” Her serene smile scared him just a little.
“Do you want me to die alone? Why are you all acting like this? Jeez,” Maybe barked.
Laughing, Alexsei pulled her to his side and kissed the top of her head. “It’s a big step, but it’s simply one of many more to come. It’s good they want to know, zajka, they love you and want you cared for and happy.”
Robbie wore a smirk very similar to the one Maybe used and it warmed Alexsei’s heart. He’d worried over her, over this rift with her parents, and while that was still an issue, these people loved her fiercely. The way she deserved.
* * *
WHEN SHE GOT UP to her old bedroom, Alexsei had already changed from his jeans and sweater into flannel pajama bottoms and a T-shirt.
“Are you warm enough?” she asked him, closing the door at her back. “It gets cold back here in the winter.” It was the room farthest from the furnace that kept the rest of the house toasty during the winter.
“I wish I could take you to Russia to show you what being cold really is,” he said to her. “Growing up in Moscow means I’m well versed with very cold weather.”
Maybe changed too as he watched her with idle sensuality. Like he was just toying around with the idea of debauching her he might try out later. He was like a sex Boy Scout.
She climbed into bed next to him and winced as the frame squeaked just a little. Robust fucking might be off the menu for this visit unless they wanted the whole house to hear. And she most assuredly did not.
Then again, there was the floor and the wall and other places that would be less noisy but still perfect for such things.
“Do you go back? To visit?” As long as she’d known him he hadn’t and she’d wondered about that.
“My father...he was political. Connected to a regime that then had him arrested and we never saw him again. My mother was protected, to some extent, by her own family. And then she hooked up with her current husband, who, as I told you, has connections of his own with organized crime so she’s fine and my sisters are all right. But Cris and I? We left to come here, which they see as political too.”
“So, you’d be what? Arrested if you went back?”
“I don’t know. I just know it’s not a good idea and we don’t go back because why tempt fate when we’re here safely?”
Maybe frowned. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know. Does it make you sad?”
“Don’t be sorry. Sad in the sense that I’m prevented from free travel to the place I was born, but honestly, I haven’t really had any desire to go back. I’ve got family here. My life is here and has been now for longer than it was in Russia. I would like to show you Moscow. It’s a beautiful city. The house my mother lives in now is quite the palace, but my grandparents’ old place is still inhabited by family. I’d take you there.”
“I wish I could see it with you.” And she did.
“We’ll travel in the future. Maybe not to Russia, but there are so many places in the world I’d love to enjoy with you.”
“Like where?” She snuggled into his side, pulling the blankets up around them.
“Paris.” He thought some more. “Prague. Old Europe. Italy. I’m partial to Venice.”
“Oooh I’d like that. I’ve never been out of North America. It’s on my bucket list though.”
“Another sign that we should go.”
Traveling with him would be fun, she bet. Despite his bossy, control freak ways, he was pretty laid-back about things he couldn’t change. He didn’t get road ragey at all. She bet he got all the snacks on planes, looking the way he did.
“This bed makes noise,” she whispered as he crept a hand up to her breast to cup it.
“Get out of it then. I will have you.”
Oh. Damn. A wave of heat hit her, flowing outward from her belly.
“I already changed into bed clothes,” she teased.
“You did. And I enjoyed, as I always do, the sight. Get naked and after I’ve made you come, you can change back into them once more. And I’ll watch then as well.”
She rolled from bed and he hit the light, leaving them in the dark but for the moonlight shining off the snow. Shadows, but enough to see what was important, like the fact he’d also gotten naked.
He sat in the chair at her old desk. Bounced a little and once he was satisfied it didn’t make noise, he motioned her his way with a soft call of her name.
“Fuck me here in the darkness. Me and you and the silence that only comes with snow.”
Damn he was so good with that talk. She had no idea how he did it so regularly, but he was a walking talking hot Russian poetry machine.
She got on his lap and he pulled her close to kiss her slowly. He sipped at her mouth, took his time to let her know he appreciated her taste and the way she felt on him.
No one saw her the way he did. Powerful stuff.
“We’ll have to be very quiet, zajka,” he murmured as he skimmed his lips over her collarbone. “Can you do that? I know how much noise you like to make when you’re being pleasured.”
Even when she was so turned on her head spun, he could make her laugh.
“I’ll do my best,” she assured him.
“Your best is all I ask,” he said before pinching her nipple hard enough she had to muffle her surprised squeak with her face in the crook of his neck.
Dastardly. He was such a test. Good thing she liked that sort of testing.
She grabbed his cock, stroking it against herself, rocking slightly, delighting in the feel of him against her clit. Definitely enjoying his gasp of pleasure and the momentary tightening of his fingers on her hip.
“Do you think it’s weird that we rarely have sex in the missionary position in the dark in a bed?” she asked.
“No.”
That being handled apparently, she tried to shift back to get a condom on him but he stopped her. “Wait, you’re making me skip the foreplay. I have much better manners and I like to make you come.”
“Look, it’s not like I don’t want you to make me come. I like that too. But I like it when you’re in me. It’s good. I’m not just saying that to make you feel better. I love the way it feels when your cock is deep in me and I’m all around it. Plus, you do make me come when you’re fucking me.”
“Of course I do! Remember my discussion about standards?”
While he was worked up about that, she took the opportunity to get a condom on him.
“If you’re done huffing and puffing and lecturing me, fuck me already.”
He grabbed her, reaching down to hold his cock steady while using the other hand at her hip to pull her down onto him in one sharp movement so good she saw ribbons of silver light at the corners of her vision for a moment.
She pulled up her knees, tucking her feet up under his thigh so she could rock, back and forth, grinding herself against him, keeping him deep.
Not that he appeared to have any complaints. Thank the lord and David Bowie.
She loved the way he held her. With care, but not like she would break. He touched her like he couldn’t get enough. Not frenzied or hurried, but as if he relished, savored her.
Something deep within her stirred at that. With the way he made her feel. Powerful and beautiful and magic.
“You make me feel like a goddess,” she whispered.
It hit him. The emotion in her tone, the realization that he showed her what he felt about her, the raw openness she presented him left him weak in the knees.
“You are a goddess,” he told her very seriously. “Chaos.” He rolled his hips up to thrust deep. “Fire.” Again, loving the way her breasts bounced. “Courage.”
On he went. Thrusting with each word. “Beauty. Music. War. And most of all, love.” He took her mouth as he continued to fuck her. “Not just any goddess. All mine.”
He watched her features change in the moonlight. They faded from that drunken sort of pleasure, into surprised delight. And a renewed challenge as she squeezed herself tight around his cock.
She dug her nails into the muscles of his shoulders and back as she held on, continued to rock against him. He’d adjusted, angled so she ground her clit against him just right, her rhythm now slightly off as they both hurtled toward climax.
“Don’t let anyone hear you,” he taunted softly against her neck, his breath coming a little short.
Her groan and the heat of her all around him let him know she liked his teasing words.
All this fevered, whispered conversation and near-silent sex had him worked up. The dark wrapped around them. The cold in the room held back by the heat of their skin. Surprisingly intimate.
He grabbed the back of her neck, cupped it in his palm as he pulled her mouth to his.
Reaching between them, he found her clit with his fingertips and squeezed. Her inner muscles rippled around his cock and she came in a hot rush as she sank her teeth into his biceps to hold back any noise.
It was too much and there was no holding back anymore. Orgasm wrenched from him in a seemingly endless spiral of jagged-edged pleasure.
Still panting, muscles jumping from exertion, he stood carefully and put her down before ducking into the bathroom and quickly returning.
She lay in the bed and wound herself around him once he joined her. Loose-limbed and warm, she snuggled in with an easy sigh.
“It’s after midnight,” she told him. “Best Christmas present ever.”
Laughing, he hugged her a little tighter. Agreeing.
* * *
ON THE LAST morning there, Maybe left Alexsei to a shower while she headed to the kitchen to get a cup of coffee and wake up a bit.
“Walk with me,” Robbie said quietly, jerking her chin toward the back door. “You can wear your old coat. It’s still hanging in the mudroom.”
“Let me leave Alexsei a note so he doesn’t worry,” Maybe told her, doing just that and then leaving the brightly colored paper tucked under the edge of the coffee maker.
A walk in the snow with her aunt before she left sounded like the perfect way to cap off a really nice trip.
Robbie clapped a goofy hat on Maybe’s head as she struggled into her coat. It was nice that her things remained there. Not in a creepy way like her aunt and uncle hadn’t moved on. More like they kept a place for her for whenever she’d like to fill it. A room in their house, her coat hanging on a peg near the back door. A pair of mittens tucked into the pocket. A metaphorical light left on for her.
Outside it was the sharp kind of cold that was simultaneously refreshing and yet slightly painful at the same time. She hadn’t really missed that part, though after growing up for so long in Los Angeles, snow had been a beautiful miracle she’d never lost her love of.
“I’m so glad you came over. You look good. You’re relaxed,” Robbie said as the snow crunched beneath their feet.
“I’m glad I did too. Thanks for all the presents. I can’t believe you made all that yourself.”
There’d been hand-knit sweaters and hats, scarves, felted wrist warmers, and a new quilt for her bed. Some new mugs for tea her aunt had made, along with a set for Alexsei.
They believed in that sort of thing. That making things, using time and effort on those you loved, was important.
She’d given her uncle a haircut and had done Robbie’s color the night before in that same spirit. She wasn’t very good at sewing or knitting, but she liked to help them both out in every way she could.
“I’m glad you met Alexsei.” Maybe figured the walk in the snow was about him anyway.
Her aunt grinned at the mention of his name. “I’m glad we met him too. He’s stalwart. Protective too. You don’t chafe at that. When he gets in your space to help you or keep you safe in some way, you’re more affectionately annoyed than anything else. If I hadn’t seen that myself, I wouldn’t have pegged you for a guy like him.”
Maybe laughed. “How so? The Russian thing? Or the very dapper way he dresses while I’m a box of crayons melting in the sun?”
Robbie slung an arm around Maybe’s shoulder, squeezing her close a moment. “You’re a dragonfly, silly. Colorful and magic, always on the move. Anyway, none of those things. He’s very, um, in charge.”
Maybe snorted. “He’s a pain in my ass. Bossy. So totally nosy. Like he’s up in my business all the time. He’s always got advice. Lord.” She rolled her eyes.
“Your father can be in charge, that’s why I was surprised. But it’s not the same.”
“It isn’t.” Maybe breathed out long and slow. “It’s one hundred percent different. He doesn’t want to box me up so I can be what he wants me to be. Oh listen, he’s got an opinion on what he wants me to be, but he doesn’t box me in. He doesn’t use my affection or our relationship to manipulate me into acquiescing to his every demand. In fact, despite his grumpy attitude at times, he doesn’t demand or manipulate at all.” Unless it came to sex, then he demanded a lot.
Alexsei accepted her. Wasn’t repulsed by her, didn’t want to change her.
“When are you going to introduce him to your father?”
“I’m probably not. Not any time soon. You met him. That’s important. They’ll just disapprove. No matter who he was they’d disapprove.” She frowned as they ended up near the back porch where it wrapped around the north side of the house.
* * *
THE DRYER WAS ON, making a warm little oasis they stood in, leaning a hip against the house.
“You know we love you, sweetheart. You’re our daughter in every way that counts.” She paused. “Your dad called here before you arrived day before yesterday,” Robbie said finally.
“Ah. What did he want?”
“Your dad and I have a very complicated and messy relationship. Many issues between us came along way before you did. So he sees Rachel coming here for major holidays as a betrayal. That I’m trying to steal her away from them. He can’t see his own behavior as anything but perfect.” Robbie hesitated. “Just take care of yourself, okay? Keep your distance from him.”
“You’re scaring me. What did he say?”
“He’s lost control of her. He never had any over you.” She shook her head before speaking again. “She leaned on you from the moment she opened her eyes in the hospital. And you got between them and her at every turn. He feels thwarted.”
“It’s been over two years since she finally got out of the rehab center. Nearly three since she was found. She and I bought the house, we’ve remodeled. She wanted to live in Seattle. She wanted to be a tattoo artist. Now she’s got a good job, one she loves. If they just looked at how far she’s come considering where she was three years ago, they’d see just how much she’s recovered. But they can’t. Hell, here I am doing something I’m excellent at. It feels good, Robbie. They could be happy for us both but they just can’t. I don’t know how to fix it.”
“Some broken things can’t be fixed. And in this case it’s not your job to fix. It’s not you. You were a kid, they... It wasn’t you or your fault and it isn’t now. He hurt you and he’s still trying to so he can get at your sister through you. He blustered about talking to an attorney. Most likely it’s nothing. But I want you to know.”
Dread and outrage bloomed at the same time. “What does he need an attorney for? I haven’t done anything illegal or wrong!”
Robbie hugged her, rubbing a hand up and down her back a few times before she stood back. “He’s such an asshole. You didn’t do anything wrong. You haven’t done anything wrong. Just because he says he’ll talk to a lawyer doesn’t mean he will and even if he does, it doesn’t mean he’s got a case. I’m sorry to tell you all this. I really considered not saying anything at all, but your uncle and I talked it out and we both figured you’d be better knowing in case he does something. And so you knew we had your back. Always. You’ve had Rachel’s back and we do too. We love your sister. But you need someone to get yours and that’s us. And apparently your boyfriend who’s been standing at the kitchen window drinking his coffee and eavesdropping.”
Robbie waved at Alexsei, who, after his brief shock at getting caught, smirked and waved back.
“He’s going to work out just fine. Didn’t run away after that first day. Looks at you like you hung the moon. Anyway, it’s early, don’t rush into anything with him, but when the time comes, and it will, let yourself fall for him all the way. You deserve that sort of love.”
* * *
“I THINK WE should talk about the other day with your aunt,” he said, drawing lazy circles around her belly button as they lay side by side in her bed.
“You mean when you got caught listening to a private conversation?” Her eyes remained closed so she missed his eye roll.
“You were right below the kitchen window. How is that private? I was just having an innocent cup of coffee. Now tell me about your father and that whole situation.”
“Ugh. Let’s just pretend we did already and go to sleep.”
“Maybe.”
She kept her eyes closed and he stared at her long enough she finally opened them on a sigh. “What?”
“Are you afraid of your father?”
She closed her eyes again, this time to hide her reaction and he knew it.
“Why would you ask such a thing?” She tried to pull the blankets up but he stopped her, wanting her attention.
“Because you’re pretty fearless except around this topic. I don’t like the way you hedge around it. Or the way you wince sometimes when we’re talking about him.” In fact, it was something that often kept him awake. Maybe meant everything to him. “What happened?”
“You know what happened. He was a dick. I ran away. I moved in with Robbie and now I’m here. That’s pretty much it. I’m a grown-ass woman, Lyosha. I’m not afraid of my dad.”
“Don’t try that Lyosha business on me. You’re trying to distract me and I’m not going to be.”
She opened her eyes to stare at him. “I’m not trying to distract you. I’m just trying not to have this conversation. Whatever happened, happened a long time ago. He’s a bully, but that’s his way.”
“Except he’s trying to bully you. And this talk about a lawyer is also meant to scare you. I have an objection to that even if you don’t.”
She stiffened. “Oh I get it. You don’t think I object to it? That I like it?”
“What? No. I never said that.” Then he stopped and examined her closely. “Stop trying to derail this conversation.”
She waved a hand. “You asked. I answered.”
Sort of.
“I don’t want to talk about it. We have dinner with Cristian and Seth tomorrow night and I need sleep. Now that you’ve made me come and we had dinner, I want to go to bed.”
The way she avoided specifics raised even more red flags for him. “I want you to talk to me. I want to meet them for myself.”
She rolled to her side, giving him her back. “I am talking to you. More than I’ve talked to anyone else but I’m fucking tired and I don’t want to talk about my dad in my bed, in my house, which is blessedly free of him in general. I don’t want to fight. I’m just done talking about it. If he makes a move, I’ll have to deal with it. Otherwise, shut up and let me sleep.”
“You’re usually far more amenable after sex,” he muttered, annoyed that she was closing off.
“You’re usually talking about stuff like food, or more sex.” She turned to her other side and backed into his body.
Automatically, he slung an arm over her waist, sliding up to cup one of her breasts.
Her satisfied sigh was the last sound she made other than that soft snuffly snore of hers.
He needed answers and he’d get them but he needed to ease her into sharing whatever it was.
Even though he wanted to barge in and demand she tell him, he knew he needed to keep easing her in to sharing whatever it was.
It was dark and bad. He understood that much. Wanted to burn shit down to avenge her.
Waiting would be hard. But it was what he needed to do. What she needed him to do. And so he would.