Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 92254 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 461(@200wpm)___ 369(@250wpm)___ 308(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92254 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 461(@200wpm)___ 369(@250wpm)___ 308(@300wpm)
“You care about him,” he says, peering at me through narrowed eyelids.
“I really do.”
“I didn’t think you would. I mean, when all this first happened. I thought you were just some gold digger.”
“I’m not, but I don’t blame you for thinking that.”
“He’s crazy about you, you know.”
Emphasis on crazy. “I know.”
“That means you can break his heart.”
“I won’t.”
“My brother’s a good man. He went through a lot of shit when we were younger and it fucked him up, but he cares about his people. And he cares about you.”
“I wouldn’t be sitting here doing this if he didn’t mean something to me.”
He nods, but still looks wary. “I want to trust you. I really do.”
I put my hand over my belly. “You know about the baby, right? This is my family now, Tigran. You’re my brother-in-law and this little kid’s going to be your niece or nephew. I’m not trying to fuck anything up. I promise.”
He stares at my stomach and his face softens. A little smile creases his eyes. “I forgot that I’m going to be an uncle.”
“You’ll be a good one too. I can already tell.”
“You’re just saying that to score points.”
“Yeah, pretty much.”
“Good job, because it worked.” He stands up and stretches. Tigran’s the long-limbed version of Arsen. He’s wiry and athletic, where Arsen’s muscular and heavy. Even though they’re only cousins, there’s an undeniable family resemblance. “I’ll keep stalling for him. Things are good now, fortunately, so it’s not hard. The family’s back to work and nobody’s bickering yet. But it won’t last without him.”
“How long do I have?”
“Days at most. Less than a week before the questions get too loud. I’ll make some shit up about having a honeymoon with you.”
“What, we can’t go to Paris for a month?”
“Days,” he repeats and turns away. “Bring him back.”
“I’ll do my best.”
Later, after Tigran’s gone, I curl up in the nursery. Arsen used a projector to paint a cute bunny scene on the wall above the crib. Several baby rabbits in a row all looking up at their mommy as she hands out some baby-sized carrots. It’s adorable and I have no idea where he found it.
I give the baby rabbits names. Timmy, Tommy, Tina. I pretend like it’s my little rabbit family. I smile to myself, looking up at the wall, and one second, it’s mid-morning, and the next it’s mid-afternoon and my body’s aching. My back hurts from falling asleep on the floor.
There’s a rattle on the floor near me. It’s old and doesn’t really work. But it wasn’t there before.
“Tigran’s worried,” I tell the room. “Everyone’s worried. I know you’re processing, but come back to me.”
Silence.
“I’ll make a deal with you. If you come back by the end of tomorrow, you can pick the name.” I rub my hand over my belly. “I won’t even argue if you make the wrong choice.”
More silence. But he’s listening. I can almost feel him watching me.
“Come back to me, Arsen.”
Another day slips past. I shimmy through the passages and find evidence of him. An empty coffee mug with a ring at the bottom, only a day old at most. Blankets piled in a warm corner. It’s almost like he wants me to track him down.
It would be easy. He’s not really putting up much of a fight. I know he’s in the old wing hiding from me when I go looking. We have an understanding: I won’t press too hard, and he won’t completely disconnect.
The only problem is the one thing he needs is the one thing he can’t have.
“We’ve got our first problem,” Tigran says that night. He’s lurking on the front steps and seems reluctant to come inside.
“What’s going on?”
“Just some minor argument between cousins. It’s the sort of thing Arsen could solve in ten seconds, and if he really were on a honeymoon, we’d just call him.”
“What if I’m not letting him have a phone?”
“He’s the patron, Lena. He’ll have a fucking phone.”
I raise my eyebrows, but I decide not to argue the point. “He needs to be available.”
“Sooner rather than later. I said you’re on some excursion without a cell signal, but that only buys you a day.”
“I’ll bring him back.”
“Please do.” He hesitates and looks over his shoulder. I can tell he’s got something else to say but doesn’t want to bring it up. “The way you’re covering for him and trying to help him. I respect that.”
“Thanks. I feel the same way about you.”
“I wasn’t very welcoming when he first married you. I know that.”
“It’s okay. Really, it’s fine.”
“Yeah, well, you’re not so bad.” He looks at me and nods once. “Maybe you’ll be a pretty good sister-in-law.”
“I hope so,” I say and feel a strange kind of warmth come over my body. I smile and give him a quick, tight hug. “I’m happy you came around.”