Chapter 25
Twenty-Five
The door to my bedroom lurches open. No knocking. Rude.
“Stella,” Roman growls. “What was that?”
“That was me unprepared for marriage counseling.” I lay on my bed, and I don’t bother lifting my head to look at him. “Why in the world would you think that was a good idea?”
“At least I’m trying! We have to be interviewed soon. We’ll have to take a green card test. We have paperwork to fill out. We need to move forward so that you don’t get in trouble.”
“You mean, so that you don’t get in trouble.” It’s cruel. To Roman’s knowledge, we could both get in a lot of trouble. Can I blame the man for wanting to stay out of jail?
I hear his footsteps plod into the room. “Both of us. Stella, do you have any idea what will happen if—”
“I’m a citizen!” I blurt. Lifting up on my elbows, I look Roman in the face. It might not be the best time to make eye contact. There is confusion and a flash of something else behind those eyes. Anger or hurt, I’m not sure.
“No. You’ve always had a visa. You’ve always lived back and forth. But—”
“Roman,” I groan, so tired. “I think I’d know if I’m a citizen or not. My parents are Canadian. Brice was Canadian. We lived back and forth. But I was born here. I have dual citizenship.”
“But Willow—”
“Willow was talking about my family. She never meant to confuse you. Then you went and announced our marriage to the world,” I say, throwing the blame back on him.
“And you let me go along with it. You never said anything?”
I cross my arms. “You said you couldn’t get this cabin without me! You said—”
“I also thought I was committing a crime!”
“You’re the one who announced our wedding in an interview. You didn’t even talk to me about it, Roman!” My heart hammers in my chest. “Clearly this was as much for you as it was for me.”
“Bu-but,” he stammers, his face red. “How in the world did this arrangement help you?”
“I don’t want to talk about it!”
“Shocker! Gah!” The man drags both hands down his face. “I’m going out!”
“Good. Go!” I throw one of my pillows at him, but it’s a poor aim and hits the wall beside the door.
Roman jerks. Startling him is almost as satisfying as smacking him. Turning, he backs out of my doorway. “And when I get back, you can let me know if your bachelor’s in ceramics is legit too. Or if that was a fabrication as well.”
Lifting onto my knees, I rock on the bed, my core unsteady. I throw one arm his direction. “Feel free to announce to the world that we’re pregnant too! You know, just choose something you know is a complete lie and call it fact!”
My final words are lost though. He’s gone, and the front door has been slammed shut.
“This is not all my fault, and he isn’t going to pin it all on me!” I say, stepping over a log that’s fallen in the woods. Yep, a nice forty-degree snowy walk in the woods is just what I need to cool down.
Just. What. I. Need.
“I was trying to make sure he got to keep this cabin! I was trying to give my parents a little peace,” I complain to myself and the great outdoors.
“I didn’t announce our marriage to every news station in the southwestern United States!
But he’s going to stomp off? He’s going to hire a marriage counselor?
” I glare at the snow-covered path ahead of me.
“Did I call your love-making average? Why yes, I did. But did you deserve it, Roman Graves? YES, you did!” I bellow into the open air, waiting for some kind of grand response.
But I am in the woods. With nothing and no one.
Not even Roman hears me. His car is gone, and I don’t know where to.
The brush ahead of me rustles and I stop my trek.
“Hello?” I say into the quiet of the trees. “Roman?”
The brush wiggles again, and black, white, teeth, and tails come skittering out, not one yard from me.
My heart stops and I am frozen. I cannot move. I simply stare and scream. “Roman!”
And then, I’m hit.