12. Lennie #2
The Sablin’s are well respected. It’s only because Dad is so close to Lev that we didn’t spend as much time with Peter despite his close proximity in age.
And his family holds power.
Another gasp rips from me. “He’s engaged to Lia!”
No fucking wonder all this weird shit is happening.
We used to take pity on Lia because her parents wanted to marry her off to him. Sure, it’d be a powerful alliance, uniting the Orlovs and Sablins, but that meant she’d get stuck with Peter.
I’ve never heard Peter’s opinion on the idea of marriage. Probably because we all assumed he’d feel lucky about marrying out of his league.
Nat and Lia keep bickering about how her family still wants her to marry him despite the fact that they’ve been in a long-term relationship. Lia’s parents refuse to acknowledge Nat is anything but a good friend.
“I don’t understand.” I get that she’s angry, but how does sleeping with Peter fix anything? “Were you trying to prove a point to Lia or something?”
“No!”
I can see it written all over her face. No matter how much they’ve been fighting about their future, Nat’s love runs deep.
“Then why?” I ask.
“Because,” she sighs. “I. . .”
Adeline sits back on her heels. “Hang on, do you think this will stop the marriage?”
Nat’s not one to hold back when she wants something, but this seems pretty extreme.
“No.” Nat’s never looked so shy before.
“Then. . .” Adeline’s brow furrows. “Did you want to get pregnant with Peter’s baby?”
Oh my God.
“Nat!” I lift up on my knees. “Did you and Lia plan this somehow?”
She’d never get pregnant randomly, and she’s said several times Lia’s still her girlfriend.
“Holy shit!” Adeline exclaims. “Are you three a throuple?”
“No,” Nat blurts. “I mean. . . maybe.”
She wiggles in her seat, pulling a pillow to her chest.
“Explain everything,” Adeline demands.
Nat gets comfy, leaning against the headboard. We sit in front of her, silently relaying that we aren’t moving from this bed until she spills.
“Lia’s parents are adamant she marries Peter. And I don’t know. We always wanted a kid. And Peter was game so. . .”
“That seems like a very condensed version of a rather startling period of decision making,” Adeline accuses.
“Does Lia want to marry Peter?” Maybe it’s a dangerous question to ask, but Lia can decide to walk away. She’s not the one knocked up.
“She kind of always liked Peter,” Nat admits.
Adeline wrinkles her nose. “So she gets her cake and eats it too.”
“It’s not like that,” Nat reasons.
“You’re about to push a baby out of you!”
“Do you think the marriage will actually go through?” I ask.
“Yes. Her parents and the Sablin’s are discussing venues as we speak.”
“But do they know?” Adeline asks, eyeing up Nat’s belly.
“Do you know how many mistresses Lia’s dad has?”
“There aren’t any illegitimate children, though.” I regret the statement as soon as it's out of my mouth. “I, I meant. . .”
Nat’s face puckers. “My child isn’t some bastard born.”
“N-no I know that!”
“But how is it going to work?” Adeline reasonably asks. “Lia and Peter will marry. But you and Peter will be on the baby’s birth certificate.”
“Those are all just pieces of papers.”
“What happens if you’re away and the kid gets hurt? It’s Lia and Peter who will make decisions.”
“Well, yes, because. . .”
“One of you will be mom and the other mamma.”
“Having two mothers isn’t a crime.” Her voice hardens.
“And you and Lia will make wonderful parents. I’m worried about this Peter guy who you barely talked to before you decided to have him knock you up.”
I slap a hand over my mouth, before squeaking out, “Wait, how did you all do that?”
If this was all planned out. . .
Adeline catches my drift. “Did Lia watch you or participate too?”
I can’t remember the last time my cool and confident sister blushed.
“Nat,” I ask softly. “Are you really okay with this?”
It’s always been Lia, but Adeline’s right. She’s turning her life upside down for her.
“Yes.” The word is tight, the blush not fading.
“And it was. . . okay?” I’m not fishing for details, but as Adeline said—Nat’s never liked dick before.
Her lips part, and a tremble runs through her. I feel like I’m witnessing my sister breaking apart and trying to sew herself together again.
“Yes.” The blush deepens and my brows lift.
“Did you like it?”
She looks away.
Adeline loses her naturally mocking tone and her shoulders soften. “You know you’ve always said you were a lesbian but it’s okay if something changes.”
Nat nibbles on the corner of her lip.
“You can like whoever you want,” Adeline tells her. “Being attracted to someone or something you never thought you’d like, isn’t a crime.”
“Do you like Peter?” I venture to ask.
I’m curious to know about their interactions. Was it more than one baby-making session or did they get lucky? The tight emotion trapped under her skin makes me think she’s struggling with something bigger.
“He’s—"Nat holds the pillow closer—“very nice.”
“Very nice,” Adeline dryly states.
“Have you told mamma?” I ask.
Her nervousness grows.
“What about Lia and Peter’s parents?” Adeline presses. “Are they really going to be okay with this?”
“They’ll marry.” It’s the one fact Nat is certain of.
“Where are you going to live?” I ask.
“My house.” She’s got a brownstone in Brooklyn.
“Will they both move in?”
She nods. “And Peter works from home. He’ll set up an office and while we might need a nanny some of the time, I think we’re lucky. He’ll be around since Lia and I have to go into the office.”
This is the Nat I know. The planner. No wonder she’s tired every time we see her, though. She’s bottling everything up.
“You can talk to us,” I say, ever the hypocrite. For a second I forget about the last few days and how my own life took a nose dive.
“We’ll get to come over and help you decorate the nursery, right?” Adeline snuggles beside her.
Nat leans her head against Adeline’s, a faint smile tugging at her lips. “Yeah.”
“Good, cause I’ve been all over Pinterest.”
“I don’t care about the theme,” Nat says. “I care more about the safety. Do you know how easy it is for babies to choke on things?”
Finally, Nat is back to being herself. I can’t imagine how baby-proofed her brownstone’s about to be.
“You know I think this is really badass of you,” Adeline says after a bit. “Changing the bratva, one throuple at a time.”
Nat laughs under her breath before her eyes settle on me. “Hey, what happened on this date of yours?”
I shake my head. “Nothing. I mean it was fine.”
“Who was it again?”
The head shaking doesn’t stop. I never want to mention Leopold Stuart’s name again. “Just an old friend. It wasn’t even a date. Just a catch up.”
Nat studies me with clear eyes now that she’s calmer.
“But I do have a favor to ask.” I’ve stopped myself from texting her several times already. “Can I tell the guards I’m staying over at yours tomorrow night?”
She frowns. “You realize you’re twenty-six right?”
“You realize Mom’s gonna put even more guards on you now that you’re pregnant, right?”
Her face falls at the realization. We’ve spent our lives in this hive of overprotection. But Nat pushed back early on, adamant she had space to move without a lurking bodyguard.
I’m ashamed to admit I never thought to even be annoyed. It just was what it was. Only recently, have I wanted to push back slightly. Only the panic in Mom’s eyes, makes me hesitate.
“Please,” I ask nicely.
“You just said your date was only okay.” Adeline raises a brow.
“It’s something else.”
“Like what?” Nat asks.
I squirm in my spot. “I’m gonna hang out with Ren and Isolde. And I don’t want to have to travel all the way back here so I’m going to crash with them.”
“Just tell them then,” Nat advises.
“Yes because Akatov guards hanging around Ren’s place is such a great look.”
“Then just tell Mom to back off. I thought she knew about your new friends.”
“Okay, sure,” I sarcastically reply, ignoring the tail end of her comment.
“You’re very secretive these days,” Adeline notes.
“Says the girl who runs away from her guards every chance she gets.”
Adeline made it her mission to dodge her guards from an early age. Or she’d take them to the most scandalous places like drug houses and strip clubs to rile Dad up.
My secretive actions are nothing in comparison and Nat knows it.
“Fine.” She sighs. “But seriously, why am I covering for you when we’re all in our twenties now?”
“Cause Mom still treats us like we’re five.” It’s all out of love, yes, but it’s exhausting