Chapter 9 Alina #2
I start to go through my suitcases, fitting as many of my items as I can into the bottom drawer of his dresser so I don’t take up too much of his space. I’m sure my being here isn’t easy for him. And I’m grateful for what he’s doing and don’t want to become a burden on him.
I don’t see any shelves for my books, so I opt to keep them inside a suitcase and shove them toward the far corner out of view.
I peer down at the bed, wondering what side I should sleep on. Getting closer, I inspect for any indication of what side he sleeps on when his enticing smell radiates from the pillow closest to me. Which means I’ll be taking the side farthest from the door.
Reaching inside my bag, I pull out my vibrator and tuck it into the back of the nightstand drawer, keeping it there for a rainy day.
And that’s when it hits me.
We’re not just going to be sharing a bedroom. We’re going to be sharing a bed.
My heart thuds beneath my rib cage as I stare at the bed in a whole new light. It’s enormous with plenty of space for both of us. But I’ve never shared a bed with someone before. Especially someone I’m not “sleeping” with.
I sit on the edge, running my fingers through my hair. “What did I get myself into?”
My phone vibrates in my pocket, and I pull it out, instantly recognizing the unknown number.
Reluctantly, I answer it. “Hello?”
“I need an update,” he states, his tone so eerily calm it unnerves me.
“I did it,” I breathe. “I got married a week ago.”
“Ah, such a good little sister you are.” My stomach recoils. “And who is the lucky groom?”
“Does it matter?”
“Not in the slightest. Merely curious which poor sucker you roped into this.”
I look over at Mauro’s side of the bed and say, “Mauro Alarie.”
Silence passes through the line.
“Umm, are you still there?” I ask, looking at the screen to make sure we didn’t disconnect.
“You married an Alarie?”
“I… Well, yes. Why does that—”
“What the fuck were you thinking?” he roars.
A shiver passes through me. “You told me I need to get married. He was… He was my only option.”
“And does he know why you needed to get married?”
I swallow. “No. I only told him that some money was left to me, and the only way I could inherit it was if I married.”
There’s a pause in the conversation before he says, “This might just work to our advantage.”
My brows furrow. “What does that mean?”
The call ends, and I lie back, staring at the ceiling. “What did he mean by that?”
Tears blur my eyes as I let guilt consume me.
Guilt for tricking Mauro into this marriage by not being honest with him.
Maybe if he knew the truth, he could help me.
But it’s not something I can risk.
Not when my dad is counting on me.
My phone vibrates beside me, and I hesitate in grabbing it, thinking it’s him again, but when I see Madeleine’s name on the screen, I feel immediate relief.
“Hey.” I sit up, resting my back against the headboard.
“Want to come over and share a quart of ice cream?”
“A quart?”
“Hey, I was shot, remember?”
“That was like a month ago.”
She scoffs. “Are you insinuating that I’m milking this?”
I gasp, feigning mock horror. “Never.”
We both laugh.
“Pick out a pair of pajamas and meet my driver at your door in ten minutes,” she tells me. “Scarlett’s coming over, too. Just like old times.”
I twirl a piece of my hair around my finger.
Since I quit my job and am now unemployed, I do have free time.
Something I’m not entirely used to. And as much as I want to curl under these covers or even soak in the giant tub, I could really use a night with my best friends. “What flavor do you have?”
“Hey, Alina,” Eli greets me at the front door, his arm motioning for me to come inside. “They’re both in the kitchen. I hope you brought your sweet tooth.” He chuckles as he shuts the door behind me. “If you need anything, I’ll be in my office.”
“Thanks, Eli.” I enter the kitchen, remove my jacket, which reveals my purple-striped pajamas, and find the countertops covered with pints and quarts of ice cream, candy, whipped cream, and chocolate sauce. “Jeez, you don’t joke around when it comes to ice cream.”
Madeleine pops her head from behind the freezer door. “Nope.” She smiles, flipping her long, dark strands over her shoulder. “Go make yourself comfortable in the theater room. I’ll bring everything out there.”
“Do you want any help?”
“No. No.” She shoos me away. “I got this. I’m just looking for the… Ah! Death by chocolate. My favorite.” She retrieves a quart of ice cream and hugs it against her chest.
“I got the wine!” Scarlett announces, walking out of the pantry in her satin pink pajama set. She approaches me and loops her arm with mine. “I’m so happy you came.”
“Me too.”
“And now that we all live here, we can do this all of the time!”
“We’re so overdue for a girls’ night,” Madeleine says, while concentrating on scooping ice cream.
“I guess you’re right,” I start. “Especially since the last time the three of us hung out, it was with a psycho bitch who secretly wanted to kill Madeleine.”
Madeleine rolls her eyes. “God, don’t remind me.”
Scarlett laughs. “Come on.” She tugs on my arm. “Let’s get this night started.”
Thirty minutes later, with a glass of wine in my belly and half a bowl of ice cream eaten, the inevitable question comes my way.
“So, you got married… Just like that?” Madeleine shoves her spoon into the quart of ice cream on her lap.
“Yeah.” I shrug, tossing a maraschino cherry in the air and catching it in my mouth. “It just kind of happened.” I peer down at my bowl of ice cream, avoiding eye contact. One wrong move and she’ll sniff out my lie and never forgive me for using her brother.
She arches a perfectly shaped brow. “Binge-watching an entire season of a TV show just happens. Dropping ten thousand on a pair of gorgeous shoes just happens. But marrying my brother…” She points her spoon directly at me, narrowing her eyes. “I’m not buying it.”
“Oh, leave her alone.” Scarlett plops herself on the cushioned footstool, throwing some bites of chocolate candies into her mouth. “They’re in love and can do whatever the hell they want. And if I recall correctly, someone else in this room also snuck off to marry at the town hall in secret…”
“Yeah. Yeah.” Madeleine waves her spoon dismissively, causing a drop of chocolate ice cream to land on her gold satin top.
“Shit, that’s going to stain.” She lifts the fabric and licks it off, but it’s too late.
The damage is done. “I’ll call Alex. He’ll know how to get this out.
” She swipes her phone from the arm of the couch.
“So…” Scarlett refills her glass of wine and then turns her attention on me. “How’s married life going?” She scoots closer as she wraps a soft blue throw blanket around herself.
I trace my spoon over the hill of melting ice cream in the center of my bowl. “We’re…good.”
“Good?”
“Yeah.” I swirl the chocolate sauce into the ice cream. “I mean, it’s great. Really. It’s everything I hoped for.” I smile, viewing her, but I see it. The look on her face that says she doesn’t believe me. Not a single damn word.
“You moved in today, right?”
“Yup. Just finished unpacking before Madeleine called.”
“That’s got to be an adjustment for Mauro. That man loves his alone time.”
I let out a short, defeated laugh. “That he does.”
“Alex, I know you’re busy, but this is important!
” Madeleine says loudly, panicked. “I just need to know how to clean—” She pauses, a smile blooming across her face.
“Amazing! Thank you!” She tosses her phone to the other side of the couch and jumps up, racing toward the hallway.
“I’ll be right back. Start the movie without me!
” she yells over her shoulder as she disappears into her laundry room.
Scarlett laughs, shaking her head. “I don’t know what she would do without her brothers.” She gets up from her seat and then sits on the other side of me, placing the blanket over both our laps. “What movie should we watch tonight?”
I glance at her, suddenly feeling the weight of my life. I can’t tell her the exact truth, but maybe I could tell her a tiny version of it. “Scarlett, I—”
She stops me, placing her hand over mine. “It’s okay, Alina.” She smiles softly. “Your story with Mauro isn’t anyone else’s business. I just want to make sure you’re happy, that’s all.”
“I am,” I answer, swallowing the ball of emotions clogging my throat.
“Good.” She removes her hand and picks up the remote. “Mauro will do anything to make you happy. I’ve always seen it from the way he looks at you.”
My brows cinch. “You have?”
“Hey, I just remembered your birthday is coming up,” Madeleine starts as she enters the room in a black pajama top.
She plops herself on the space beside me and tugs on the blanket, draping it over her legs.
“We should totally do a fancy night out to dinner with the husbands. I can make reservations at that new place in the Hamptons where they make the food right at your table and coat everything in gold leaf.”
Gold leaf sounds expensive…
“Yeah…” I hesitate. “But it’s Valentine’s Day. I don’t expect you guys to spend it with me.”
“Nonsense,” Scarlett says. “We’d love nothing more than to spend it with you!” She loops her arm through mine. “Plus, it will give us all an excuse to eat cake.”
“Don’t ever need an excuse for that,” Madeleine adds, making us laugh.
“Fine,” I begin. “If you’re sure that’s how you want to spend the most romantic night of the year…”
“We’re sure.” Madeleine bumps shoulders with me. “Also, can we talk about the fact that I’m an aunt?”
“Clara is too cute for words,” Scarlett responds, smiling. “Alex definitely got lucky with her. She’s adorable.”
“It’ll be a big change for him,” Madeleine says, brows knit. “I can’t believe her mother just dropped her off. Who does that?”
“I know,” I offer with a slight frown. “But at least that little girl is lucky to have you two as aunts.”
Scarlett’s eyes widen in surprise. “I didn’t even think about that.” Her mouth breaks into a broad grin. “I’m an aunt.” She looks at me, head tilted. “But what do you mean two… She’s got three.”
“Three?” I ask.
“Yeah.” Madeleine’s eyes bounce between Scarlett and me. “The three of us are officially sisters now, which means you’re her aunt too.”
I blink a few times, suddenly stunned by this revelation. “I’m an aunt…” A slight sheen blurs my vision.
“Oh my God, do not cry, or you’re going to make me cry!” Madeleine exclaims, her own eyes starting to shimmer as she waves her hands in front of her face, fighting back tears.
I lift my glasses and run my thumb under my eyes. “It’s always just been me and my dad and now…” My voice wavers as the truth settles in: even if it’s only temporary, I truly feel like I’ve gained so much in a matter of days. “I always wanted a big family, and now I have it.”
“Guys.” Scarlett’s bottom lip wobbles as she holds her arms out wide.
The three of us fall into a tight hug, warmth spreading in my chest.
“I love you two,” I whisper, clutching them harder, hoping this whole fake marriage won’t blow up in my face, causing them to hate me forever.