Chapter 11
CHAPTER ELEVEN
MILA
“Wake up, Mila.” Axel’s voice invaded the dream I was having. “We’re here.”
I reluctantly opened my eyes to the world around me. We were parked in front of a large hotel. I stared vacantly out the car window and could see our driver handing off our bags to the concierge.
“What time is it?”
“Just after three in the morning, Vancouver time.”
Our flight had been ten hours long, but we’d gained eleven hours, and my body was already confused.
I stood by while Axel checked us in, and when we got off the elevator on our floor, he walked me to a hotel room, scanned the door and handed me a card key. “I’m next door. Text me or come get me if you need anything.”
Instead of joy, when I realized I would be alone, I actually felt a ripple of fear. “You’re leaving me?”
He paused. “I’m right next door.”
It was embarrassing when tears filled my eyes. I was just so tired and overwhelmed.
“Okay,” I said, hating how wobbly my voice sounded.
Without ceremony, he pushed my door open. “Check with the front desk in the morning.”
I was too exhausted to question him. “Okay.”
I walked into the room, but he didn’t let it shut behind me. Instead he stood there, watching me as I tiredly kicked off my shoes.
“Are you okay?”
I avoided his eyes. “I’ll be fine.”
“I’ll be nearby.”
“Thank you.”
The door closed quietly behind him.
In the silence of the hotel room I moved to the window and looked outside at the beautiful harbor lights. I had finally made it home. I was back in Vancouver.
Shouldn’t I feel something celebratory? I didn’t feel anything other than lonely and jet lagged. I fell face first into my bed with a groan.
I’d feel my feelings tomorrow. Now, all I needed was sleep.
The next morning, I woke up hungry and thirsty. I got up and showered, but there was no answer at Axel’s door when I knocked.
He said he’d be here if I knocked.
I went down to the front desk. “I’m in room 4210. Is there any note for me?”
The day manager handed me an envelope with a smile.
Inside the envelope, there was a short note and two hundred dollars in Canadian currency.
Will be back at 3 p.m. to pick you up. Order room service. Axel
Two days of being married to Axel, and I was already experiencing more freedom than I had in my entire adult life. In Russia, where everyone controlled my life, I had dreamt of this kind of freedom. Now it overwhelmed me.
I considered doing all the things I used to dream of doing. I could walk down by the seawall, or visit the aquarium I used to go to with my parents. I should be celebrating that I was finally breathing Vancouver air again. Instead, the thought of leaving the hotel made my chest feel tight.
I spent most of my day listlessly watching TV on my bed while keeping my eye on the clock. Where was Axel? What was he up to?
It was nearing three thirty now, and he still hadn’t contacted me. What if he never comes back? What if he left me here by myself?
Before I could even process that scary thought, my room phone rang.
I dove for it. “Hello?”
“Mila, it’s Axel.”
“Where are you?” I could hear the anxiety in my own voice.
“I got caught in traffic, but I’m about five minutes away. Can you meet me downstairs?”
I made my way across the hotel lobby. Axel was standing beside a brand new black truck, his sleeves rolled up over his muscular forearms.
Once I was inside the vehicle, he looked at me with that cool, unreadable expression of his and asked, “How was your day?”
Even with his black eye, he was still the most handsome man I’d ever seen. “I rested most of the day.”
That answer seemed to satisfy him.
“Where are we going?” I asked as he pulled into traffic.
“I want you to look at some potential homes.”
I glanced at him, but he seemed focused on driving, so I didn’t ask anything further.
As he drove, I studied the familiar streets of Vancouver.
How many nights in the past years had I lain awake trying to remember this place?
Now that I was here, it felt like I was having a dream.
When we pulled up to a red light, he reached to the seat behind me and pulled out a glossy white bag. He set it on my lap. “This is for you.”
I looked at him, confused, before looking in to find a box for a new phone. I didn’t speak.
“I put you on my phone plan. Your current phone charger won’t fit the outlets here.”
His casual generosity confused me. Every time Lena did anything for me, she made a production about how much it cost or how much I was inconveniencing her.
I braced myself for the inevitable strings attached to his kindness.
His gray eyes assessed me. “If you don’t like it, we can return it.”
I turned fully to him, certain there would be a condition. “No, I like it.”
To my surprise, he changed the subject. “I spent most of the day with a real estate agent.”
“Where are you thinking of renting?”
“Not rent, buy. We’re on our way to see three houses.”
I got distracted when I realized he was about to drive past the street that I used to live on with my parents.
I choked up as a wave of grief washed over me.
For a moment, I wasn’t a married woman driving with her new husband.
I was ten years old and waiting at the bus stop with my mom.
My vision blurred and I swallowed hard, trying not to betray how I was feeling.
It took two more blocks before I managed to speak past the lump in my throat. “Okay.”
Thankfully, he didn’t say anything after that, and I kept my face turned away while I willed my emotions back into my body and worked to mask how I felt.
The first two houses were both large and beautiful in nice neighborhoods.
I didn’t know anything about the housing market, but I understood these places weren’t cheap.
Both of my parents had worked tirelessly in this city, and we’d never gotten out of the renting cycle, even though my mom had talked endlessly about saving up for a down payment on a condo in Richmond.
That dream had never happened for her. What would she think of me, driving around with Axel and looking at houses?
“What did you think of the first two places?” Axel’s voice interrupted my thoughts.
I stared out the window. I wouldn’t have the words to explain this marriage to my mom. Would she think that I’d fought hard enough for my freedom? Or would she look at me and think that I’d sold out?
“They were nice.”
I could feel Axel look over at me, but I kept my eyes firmly on the road ahead as memories of my childhood continued to wash over me.
We passed a gas station where my dad had left his wallet once, but he got it back with his money still inside.
Then we passed the community swimming pool we used to go to on Sundays when both my parents had a day off.
Driving around Vancouver hurt in a way I hadn’t expected. It didn’t feel like the home I remembered, and that made me feel so alone.
I missed my parents so much.
My new husband spoke beside me. “One more stop.”
Objectively speaking, the third house was by far the best choice. It had a sprawling backyard, six bedrooms, a covered BBQ area and a long, rectangular pool. The yard was entirely fenced and lined with lush trees and gorgeous gardens. There was even a small guesthouse tucked in the corner.
I could tell the real estate agent was trying her hardest to engage me in her sales pitch. “This is a beautiful family home. The furniture you see here, including the sectional couch, is included in the sale of the house.”
I watched as Axel wandered around the kitchen, opening the odd drawer or running his hand along a counter. “Is the outdoor furniture included?”
“Yes, and that includes the BBQ grill.”
Axel looked at me. “Do you have any questions?”
His inclusion disoriented me. I didn’t know my opinion mattered. “It’s nice.”
The agent looked at me with concern. “Is there something I’m missing here? Maybe you can tell me if there’s something specific you’re looking for.”
I immediately felt like I was taking a test that I hadn’t studied for.
Axel intervened smoothly. “You’ll have to excuse us. Thirty hours ago, we were at our own wedding in Moscow, so we’re both understandably tired.”
“I just want to help.” The agent gave me an insincere smile.
“I need to talk to my wife privately for a moment.”
“Of course. Why don’t you take a peek at the backyard? You can just head on through those patio doors.”
Together, Axel and I stepped onto the patio. He studied me with a level of intensity that I didn’t know how to interpret.
“Are you okay?”
I fanned myself in the warm evening air and decided to confess. “I don’t know anything about buying a house.”
“Do you think you’d like living here?”
I looked around the yard and, for the first time, really saw what was in front of me. The backyard was lush and immersive, and peaceful. My mom would have loved it here. “I really like the pool.”
“You can swim?”
A smile escaped me. “Yes.”
His gray eyes continued to watch me. Today, his gaze seemed different. He was no longer looking at me like I was something he tolerated. Today he actually looked concerned. “What about the furniture?”
I hadn’t really looked at it. “It was nice.”
He didn’t look convinced. “Anything else?”
For some reason, he was taking my opinion into consideration, and that did something to me. It made me feel like maybe I mattered, so I responded with some real enthusiasm. “This is a very beautiful home. We’d be lucky to live here.”
And I meant it.
He evaluated my reaction. Finally, he spoke. “Let me take care of the paperwork, and then we’ll go find something to eat.”
Axel stood beside me on the hotel elevator, reading his phone. “They accepted the conditional offer. We take possession on the first of the month.”
“Congratulations.” I struggled to comprehend the idea that he had just bought a house.