71. -70- #2
I didn’t move. The afternoon sun spilled through the floor-to-ceiling windows, wrapping Nina in a warm golden glow.
Her long hair fell over one shoulder, swaying gently every time she leaned into a phrase.
Her eyes remained closed, completely lost in the music, while her body moved almost imperceptibly with every crescendo, every whisper of the melody.
She looked… at peace. Beautiful didn’t even begin to cover it.
My gaze jumped to her hands. The left one danced effortlessly across the keyboard.
The right followed a heartbeat later, and there it was—the tiny hesitation, so subtle no ordinary listener would ever hear it.
Her ring finger lagged by the smallest fraction of a second, forcing the others to compensate.
But it didn’t take away the magnificence of her playing. She was extraordinarily talented.
Briefly closing my eyes, I let the music envelope me.
My mind drifted off, floating on the cloud made from the quick tones when Aryna slipped her tiny hand into mine.
She looked from Nina to me, then back to the piano, as if she couldn’t decide whether the beautiful woman playing it or the music itself fascinated her more.
I squeezed her fingers gently, silently asking her not to interrupt. She nodded with exaggerated seriousness, taking one careful step after another. Her sneakers barely made a sound as she tiptoed across the hardwood floor.
My lips twitched. She was trying so hard, but then the magazines she’d been clutching all the way home slipped from beneath her arm. They hit the floor with a thump.
The melody faltered. Nina’s fingers froze above the keys for the briefest heartbeat before she turned on the piano bench. Her gaze landed on Aryna first, then drifted to me.
Nobody spoke. I suddenly became painfully aware of everything at once.
The suitcase standing in the middle of the living room.
Aryna hiding behind me. And the ridiculous fact that I faced armed men in the morning without my pulse changing, yet one look from my wife had my heart hammering against my ribs.
“Hi,” I managed, sounding far less composed than I hoped.
“Hi,” Aryna beeped, blinking innocently at Nina.
To my great surprise, Nina smiled. Genuinely. Not like a sinful menace that planned to devour me, or a slightly psychotic masked villainess that stuck her gun into my ass. No. She smiled at Aryna like she was really happy to see her, like none of our problems mattered when the kid was involved.
“Hello,” Nina greeted, bending down to pick up Aryna’s magazines. “What do we have here?”
“Zara’s mommy gave them to me,” Aryna said quietly, half-hiding behind my leg. “To arrange my bedroom.”
“I see.” Nina opened the first one and looked at the pictures of colorful couches and armchairs. “Have you already chosen some?”
Aryna shook her head. Her eyes were wide like saucers, but it wasn’t fear in them, just hesitation, as if she didn’t know what to do. I placed my hand on her shoulder supportively, smiling.
“Go show her which one you like,” I suggested, pointing at the suitcase. “I’ll bring that into your room.”
She nodded slightly, taking an uncertain step toward Nina.
“I’m Nina, by the way,” my beautiful wife introduced herself, stretching her hand out for a shake.
“My name is Aryna,” came the quiet response as I leaned down to take the handle.
“That’s a lovely name,” Nina said, moving to the side so Aryna could sit beside her on the bench. “Do you know what it means?”
I straightened to my full height, waiting because I was curious, too.
“No.” Aryna shook her head, watching Nina curiously.
“It means peace,” Nina explained, crossing her long legs. She rested her forearm against her knee, leaning closer to Aryna. “Your name comes from a Greek goddess, Eirene.” Aryna’s mouth formed a surprised O. “It’s very noble.”
“Really?” she squealed.
“Really.”
Aryna sucked her lower lip into her mouth, her gaze falling to the floor.
“My mommy gave me a beautiful name,” she whispered, playing with her fingers absentmindedly. It was the first time she ever mentioned her mom. She never spoke about her foster parents or foster siblings.
“She did,” Nina agreed. “Where is she now?” she asked before I could interfere, and my heart clenched.
“Dead,” Aryna replied, raising her head. “Daddy, too.”
“I’m so sorry,” Nina breathed, placing her hand on Aryna’s back, but her gaze crashed with mine. So much sadness flashed through those gorgeous eyes that my heart almost cracked.
“It’s okay.” Aryna shrugged, moving the golden strands away from her face. “I have a new daddy now.” Her tiny index finger pointed right at me, and I smiled despite the ache in my chest. “Will you be my new mommy?”
Nina stared at her in shock, her lips parted, but nothing came out.
“You’ve just met, angel,” I interjected, finding Nina’s amazement kind of funny. I’d never seen her like this. “Give Nina some time, okay?”
“Why?” Aryna asked innocently. “She sleeps in your bed, right?”
“Yes, but—”
“It makes her Mommy.” She crossed her arms over her chest, pouting. “So?”
I bit the inside of my cheek, unsure how to react. It wasn’t my answer to give.
“I don’t know how to be a mommy,” Nina said carefully. “I’ve never been one.”
“It’s okay,” Aryna beamed, forgetting about her frustration. “You’ll learn.”
“Okay.” Nina laughed, glancing at me. “I’ll learn.”
The knot in my chest loosened just enough for hope to sneak back in, and I looked away before either of them noticed the absurd grin spreading across my face.
Maybe, just maybe, I did at least one thing right today.