Chapter 26
Chapter
Twenty-Six
Chloe
“Hello.”
It was inevitable that I would encounter Aralina. She was in Lucy’s kitchen filling a doily-lined silver tray with snacks.
She looked up from the tray, and her cheeks pinkened. Aralina was the epitome of a dollface. Smooth skin, blue eyes with thick lashes, a pert nose, and rosebud lips. Her wavy, thick blonde hair cascaded around her in a cloud of gold.
She smiled shyly and gave a small wave. It was when she gestured to the basement and touched her stomach that I became painfully aware of her mutism.
I caught a glimpse of her during the attic rescue, but despite our one degree of separation, we haven’t crossed paths since then.
Society pages occasionally featured my brother and her.
Lucy said Theo had scaled back his appearances to avoid questions about Jeremiah, but it would be suspicious if he and Aralina didn’t attend an event or two.
Speculation pieces in the media about the union also made the rounds with misogynists mentioning Aralina would make the ideal wife who wouldn’t talk back, yet possessed an impeccable bloodline.
Assholes.
I waited for my resentment to surface, but instead, I dug into my purse for a pen and paper and handed them to her.
“In case you need to tell me something,” I said.
She grinned and accepted my proffered olive branch. “We’re going through Kolya’s fan mail in the basement.”
I burst out laughing. Kolya had mentioned that Lucy had commandeered all his fan mail ever since our conversation at the restaurant.
I had shut down Kolya’s autocratic announcement that I was marrying him.
No way was I stealing the thunder from Theo and Aralina’s wedding.
I informed him quite emphatically that proposing again within the next two weeks would get a “no.”
Was he pleased?
Nope.
But he grudgingly saw my point.
“Are the girls hungry?” I asked.
“There’s a lot of mail.”
“Let me get Sebastian from Sorcha and I can come down and help. Do you need me to grab any drinks from up here to bring?”
She shook her head. “Lucy has a fridge downstairs and Bianca brought blueberry soda.”
I walked with Aralina to the basement door and opened it for her. She mouthed thank you before descending the steps.
Since I didn’t see Sorcha in the kitchen or the living room, I headed to the outdoor patio. I found her pruning some plants while baby Sebastian was sleeping in the carrier.
“I really should hire a nanny,” I told her. “I’m keeping you from your other duties.”
Sorcha glanced up and grinned. “No. I’m good with the little one. It’ll force Miss Lucy to face her domestic duties.” She winked at me. “Besides, seeing how well-behaved Sebastian is, it will put more desire in Kirill and Lucy to start a family.”
I bent over my boy. “He’s such a delightful baby, isn’t he?” I wondered if Kolya had been the same. I didn’t ask him at what age he lost his parents.
“I overheard Kolya tell Kirill to convert the cottage into a day care center because he planned to have more kids.” Sorcha shot me a sly side-eye.
My face grew hot. Damn Kolya. Well, I didn’t take the morning-after pill because I got my period the next day.
Not that it stopped the sex. He was really serious about having another baby.
I must say he had the skills. He was quick to change diapers and operated on minimal sleep.
He was the first to get Sebastian when he woke up in the middle of the night.
But I was in the midst of reopening the shelter.
Theo and I had a brief conversation about promoting Dora to CEO of the foundation.
After what had happened to me, I expressed a deep interest in neuropsychology.
I already had a degree in social services with a minor in psychology.
With advance education, I would add more value to the foundation and assert more influence on The Astorian Wellness Center.
I could imagine myself giving Kolya or Kirill a therapy session as their psychiatrist.
“I need to rein in his enthusiasm.” I picked up Sebastian from the carrier. He gave a tiny coo, but didn’t wake up. He must have eaten a heavy lunch. “I’m joining the girls downstairs.”
Sorcha visibly paled. “Uh…”
“I saw Aralina in the kitchen,” I told her. “I think it’s time we got to know each other, don’t you think? She’s going to be my sister-in-law.”
Also, Kolya was fond of her.
Sorcha offered a brief nod of approval.
As I made my way back into the house with a twenty-five-pound baby sleeping against my shoulder, I searched for my initial resentment for Aralina again.
She was always the porcelain doll princess who stole my dreams of a family.
But coming face-to-face with the demons who hunted me in the past, I realized they were not monsters but also human.
The reality of her? She was a young woman who had lost her voice.
It made me wonder how she and Theo were getting along.
My brother was too busy running an empire, but I’d seen them attend a gala together.
They made a gorgeous couple, and Aralina looked older in pictures.
Was she simply going to be the princess in the castle?
Was Theo looking for a stepmother for Gage?
I scoffed. I had my own problems to worry about rather than stick my nose into other people’s relationships. Maybe they agreed to a marriage of convenience. I wasn’t privy to the details. Didn’t mean I wasn’t curious.
I opened the door to the basement and headed down.
I hadn’t been down here since Kolya walked out on me.
Conversations and hushed snickers drifted my way until I cleared the stairs to see the girls sprawled in front of the whiteboard.
Letters, mailers, even packages of various sizes sat on top of a gray area rug that wasn’t there the last time I’d been here.
Bianca and Sloane glanced up and grinned at me. They were true crime aficionados, so this was right up their alley.
Bianca stood and squealed. “Oh, I should have brought Camilla.” She hustled toward me and peeked at Sebastian from my back.
“Is he awake?” I felt his head move on my shoulder.
“Yes. Look at those eyes,” she gushed. “I’ve never seen such blue before, and they’re even brighter than Mom’s and my brothers’.”
“Do you want to hold him?” I faced Bianca Rossi, surprised Sandro allowed her to frequent the bratva’s stronghold. As far as I knew, the Rossi and De Lucci Italian crime families had a lukewarm relationship with the bratva.
“I had better not.” Bianca rolled her lips and locked her arms behind her as if she needed that extra measure to keep from reaching out for Sebastian. “Otherwise I might want another one and Sandro will never let me leave the house.”
“He’s learning his tactics from the De Lucci men.” Lucy glanced up from a letter she was reading. “Look what this note says: ‘I’m disappointed you weren’t the vigilante who got rid of this world’s home wreckers. But you’re still hot.’”
Sloane gave a soundless whistle, or maybe she attempted one. “These letters are almost all the same. Here’s a recent one praising Kolya’s hot daddy vibes.”
Aralina covered her mouth, her eyes crinkling while her body shook with laughter.
Bianca sauntered to her pile and sat cross-legged. “There’s blueberry soda and other sodas in the fridge.”
“Oh, shit,” Lucy exclaimed. “I’m such a terrible hostess.”
“Oh, no worries, I just came down to check on you guys.” I shuffled to the couch area, laid out a polyester baby blanket, and lowered Sebastian onto it. He started fussing, but he quieted down when I gave him a bottle. “So, Tuesdays, huh? That’s your serial killer club?”
“We have one more member,” Sloane said. “Harriet. She’s my eighty-year-old friend and lives in Delphine assisted living, but boy, is her mind sharp.”
“I bet true crime discussions help.”
“You betcha.” Sloane nodded to Aralina. “Aralina is an honorary member and is here to help because it’s Kolya.”
Aralina signed to Lucy, making her laugh.
Lucy translated for me. “Gives her ammunition to make fun of him.” Then Lucy signed back.
Aralina glanced at me.
“I told her to…get to know each other while you both are here. The wedding is in two weeks,” Lucy said.
Aralina signed to Lucy, who responded with narrowed eyes. “Stop sassing me, lady. And yes, it’s my decree as a pakhan’s wife.” She winked at me before adding, “Food and drinks.” She pointed to a side buffet.
“Wow, looks like fun afternoons,” I said.
“You should join us,” Bianca piped in.
“You know, Theo and I talked about my plans for pursuing a neuropsychology degree.”
Sloane perked up from her stack of mail. “O.M.G.” Her mouth fell open. “That would be amazing. We’ll have our own behavioral analyst.”
I shook my head. “That’s wishful thinking for now. Sebastian comes first.”
“Aralina said you could psychoanalyze the shit out of Kirill and Kolya just to irritate them,” Lucy said.
Kirill’s sister sat in the armchair next to where Sebastian and I were lounging on the couch.
“Here I thought you were the sweet one.”
She typed on her phone, “Underestimate me at your own peril.”
I raised a brow. “Is that right? So is all this sweetness a front?”
“Believe it!” Lucy called from the whiteboard area. “I told Kirill that his sister has a little devil inside her.”
“Does Theo know this?” I teased.
Aralina shrugged. “He doesn’t spend enough time with me to find out.”
“Ooh, is that your complaint as fiancée?”
She shrugged again. “He’s busy.”
“I’m ill-equipped to give advice.”
She seemed to type a short story in her next message. Being mute must be frustrating for her.
“I’m not asking for one. I’ll figure Theo out. You hardly know him either. And Lucy had a rocky start with Kirill. Besides, I don’t want her telling my brother, who is still constantly asking me if I want to call it off.”
“So no one is blackmailing you?” My voice lowered.
Aralina was shocked and made an emphatic “No” gesture with her hands.
“It’s just that you were with Jeremiah.”
She looked away.
“I’m sorry, it’s none of my business.”