Page 119 of Secret Husband
“True.” I took a sip of my Aperol Spritz, prepared by Landon who had a knack for mixology as well as dating app creation. “That’s what they called me on the ice—Slip n’ Slide.”
“Really?” Rosie frowned. “I think I would have remembered that.”
“Just kidding. But to answer your question, Alexei and I are not doin’ it. We are just friends.”
Conor winked at me. I ignored him and looked over at my husband—guilty!—who was currently making sure his dad was eating one of the sliders Theo had grilled up. Watching him gently see to Sasha’s needs filled me with such tenderness towards this man I had known all these years. But I hadn’t known him, really. Not like this.
That boy I met in college would always have my heart. But this man—my secret husband—had captured my soul. I liked to think we had both grown since those days. That we could approach this relationship with honesty and a maturity borne of years apart. Hearts open and ready for whatever came next.
I was still in love with Alexei Nazarov, and I wanted to travel this road with him.
I caught his eye and couldn’t help the smile that touched my lips. There was no reason to feel this happy, especially given my professional woes. But having my friends and family around me definitely took the edge off those problems.
“Anyone need a drink that doesn’t require more than one ingredient?” I stood, resolved to be a good hostess. Everyone had provided their work with no expectation of return, so it was the least I could do.
“I’ll take a Corona if there’s one going. Zhena.” Conor waggled his eyebrows.
“Zhena? Alexei called you that before.” Rosie turned to Conor and snapped, “What does that mean?” These two had been bickering for as long as I could remember. Now my secret marriage was giving them new fuel for whatever they had going on.
“Just some nickname I heard. A Russian nickname.” He grinned at me, sly as a fox, making it clear he knew something was afoot. Conor had an annoying habit of figuring out everyone’s secrets, usually through a mix of gossip mongering and canny detective work.
I shot daggers back at him, to which he laughed and returned to poking at Rosie.
In the house, I walked around, opening windows to air out the smell of paint. In the last few weeks, it had transformed into something familiar and comforting. The girls had done a great job in the bedrooms, and it looked like someone had even painted some fun florals on one of the walls. No idea who.
As I exited the master bedroom, I ran into Alexei.
“Oh, hello.”
“Hello.”
“Is your dad okay?”
“Dante is watching him for me, so I can spend a few moments watching you.”
And then he kissed me.
I had thought my college-age infatuation couldn’t have possibly stood the test of time.
Shows what you know, Yatesy.
“Better make it quick then.” I made a move for his zipper.
He gripped my hand. “Next you will be saying I have to be quiet.”
“You do!” I hissed. “I have a houseful of guests and?—”
His mouth claimed mine, as our tongues danced and twined. Why was everything better with him? Kisses, touches, sex. And why had I let my stubbornness come between us over the last fifteen years? He had reached out, and my distrust of him had beaten any tendency to forgive into the ground.
But we were different now. So much had happened over the years, and I had softened toward him. He truly thought he was protecting me from the people who would hurt his family, and while I would have loved to be in the circle of trust, I couldn’t condemn him.
If anything, I was partly to blame for our estrangement. He had tried to reconcile, but I was too hurt to offer forgiveness.
Not anymore. With each kiss, I let the wisp of that wounded girl go and drew on the strong woman I had become. Holding his gaze, I tried to tell him that I wanted this. I wanted him, with all his flaws. Because he clearly accepted mine.
In the end, he didn’t go slow. I wouldn’t let him. I urged him on, ever conscious of how precious our time was together. How the world outside that window was pressing in, and we had to grasp these moments while we could.
Because they wouldn’t be given to us.
