HER RUSSIAN SURRENDER (26 page)

But when she came into the foyer, it wasn’t Pavel she found holding Back Up’s leash, it was Nikolai. Nikolai let the dog off her leash as if they were old friends, before producing a treat out of his pocket and saying something to her in what sounded like halfway affectionate Russian as he let her eat it out of his hand.

For a moment Sam could only stare. How could he make a heavy sweater worn over a denim shirt look so appealing? He should have been less attractive outside his usual work wear. But this much more casual look made her breath quicken, and she suddenly became hyper aware of her own heartbeat, thumping loud and fast as her entire body clenched hard with lust.

All because he’d walked the dog.

Stupid pregnancy hormones
, she muttered to herself, before forcing herself to focus on Pavel who was hanging up his anorak on a coat rack.

“So you guys took Back Up out for a walk without me? I’m so hurt,” she said to the little boy.

She was just teasing, but a stricken look came over Pavel’s face. “Don’t be angry, Mama, and I’m sorry for skipping yoga, but Dad and me had some stuff we needed to talk about.”

“Dad?” Sam asked. When had Pavel started calling Nikolai dad?

Nikolai stood. “My lawyer called. Our official court date to adopt Pavel is in two weeks, day after our ultrasound. So I tell Pavel he must decide what to call me. Fedya is his father and will always be his father, but I will be his father, too.”

“So I’m going to call him Dad, not Papa,” Pavel told her. “That way my papa in heaven won’t be mad, right?”

“Right,” Sam agreed, as her heart swelled with happiness. Pavel deserved no less than a male guardian who not only wanted to be his legal father, but his father in name, too. “That’s great. Really great. I’m glad you guys were able to come to good compromise on that.”

“Yeah, and maybe Uncle—I mean Dad, you, and me can all go to the Children’s Museum after our court date. He still hasn’t been, you know,” Pavel said. “Dad can we do that? All of us go
together
?”

Pavel put a strange amount of emphasis on the word ‘together,’ Sam noticed, and Nikolai seemed to be giving the boy a censoring look as he said, “I will talk with your mother about it on plane tonight. Right now, it is time you go become ready for school.”

“Okay,
Dad
,” Pavel agreed with a goofy grin. It was easy to tell Sam wasn’t the only one who was elated Nikolai had made his claim on Pavel official. The boy ran up the stairs to his room and Back Up, who apparently never got tired of watching Pavel do mundane things like getting dressed, quickly followed.

Sam smiled after them, her heart full of love and happiness for Pavel—but then she remembered what Nikolai had said in answer to Pavel’s question about going to the Children’s Museum.

“Wait, did you say we were going on a plane tonight?” she asked Nikolai.

32

Y
es, he did say that. As it turned out, they’d be flying overnight to Nikolai’s event on Thursday, spending the whole weekend wherever it was, and arriving back in Indianapolis late Sunday night. That meant she’d be spending two whole nights and two whole days with Nikolai. The man she’d sworn to stay as far away from as possible now that her pregnancy hormones were out of control and practically begging her to do things she really shouldn’t. With a man who’d straight up told her he didn’t believe in love.

With true dread in her heart, she stepped out on the porch of Ruth’s House after wrapping things up at work, awaiting the arrival of Nikolai who’d said he’d be picking her up himself.

To her surprise, though, when she got outside, she found Marco walking up the sidewalk towards the house instead of Nikolai.

She frowned. She’d gotten use to seeing Marco on rotation again—Nikolai had kept his promise. But ever since the news of her and Nikolai’s marriage and impending baby had hit the wires, things between them had been—well, awkward to say the least.

But here he was now, coming up the walk in his civilian clothes, nice slacks, and polo shirt. And he had flowers in his hand. Even more unexpected, he was walking in from the street and not from the side of the house.

“You parked on the street?” she asked him.

“Yeah,” he answered, stopping at the bottom of the steps. “Nyla kept giving me a hard time about parking behind Ruth’s House, so…”

He didn’t finish, just held up the flowers. “Um, is she here?”

Sam blinked. “Who? Nyla?”

“Yeah,” Marco answered, suddenly taking a huge interest in the sidewalk. “Last time I was here, she said she had finals coming up and I thought I’d bring her these. Like, you know, to say good luck.”

Normally Sam would have treated this news with extreme sensitivity, but this was Marco. And Nyla.

“Wait, you’re bringing
Nyla
flowers? Nyla Weathers? The one with all the piercings in her ears—and face?”

Marco looked everywhere but at her, and Sam had a feeling he’d be beet red if not for his olive skin tone. “Yeah, it’s not a big deal, Sam. The earrings come out. I think.” He rubbed a hand over the back of his neck. “But we have some things in common.”

“Things like what?” Sam asked, honestly curious.

Marco shifted. “Things like Death Buddha,” he answered, referencing the weird metal band Nyla had spent a year following around the country before she’d decided to be a grown up and go to grad school. “We’re both big fans and they’ve got a show coming up. I was thinking we could go together. I was thinking maybe I’d ask her about that tonight.”

He peeked up at her, “Think I should?”

Sam had to fight hard to control her laughter. Yes, she thought. This made a certain kind of sense. Marco, so loyal to his hood he insisted on staying on his beat after Nikolai had tried to get him kicked off of it. And Nyla, who Sam had complete trust would run the shelter well while she was away on maternity leave.

Suddenly Nyla’s generous offers to deal with Marco’s daily visits so Sam wouldn’t have to didn’t seem quite as altruistic as they had before.

“Actually, I think you should,” she said to Marco, happy to give the new couple her blessing. “But Nyla’s not here. She’s studying. Her last final is tomorrow, then she’s babysitting for me on Friday.”

Marco grimaced. “Oh…”

It was easy to tell in that moment that Marco had spent some time working up the courage to come over here and ask Nyla out.

“I guess I’ll try again on Monday,” he said.

“Yeah, Monday.”

In the distance, Nikolai’s Escalade pulled up and Sam said, “I’ve gotta go.”

Marco looked over his shoulder at the Escalade. “Yeah, I guess you do. Thanks for the talk, Sammy.”

“No problem,” she said. She came down the steps, prepared to walk past him, but at the last minute she said, “I can’t give you Nyla’s address…”

“I know,” he answered. “I can always look her up in the database—”

“No, you can’t, because girls like us consider guys showing up unannounced stressful and creepy,” she said. “I should have told you that before.”

And Marco looked down again. “Yeah. I guess that could come off kind of wrong.”

“But I can text you her number,” Sam told him. “And maybe you can text her, offer to bring her by something to eat. I remember being where she is right now, and getting food was a total hassle.”

Marco smiled. “That’s a great idea.”

“If she takes you up on your invitation, then you’ve got a green light to ask her out. If not, you should probably back down. So, do you still want her number?”

Marco looked from side to side like he was trying to decide between the blue and the red pill. “Yeah,” he said finally. “Yeah, I do.”

So that was how Sam ended up keeping her fake husband waiting while she sent her ex-almost boyfriend her soon-to-be assistant director’s number. Then of course she had to wait to see how it turned out.

Marco sent the text and less than a minute later, he grinned as he read out loud. “’Dude, you’re saving my life. How soon can you get over here with a burger?’”

Sam clapped her hands, truly happy for him and for Nyla.

Marco shook his head. “I’m just happy she asked for a burger. I was worried she’d be one of those vegetarians, and I’m already going to have a hard time explaining all the face jewelry to my mom if we start dating.”

Marco escorted Sam to the Escalade where Nikolai still sat, waiting.

“Hey, Mount Nik,” he said, acknowledging Nikolai with a small wave before continuing on down the street towards his own car.

Nikolai didn’t return the greeting and Sam noticed that his hands were gripped so tight around the Escalade’s wheel, his knuckles were white. But he hadn’t gotten out of the car, hadn’t yanked her out of the conversation with Marco. And Nikolai didn’t make any attempt to follow Marco as he climbed into his vintage Mustang.

Progress
, Sam thought to herself as she climbed into the passenger seat, which she supposed was why she decided to tell him...

“You’ll never believe this... I was helping Marco set up a date with Nyla! How wild is that?” Then she rushed on with, “I hope I didn’t make us late for the flight.”

The only indication he’d registered what she’d said about Marco and Nyla was that his hands visibly loosened on the wheel.

“No,” Nikolai answered, his voice completely casual. “Plane will wait.”

THE PLANE turned out to be not a commercial airliner, but a private jet with RUSTANOV ENTERPRISES painted across the side in large black letters.

“A late wedding gift from my cousin,” Nikolai explained while she gaped at the jet awaiting them in a hangar behind Indianapolis International Airport.

“Is that where we’re going?” she asked, as they walked up the air stairs to the plane’s main entry door. “To Texas? To an event for your cousin?”

“No,” Nikolai answered. And that was all he said.

Sam opened her mouth to once again try to extract some answers other than “you will see” and “no” to her questions, but her thoughts trailed off when she saw the inside of the plane.

The front quarter-half of the cabin was taken up by sumptuous, side-by-side leather seats like those she’d seen in the first class section of the commercial airplanes she’d flown. But instead of seats, the other side of the plane was taken up by a conference table and a thin couch. That seating area, Sam noticed, was just wide enough to sit on—but not wide enough to stretch out on without fear of rolling off in the middle of the night.

“Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Rustanov,” a cheery voice said behind them.

They both turned to see a smiling male flight attendant holding a tray with two glasses of what looked like champagne.

“Don’t worry, it’s sparkling cider,” the attendant said, handing the flute to her with a wink. “And congratulations, to you both!”

“Thank you,” she said, taking the glass.

The flight attendant went on to introduce himself as Dave before asking if there was anything they needed before he went to prepare dinner, which he’d be serving at a small dining table just behind the row of seats.

“I’m good, thanks,” Sam answered, settling herself into her seat. She jiggled the lever at the side, pushing her back against it.

“Is everything all right, Mrs. Rustanov?” Dave asked.

“Please, call me Sam,” she answered, ignoring Nikolai’s displeased look. “And it’s nothing. I was just hoping these seats leaned back a little further, maybe turned into a little bed.” She had heard some seats in first class converted into beds on some airlines, but apparently these didn’t.

“No, our seats don’t convert because there’s a bedroom just on the other side of that door,” Dave explained, pointing to a closed wooden door at rear of the cabin. “So when you’re ready to go to sleep, let me know and I’ll fluff the pillows for you.” He winked again.

Sam’s cheeks flamed as her dream of getting a semi-comfortable night’s sleep died a quick death.

After an extremely awkward dinner, she opened the upper compartment above the seating area and found what appeared to be a plush lap blanket in a neat fold. She opened it with an angry snap, hunkered down into the back row’s window seat, and pulled the blanket over her, squeezing her eyes shut. Sam hoped this would be enough for Nikolai to take the hint and leave her alone.

There came the sound of heavy footsteps, then Nikolai’s voice above her. “That seat looks not comfortable. You don’t want to sleep in bed,
zhena
?”

“No, just like you don’t seem to want to tell me where we’re going. Or why,” she answered, keeping her eyes closed.

“You are not same as other women. You don’t like surprises,” he said.

This time Sam did open her eyes, if only to let him see how not amused she was by this entire situation.

“I don’t like being confused, and I don’t see why you can’t just tell me where we’re going.”

“Like I say, you are woman who does not like surprises. I will, how you say, make note for future.” Judging from all the twinkling going on in Nikolai’s eyes, Sam was fairly certain he was incredibly amused by the whole situation. But then again, he was the one holding all the cards, wasn’t he?

She closed her eyes again with an annoyed huff. “Goodnight, Nikolai.”

Silence. And then she felt the seat beside her compress underneath Nikolai’s weight. Her stomach tightened. Apparently, Nikolai was fully prepared to take an aisle seat if it meant getting the last word on their sleeping arrangements.

“Good night,
zhena.”

ONE MISERABLE NIGHT of sleep, two more meals, and about eight back-to-back episodes of
Veronica Mars
later, they eventually made it to the tarmac of Athens airport. Athens,
Greece
.

“Welcome to Greece,
zhena
,” Nikolai said, waving an arm toward the city’s skyline beyond the airport, as if it was his gift to her.

Sam, who had been half-way afraid they were headed all the way to Russia, gaped in amazement.

Greece!

She’d never been farther than Canada in her life, and even then it had been for work—a special seminar in Calgary on how to provide counseling services to women with refugee status. Not exactly a glamorous getaway.