“That sounds like Kaz. Well, actually, it sounds more like Alexander. Kaz has always been the more permissive of the three.”
“Really?” Her eyebrows lift.
“Alexander has always been the iron fist. Kaz would champion my cause against him.”
“And what about Ivan?”
“He would side with Alexander more times than not. He’s the typical middle child, sort of goes unseen.”
“Maybe he figured between Alexander and Kaz, they had you covered.”
I lift a shoulder. “Maybe.”
Her eyes narrow a fraction. “You were young when you came to live with them?”
“Old enough to know my place in the family,” I say before I can stop the words from slipping out. “Anyway, I don’t want to keep you, but I wanted to give you something.”
I cross the room and hand over an envelope.
“What is it?” She takes it from me, undoing the clasp at the top and sliding out the certificates inside. Her eyes roam the papers, then lift to mine with astonishment. “Three million dollars in bearer bonds?”
“They were Tony’s.” I try to conjure up some guilt over taking them, but after everything I’ve learned about him, his brothers, and how the rest of the family treated her, I wish I’d been able to do more than steal a few million dollars.
“He gave them to you?”
I laugh. “No. Your brother was charming. An excellent manipulator. Even I didn’t see through his bullshit early enough. But overly generous when it came to money, he was not.”
“Yeah, that’s him. All of them, really.” A shadow falls over her smile. She tries to hand the envelope back to me, but I shake my head.
“No. They belong to you, or Tommy.”
She relents. “All right. I’ll put them in his account for when he’s older. If it were up to him, he’d buy three million dollars’ worth of those foam bullet things.”
“Megan mentioned Kaz has taken up armed warfare in the house.” I laugh.
“Yes, between the two of them, I have a good chance of being shot on a daily basis.”
“I feel like I should apologize, you being forced to marry him and everything, but from our short conversation this morning I can see how good you’ve been for him. So…I’m not really sorry, after all? I mean he’s always been fun, but now he’s happy, relaxed.”
“I’m not sorry, either.” She confesses, leaning forward. “But let’s not tell him how not sorry either of us are, it will just go to his head. He has enough ego up there as it is.”
“He does.” I laugh. “They all do.”
It’s probably easier to grow up with an ego the size of North America when it’s made clear you’re wanted and you belong. That when you express your feelings, they aren’t brushed off, and you aren’t abandoned.
“What’s wrong?” She grabs my hand. “The light just shut off in your eyes. What happened?”
I shake my head. “Nothing. I’m okay. Just getting back into the swing of things. I actually came by to give you the bonds, and to check out my room. I think it’s time I consolidate all my stuff and get my own place.”
“Your own place?” She puts the envelope on the side table. “I thought you were staying with Artem. Kaz said you two were together now.”
“Are we?” I try to stuff the bitterness down, but it’s been a full day since Artem bothered to show his face. After waking up alone yesterday morning, I went to bed with a text message from him that work was keeping him away, and he’d be home soon.
This morning I woke to a cold bed and a still empty house.
“What happened?”
I shake my head. She’s still healing from her attack. She doesn’t need my drama added to her trauma.
