Page 25 of Protective Phlox

Helena named the store she wanted to go to, and we were escorted like royalty or maybe prisoners. I wasn’t sure, but this didn’t feel normal.

As soon as we stepped inside the store, the men fanned out and checked the changing rooms. Once they were certain the place was empty, they locked the door.

“Mrs. Mikhailov, how good to see you again,” the sales clerk gushed and rushed over to Helena, doing air kisses to her cheeks. “And who is this?” The man eyed my outfit suspiciously, not that I could blame him. I was casually dressed in comparison to the outfits here.

“This is my daughter-in-law. She was in a rush to get here and had to leave all of her clothes. Get ready, Pierre, because I’m prepared to buy out the store.”

“Oh, I do love a good shopping spree. You always take such good care of me when you come to shop.” Pierre turned in my direction. “Well, my dear, you have loads of natural beauty, but we need to do a complete overhaul on your outfit, and I’m going to call Julian to come do your nails and hair.”

“I don’t need all of that. I’m really pretty basic,” I said, and Pierre arched his eyebrow so far up that it almost touched his hairline.

“Precious sweet cakes, please, I can see that. That’s exactly what we’re going to fix. Follow me. I know what to show you first.”

I whispered to Helena. “I don’t need you to buy me anything,” I said.

“Nonsense. What is the point in having all of this money if it is not to spoil my first daughter-in-law? I didn’t get to give you a wedding gift, so we will consider this my gift to you.”

“Thank you,” I said and smiled until Pierre took my hand and dragged me into the dressing room.

I never knew trying on clothes could be an entire day’s workout, but I tried on every outfit in the store and didn’t even get a say if I wanted it. Helena and Pierre discussed how it looked and if I needed a different color, and then it would be placed on the pile. We were over an hour in when Julian arrived, and the primping started.

This felt like a movie. In every corner, a guard stood watching us or out the windows for any sign of trouble. We were served champagne and fresh fruit while I received a hair trim and style. Now, I was getting my nails done and laughing at Pierre as he told us about his trip to Paris. By the time we were done, I knew his entire life story and almost died at the price of the bill. Helena refused to take a single penny as payment.

I thought we were done, but apparently, we were just getting started. Next was a shoe store and then lunch, followed by a fancy dress shop before finally a store selling workout clothes, sneakers, and a massive selection of children’s clothes. The SUVs were brimming with boxes by the time we were done.

We stepped out of the last store, and I caught a glimpse of a man in a truck across the road before it sped off. I was positive I’d seen him before but couldn’t place from where.

Helena had a never-ending supply of stories from when Nathan was young, and I found myself laughing and picturing him as a child. It was difficult to wrap my head around the fact that the man who’d forced me to marry him just a few days ago was once an innocent boy like Cutter. One that played with friends at the beach, rode a bike, played hockey, and cried when he skinned his knees. With every woven tale that Helena spun, she humanized Nathan a little more in my mind and erased some of the stigma of his family.

Once the vehicles pulled up to the house, Helena laid her hand on my arm and waited until the guards had gotten out before looking at me.

“Tell me something, dear. Do you love my son?”

My mouth opened and closed, but no words would come out as heat spread like wildfire throughout my body.

Clearing my throat, I locked eyes with her. “Yes, I think I do. But that terrifies me.”

“See, the two of you are more alike than you think.” She patted my arm and slipped out. “I’ll have the guards take the bags up to your room,” Helena said, and I didn’t have the heart to tell her I didn’t have one yet, so I just nodded and smiled. I’d figure out where they were.

It was shockingly almost eight o’clock, and I couldn’t believe I’d stayed out that long. Pulling off the heels that were killing me, I jogged up the stairs to Nathan’s room. I stuck my head inside, but he wasn’t there, so I continued to Cutter’s room, freezing when I reached the doorway.

Nathan was still in his suit, but the jacket was gone, and he was sprawled out on the bed with Cutter curled up into his side. A kid’s book was open on his chest, his eyes closed, and I’d never seen a more adorable sight. Not wanting to wake them, I tiptoed across the room, slipped the book out of his hand, and thought that I hadn’t disturbed him until he snatched my wrist.

Nathan’s eyes opened, and the fluttering that only he caused stormed around my chest.

“Lay with us. Cutter missed you,” he said.

“Only Cutter?”

Nathan’s eyes closed again. “Maybe more than just Cutter.”

Smiling, I laid down and snuggled into his side, my head on his chest, and I felt his body shudder as he relaxed and fell asleep. It was hard to believe that Helena was right, but I prayed that she was. Admitting that I loved him out loud seemed to up the stakes on my heart, and I didn’t want to have to fold and walk away from the table.

Chapter

Eleven

NATHANIEL