Page 194 of Marrying the Savage

“That is insane.”

“It’s practical.”

“It’s absolutely not practical.”

“You need things to do that are not escaping, arguing, or investigating my dead wife.”

She stares at me. Then, against her will, she laughs once.

I prefer the sound more than I should.

“You’re impossible,” she says.

“You have said that before.”

“I will probably say it again.”

I walk farther into the room. “You can learn if you want. Or not. It’s yours either way.”

She looks at the piano again, then touches the edge lightly. “What if I want something more?”

I know what she means. I don’t answer immediately, because if I answer too quickly, she will hear control in it. If I make promises too easily, she will not believe them.

So I step beside her and take her hand. “Come on,” I say. “It’s time for the doctor.”

Her face hardens instantly. “No.”

“Yes.”

“I said no doctors last night.”

“And I listened last night.”

“That wasn’t a permanent victory?”

“No.”

She narrows her eyes. “You’re enjoying this.”

“I’m enjoying that you are alive enough to argue.”

That stops her for a second. Then she looks away.

I squeeze her hand once. “The doctor checks your throat. Nothing more unless you agree.”

“And after?”

“After, we talk.”

She studies me carefully. “About what I want?”

“Yes.”

“About Elena?”

“If you still have questions.”

“About Anya?”