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“Maybe it’s for the best. It’ll help keep you busy at least.”
“Yes, a day full of screaming kids getting their cavities filled and teenagers needing their braces tightened is exactly what I need.”
She laughs and gives my forehead a kiss. “Call or text if you need anything. I mean it, Gina, day or night.”
“I will,” I promise her. “Thanks, Jamie.”
She gives me another hug before saying goodbye and getting out. The thud of my car door makes me feel more alone than I want to admit. I resist the urge to roll down the window and tell her I’ve changed my mind. Instead, I grit my teeth and give her a wave before backing out of the driveway. My plan is to disappear to my room with the excuse of not feeling so hot, crawl under my covers, and stay there until my alarm goes off. It seems Adam has other plans for me, though, because as soon as I walk inside, he grabs my wrist and pulls me to his room.
There’s a wild look to his eyes and a big, goofy grin on his face. He raises his hands to stop me from talking before speaking in an excited rush. “Okay, don’t be mad at me for going to Dmitri. I thought he was the one who’d hurt you, and I couldn’t just sit around and do nothing.”
I start to say something, but he interrupts me again, “I was wrong about him, Gina. He’s freaking awesome, and he said he’d teach me to fight!”
My heart hurts at how happy he is and at the idea of Dima teaching my baby brother how to protect himself. It reminds me of how much I love him and of how sweet he is beneath that hard-ass mask he wears. Knowing that he might keep pushing me away makes it hard for me to breathe, like my heart and lungs are suddenly way too small for my body and not able to give me what I need.
“Are you okay?” The excitement in Adam’s eyes is gone, replaced with worry and fear, and I hate that I’ve done that to him.
“I’m fine,” I reassure him. “Things are just a bit complicated with Dima right now.”
“What happened?”
I sigh and walk over to his desk, plopping down in his chair, feeling more exhausted than I’ve ever been. “It was two guys from the Irish club who left the bruises on me. They were waiting for me after work yesterday. After talking to you, Dima came to see me at work and demanded I tell him who hurt me. I did, so he, of course, went and confronted them. I don’t know what happened, but he said I didn’t need to worry about them anymore.”
“Well, that’s good, right?” Adam asks, sitting down on the edge of his bed and looking at me.
“He said he needs time to think about things.” I bite my lip to keep from crying again. I’m so sick and fucking tired of crying. I take a shaky breath and force myself to get a grip. “He’s worried that us being together will put me in danger.”
Adam punches my leg softly and gives me a grin. “Guys are notoriously stupid, Gina. He’ll come around. I saw the way he looked when I confronted him. He’s completely in love with you. Just give him some time.”
I can’t help but laugh, making Adam tilt his head at me like I’ve lost my mind. “When did you get to be so damn wise, little brother?”
He laughs and gives me a smug grin. “Probably the second Stacy agreed to be my girlfriend.”
“What?” I ask, my face bursting into a huge grin even though my heart is still a broken, heaving mess. I can’t help it, though. I’m so damn happy for my brother. “When did this happen?”
“Today.” He shrugs it off like it’s not a big deal, but I know how much it means to him. Stacy has been his dream girl for as long as I can remember. “I should actually thank you. I was so upset after talking to Dmitri that I went to her house.” He laughs, making his blue-grey eyes squint a bit. I’ve always loved how expressive his face is. He used to always make me laugh when we were younger because he could never hide anything with his face. It always showed exactly what he was thinking and feeling.
“Apparently a kid brother who cares so much about his sister that he’s brave enough to enter the Red Wolf is quite a turn on for the ladies.”
This time when I feel tears on my face it’s from laughter, and I lean over to give him a side hug in thanks. “I’m really happy for you, Adam.”
“Thanks. I knew she’d eventually come around. What’s a few years of waiting in a young man’s life?”
I laugh again and pat him on the back. “Just make sure she appreciates you. If she doesn’t treat you right, then she’ll have me to deal with.”
That makes him laugh as he squeezes my shoulder. “Thanks, sis.”
I’m still smiling when I head back to my room. At least things are going well for someone. I try to hold onto that happiness, but once I’m in bed with the light out and nothing to distract me from thinking about Dima, it all comes crashing down again.
Fuck this. I grab my phone and text him.
I’m home, and I miss you. I know you need time to figure things out, and I know this has brought up a lot of pain for you, but I love you, Dima, and I always will. Don’t keep yourself from me for too long. I’m not sure I could take it.
My heart races as I wait for a reply. I’m terrified he won’t answer, that I’ve lost him so completely already that he won’t ever speak another word to me, but then I see the telltale sign of blinking dots, and I let out the shaky breath I’d been holding. When the message comes through, I’m instantly disappointed by how short it is.
I love you too, Gina. Don’t ever forget that. I just need some time.
How much time? Why would I ever forget that he loves me if he’s around to tell me it daily? Questions run through my mind so fast I can barely keep up with them. I get up out of bed and put my phone on my desk before crawling back under my covers. I don’t trust myself to not send off a million messages, and I refuse to be that kind of needy woman. It may be exactly how I’m feeling, but I refuse to show it and risk coming off as pathetic. I snuggle up under my covers, but my pride makes a poor bedfellow. It’s not near as nice as Dima’s strong arms wrapping around me and the sexy sounds of Russian lulling me to sleep.
