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I walk over to Elle’s bassinet and look down at her. She’s wrapped up tight in one of those baby burritos. I scoop her up and chuckle at the pissed off glare she gives me. It looks like she’s trying to figure out how to curse me in every language for having the nerve to disturb her.
“I see what you mean about her attitude.” I run my finger through her wavy dark hair, astonished at the softness. “They are so gorgeous.” I blink to clear the tears from filling my eyes, but one manages to escape.
“Was that a tear I just saw?” Lilith teases. “Did my baby finally crack the icy facade of the final Volkov to succumb to emotions?”
“No.” I give her my best attempt at a playful glare. “There’s just dust mites in this shithole hospital. When was the last time they cleaned this place? 2004?”
Lilith laughs. “Right. It’s okay to be moved by them.” Her smile falls a bit. “Actually, I’m glad I have you by myself for a bit. Are you okay?”
“Yeah. I’m fine, why?” I mentally give myself a round of applause for how normal that sounded.
“Well, you just have seemed a bit sad and withdrawn lately. I’m not the only one who noticed. Connor is really worried that you’ve stopped coming over so much in the past month or so. Even Levi noticed you seemed off yesterday.”
“I’m fine, no one needs to be concerned about me. I’m just working really hard to get the lead slot for the Midsummer Exhibition.” That’s not even a lie, I am working hard for that. Harder than I’ve ever worked for anything in my life.
“You left really suddenly yesterday, and you were clearly upset,” she pushes.
“I just wasn’t expecting Mom to show up right after me. I didn’t want to be there with her trying too hard for something she’ll never have again.
“Okay,” she backs off, but I can tell she thinks there’s more to the story than I’m letting on.
“How was your first night as parents?” I ask to change the subject to neutral territory.
I stay until Con comes back and then for a few minutes longer. I can tell by the sideways glances he keeps sending my way that he has questions and concerns, but I try to keep the conversation focused on the babies. When I stand to leave, he follows me out.
“I’ll walk you down.”
“You don’t have to.”
“Don’t be stupid.”
I don’t argue anymore because I know it won’t change his mind, and this is one of the easy things to give into. As soon as we get on the elevator, he pulls the same move that Griff did yesterday.
“Tell me what’s wrong right now, Claire.” His jade eyes spear me with determination.
“What do you mean?” I ask innocently.
“You’ve been weird for months. Dodging me. Not hanging out. Canceling plans last minute.” He leans against the wall. “This elevator isn’t going anywhere until you talk.”
I comb through every possible excuse and settle on the same one I gave Lilith. Consistency is the key to this. “I’ve just been preoccupied with getting the principal dancer position for the upcoming exhibition. It’s difficult choreography, so I spend most of my time practicing.
“You’ve lost weight.” It’s more of an accusation than a statement.
“No, I’m just redistributing it.”
“Bullshit. You’re coming over for dinner when we get home tomorrow night.”
“Okay, I’ll be there.” I hold my hands up. “Now can we move, so I’m not late to practice?”
He jabs his finger at the button and stares me down the rest of the way. When we get out to the car, he opens the door for me but pulls me in for a hug before I can get in. “You’d tell me if there was something going on, right? We don’t keep secrets from each other, and we sure as fuck don’t lie to each other.”
“Yeah, I’d tell you, Con.” I squeeze him back ignoring the guilt that wraps around my heart and squeezes. “I love you.”
“I love you, too.” He releases me and chats with Marco for a minute while I get situated. “See you, tomorrow.”
