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Kat’s eyes lit up. “A puppy?”
Nikolai chuckled and swallowed the remainder of his coffee. “Maybe we’ll start with a stuffed one.”
Excited by the idea, Kat nodded along and happily returned to her coloring book.
Crossing my arms over my chest, I looked at him expectantly, waiting for an answer.
Nikolai met my gaze then and turned away coolly, taking his and Kat’s dishes to the dishwasher. “I’ll think about it.”
Anger flared within my veins. “Are you ki—”
But I stopped myself before I started a screaming war with Kat in the room. Biting my tongue, I slumped back in my chair and glared at him.
It didn’t seem to matter, though, since Nikolai brushed his hands off and headed for the doorway, not sparing me another look. He stopped the moment Kat started to speak.
She looked through the window and pointed at the ocean view outside. “Can we go swimming?”
My eyes returned to Nikolai, noticing how strained he looked then like his head was about to explode. I snickered to myself, knowing he couldn’t say no to Kat.
He sighed, directing his hardened stare at me. “As long as mommy listens to the guard.”
Rolling my eyes, I sat up straighter in my chair and fixed my face before reaching over to brush a hand through Kat’s hair. “Fine. It will be good to get out for a bit.”
I didn’t want to be cooped up all day. If it meant spending a nice day in the sun with Kat, dipping our toes in the water, I didn’t mind at all.
Nikolai nodded his acknowledgment before he wished Kat a good day and walked out of the suite, leaving the two of us.
After I scarfed down my breakfast and cleaned up a bit, I got Kat dressed in her bathing suit and packed her a bag of beach items. While she waited by the door with her bag, murmuring with excitement to herself, I got myself ready.
Pulling a pair of jean shorts over my bikini bottoms and a flowy top over my top half, I threw my hair up in a bun and packed my own things. Together with our bags in hand, Kat and I wandered down to the beach with the guard in tow, silent as he went. He was more like a shadow, ready to pounce if anything happened.
By the time we reached the ocean, where other families spent their time basking in the sun, Reina and Rose approached us with the baby in her arms, sufficiently covered from the sun.
“Hi!” Reina said, bending down to be level with Kat, who smiled at her happily. “Do you mind if we join you?”
Kat shook her head, surely glad to see a familiar face. She was used to Reina, and she seemed to look forward to any time they spent together.
“Perfect!” Reina exclaimed, reaching out a hand for Kat to take. With her empty one, Kat put her hand in Reina’s and guided her over to where she wanted to go.
While I smiled at Reina, a nagging thought echoed in my mind. Was I being spied on?
Surely Nikolai had told Reina we’d be out for the day, and he wanted her to keep an eye on us. I internally struggled with the thought, but there was nothing I could do about it.
I might as well accept the company, and Kat seemed happy about it.
“We brought lots of good stuff,” Reina said, motioning to the bags on Rose’s arms. “Like snacks, drinks, and some toys to play with.”
Kat gasped at the thought and plopped her bag down in the sand, signifying where she wanted to be. I helped her roll out her towel while Reina and Rose set up a big picnic for us. They laid out a blanket, brought the food and drinks out, and showed Kat the sand toys they brought.
Already full from breakfast, Kat decided to play first. I watched her from my place on the blanket, a drink in my hand. A part of me was worried Reina would grill me for information, as I could only imagine was what happened to the man that attacked Nikolai and me. But she only offered me some food and settled in comfortably.
A twinge of guilt settled into my chest. I hated being so paranoid, especially when Reina had only been nothing but nice to me. She was trying, and I needed to do better.
Able to relax while Kat played and Reina hummed happily in the sun, I released a calm breath. We sat there for some time, soaking in the sun and the sound of waves crashing against the shore.
“You know, I was sort of in the same situation as you,” Reina said out of the blue, eyes shielded by the dark sunglasses over them. “Not the arranged marriage part. But I felt trapped after I became pregnant with Anya, and I didn’t know what to expect.”
Looking over at Reina, I considered her words. I didn’t know much about Ivan or her for that matter, and I certainly didn’t know how their relationship came to be.
