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“Really? That’s surprising. So, it’s just the pain that you don’t feel? Like you can feel everything else?” I asked, curious how it worked.
He nodded his head. “Some pain I can feel. Like when you poke me in the ribs. I feel that. Severe pain, I don’t feel. Everything else, I can feel. Pleasure I can feel.”
“I was today years old when I learned that I was secretly curious about that,” I said, grinning at him. “Now I know,” I said, working on bandaging his arm again.
He looked around, making sure we were alone. “Redheads are similar, you know. You guys have an insanely high pain tolerance compared to other people. The few redheaded boys I knew in the program were put through hell to see how much they could handle. It was almost as much as me. They had weird reactions to drugs too. One boy had it the worst. The pain meds didn’t work on him at all. Like me, but he could feel all the pain. I really felt bad for that kid.”
My heart hurt for that poor child. “I didn’t know redheads were that different. I’ve only had the one surgery and I don’t remember much about it. They said I was out for a long time, but I don’t remember anything else about it. I wasn’t in the best state of mind when I woke up, so I think I blocked it out.”
“Understandable. They probably had to give you more drugs than normal to keep you under. That’s what would happen to the boys in the program. They would take at least double the amount of drugs to knock them out. It would always take them twice as long to wake up too.”
I shook my head. “Those poor kids.” I finished his bandage in silence, thinking about everything he had to endure in his early life, but also how I found myself silently grateful for it, as it led him to this moment. I smiled, remembering Adrik had said basically the same thing to me on the balcony so many months ago, after learning about my scars. “Ivan, I don’t think anything I can say to you about your past will make it any easier to deal with, but I’m grateful that the path you were forced to walk led you here. I can’t imagine my life without you in it.”
He looked stunned. I just smiled at him while I put away the bandage supplies. I went to throw away the old bandage. When I came back, he just pulled me to him, hugging me tightly. I rested my head against his chest, hugging him back just as tightly. Knowing he would always keep me safe.
We were finishing up dinner on Sunday night. Adrik looked to Ivan, raising his eyebrow, asking a silent question. Ivan nodded his head, a small smile on his face. I looked to Adrik, who also had a smile on his face. “I think we should go back to the penthouse until we leave to meet Trino,” he said, holding my gaze. There was something in his tone that told me it had already been decided, but there was clearly another reason he wanted to go back to the penthouse before we left. We’d spent almost the entire week at the house, so I was happy to go back to the penthouse, even though I was enjoying the routine we’d all settled into at the house. I was enjoying cooking dinner for everyone each night.
Stephen told me that Viktor hadn’t even put the word out that we needed a chef yet. Clearly, they were also enjoying my cooking.
“Why do I feel like the decision has already been made on this?” I asked, smiling at Adrik. He gave me his boyish grin that told me there was definitely more to going back to the penthouse. I couldn’t help but laugh at him.
Viktor asked, “What do we have to do to get you to cook at the penthouse too?” He leaned back in his chair, pulling his shirt up and patting his stomach. He’d pushed it out to make himself look like he had a belly. I laughed at him, knowing he had a six-pack like all of them.
“You don’t have to do anything, Viktor. I like it. Wait until it gets colder and I don’t want to go outside. I’ll start baking. Your stomach might actually look like that come spring.”
“Worth it,” he said, smiling broadly at me.
We spent the morning at the house as usual. When it was time for Adrik to leave for work, we all left. All of them had been practically giddy all morning long, like they had a secret that I wasn’t in on. I was hoping by their smiles that whatever it was, it was going to be good.
On the elevator up, I finally asked, “Are you guys going to let me in on the secret you’re all clearly very happy about?”
Adrik kissed my temple. He looked at his watch, then back to me. “In approximately fifteen minutes, you’ll know everything.”
Instead of going to the penthouse, we went to his office first. Except Ivan. Ivan stayed on the elevator, waving bye to me as I looked at him, confused, while the doors closed.
“Where’s he going?” I asked. Now I was getting even more curious. They all looked at me, devious grins on their faces, but no one answered my question. I felt myself starting to get slightly nervous about what they were planning.
It didn’t seem like we were in the office for more than five minutes and Viktor’s phone rang. He answered it, listened, then hung up. He looked to Adrik, “Ready, Boss.” Viktor looked to me, his broad smile stretching across his face.
Adrik grabbed my hand, leading me back to the elevator. Everyone followed us. No one said a word. They just had their shit-eating grins on their faces. Once in the elevator again, Adrik pulled me to him. I tucked myself into his side, looking at him, silently questioning what was going on. He just pushed the curls back from my face. “You’ll see,” he said, that smile still on his face.
Once we arrived at the top floor, I saw Ivan as the doors opened. He was grinning like a moron just like the rest of them.
“Okay, you guys are starting to creep me out. For real,” I said, starting to get frustrated they wouldn’t say anything. They all laughed.
Adrik pulled me with him toward the door to the penthouse. He opened the door, motioning for me to go first. “There’s someone who has something for you,” he said.
I looked at him, still not sure what exactly they were planning. I walked through the door, half expecting them all to wait outside, but they all silently followed me in the penthouse.
“Craig? What are you doing here?” I asked as I walked inside.
He walked to me, hugging me. “Sephie. I’ve been waiting for this moment for almost ten years.” He had tears in his eyes as he stepped back from me. I looked at him, still puzzled. He grabbed my hand and led me further into the penthouse. All the guys followed.
On the other side of the couches, I saw it. A piano. No. No, it can’t be. I stopped, looking at Craig in complete disbelief.
He smiled at me, knowing I knew exactly whose piano that was. “It really is, Sephie. I’ve been saving it, hoping this day would come.” I couldn’t speak; I just looked at him, completely shocked. He continued, “Sephie, your mother came to me years before her accident and asked me to promise her that I would find a way to keep that piano with you in the event that anything ever happened to her. I knew you didn’t have room for it in your apartment, so I’ve been keeping it.” He looked around the penthouse, laughing quietly. “You definitely have room now.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. I didn’t have words. I hugged him tightly, not even caring about the tears I knew were streaming down my face. He whispered, “Go. It’s missed you as much as you’ve missed it.” He gently pushed me toward the piano as he walked toward the guys.
