AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You don’t like caviar?” Misha retrieved a small, pearly white spoon from a drawer and held it out to me.
I took it but set both items back on the counter next to the little tin that I could safely say was the black variety. “Not particularly.”
“What’s caviar?” Ezra asked.
“You wouldn’t like it,” I replied at the same time Bri helpfully answered with, “Fish eggs.”
“Fish eggs? Yuck!” Ezra, in true five-year-old fashion, gagged violently even though he was four feet away from the sealed containers.
“Thanks,” I said to Bri.
“What? He asked.” She made a face and grabbed one of the ham rolls, setting it on her plate.
I looked pointedly at Misha, waiting for the overwhelm to kick in. Then again, it had only been a week. Give it a month and he’d probably be at his wit’s end.
Instead of being irritated or insulted, Misha looked as patient as a saint. He finished helping Ezra and, wisely, carried both of their plates to the table. There was a pile of something reddish-purple in color that was dangerously close to the edge of the plate and I had visions of it winding up all over the upholstered dining room chairs if Ezra was involved with the transportation.
I took a little bit of everything, pretty much forgetting the names and rundowns on what was what, and joined them in the dining room.
“Oh, I forgot.” Misha walked back into the kitchen, returning with the champagne and the bag of oranges. “These are practically required.”
“Now these I can get behind,” I said, taking a couple of oranges and setting them in front of the kids before snagging one for myself.
“Just no caviar?” Misha raised his brows at me.
“And whatever’s in the green bowl. I’m with Ezra on that one.”
“I’ll have to remember for next year,” Misha said.
“Next year?” Bri glanced between Misha and I. “Are we going to be here next year?”
I didn’t answer because I didn’thavean answer. I mean, Misha was already making plans to redecorate everything and enroll them in school but until that family lawyer got all the guardianship paperwork situated, I didn’t want to make any promises I couldn’t keep.
“Would you like to be?” Misha asked in the wake of my silence.
“Yeah,” Ezra answered between bites of bread. “I like it here. It’s quiet. Nadia and I can play fetch. Did you know she throws her own balls? She flips her nose”—he imitated it for us—“and flings the ball and then chases it.”
The dog perked up at her name being mentioned and sat directly next to Ezra, waiting as patiently as her master for food or attention.
“She’s very smart,” Misha concurred before turning his focus back to Bri.
Bri looked at me instead, hopeful and fearful all at once. She was my mini-me, without a doubt, only more expressive. I knew exactly what she was thinking from the look on her face. She wanted to stay but she was afraid if she said it out loud, the universe would take it all away.
“It’s ok if you don’t want to,” I said with a small smile. “We can go back to the other apartment. Or I can find us a different place. And you don’t have to make a decision right now, either. We’ve got time.”
“No, I do. It’s just… new.” New and good and untainted, which meant the other shoe was bound to drop the moment you got too comfortable. God, this must have been how Misha felt, trying to convince me something was forever when all I’d ever known was temporary.
“The stores will be closed tomorrow,” Misha said, “but the day after we can go shopping. New bedding, new clothes, whatever you like.”
Her dark eyes darted back to mine and I nodded. “He’s serious. And I know this is going to be really hard for you to believe, but he’s even more stubborn than I am, so you might as well go along with it.”
She cracked a smile and nodded to herself, turning her attention to her plate and digging into something Misha claimed was a salad, yet there wasn’t a particle of lettuce in sight.
I caught Misha’s gaze across the table, mouthing a silent “Thank you.”
He smiled and turned to Ezra, chatting about Nadia and telling him all about what other tricks she had up her furry sleeves.
It was another one of those things that felt… normal. And strange. I didn’t trust it. But like Misha said, my first thought was always a lie, so I focused on what came next, the logical assessment of a situation. My second thought told me this is what happiness felt like and it was…ok. It didn’t automatically mean something bad was coming next. It was ok to sit down for an actual meal and talk about random things. It was ok to finally breathe. We’d all be ok.
