by Bloom, Nikki
I sighed. “Deal.”
* * *
I did feel normal, strolling beside Erik down the fresh produce aisle of Whole Foods. He pushed the trolley and I stuck close to him, feeling at ease with him by my side. Anyone looking at us would have assumed we were a normal couple going about our business. No one would ever know that I was running from a family of criminals and parading around under a fake identity.
“Just take up whatever you think we need,” Erik declared. “Oh, and make sure you get whatever you need to make danishes.”
I glanced at him questioningly. “That’s random.”
“Not really. You’ve made plenty of danishes for Rocco, and you still haven’t made any for me.”
My mouth fell open. “I’ve baked plenty for you. I made apple pie last week.”
“But not danishes.”
His grimace made me giggle. “Your jealousy is kind of cute.”
“Nothing cute about it,” he grumbled, picking up a bunch of bananas to inspect them. “I’d still like to know why you two are so close. When we dropped by your apartment a few days ago, you seemed pretty cozy with the smug bastard.”
I recalled the incident. We’d stopped by my place to pick up a few more of my things and Rocco had knocked on my door. Erik had caught us deep in discussion and he hadn’t been pleased. His jealousy was amusing because Rocco and I had only been discussing that fake driver’s license I wanted. I was only telling him to put it on hold since Erik insisted on having someone drive me everywhere if he wasn’t available.
“I’d like to know exactly what your relationship is with that guy,” Erik said sourly.
Rolling my eyes, I glanced around to ensure no one was nearby. Stepping closer, I lowered my voice to a whisper. “You want to know what my relationship is with that guy? He’s the one that helped me get my fake IDs. There, are you happy? I really didn’t want you to know because it’s embarrassing. Okay?”
Erik stood frozen, his brows elevated. “Oh.”
“Is that all you have to say?”
He rubbed the back of his neck and rocked back on his heels. “Don’t be embarrassed, Crystal. I know your situation and I understand.”
His words were of little comfort at that moment. Ducking my head, I murmured. “Yeah, well. It’s wrong so I feel awful.”
He caught my chin between his fingers and forced me to look at him. “I’m sorry for making you bring it up. Let's drop the subject.”
My lips twitched as a smile forced its way to the surface. “I can’t believe you were jealous of Rocco. He isn’t even my type.”
“I wouldn’t know your type. What is your type?”
Not having much prior dating experience, I had to think about that one. What was my type? All I knew was that I wasn’t attracted to my neighbor at all, but I was into Erik… as a matter of fact I was too much into him. “You,” I answered.
There was that familiar flicker of smug male satisfaction in his eyes that made me want to roll mine. “I like that answer,” he purred.
“I’m sure you do.” I walked off, so he wouldn’t see my grin. I was happy with Erik even though a part of me was preparing to leave him behind if I had to.
16
Erik
I felt eyes boring into me and glanced up with a scowl. “What?”
Christine’s gray eyes swirled with curiosity as she continued to peer at me.
Setting my fork down, I sighed. “I hope you didn’t invite me over for dinner just to stare at me because it’s weird.”
Finally, she smiled at me across the table. “Sorry, it’s just that you’ve been...different lately.”
Glancing at Mason who was on the floor playing with his toys, I glanced back to her smirking face. I shrugged, perplexed. “What are you talking about? I’m the same person I’ve always been.”
A smile tugged at her lips. “No. You’ve been less rakish.”
I lifted a forkful of pasta and stopped momentarily. “Excuse me?” Christine was always one to tell me the truth even if it meant hurting my feelings. I’ve always appreciated that. She’d kept me grounded and rescued me from my own arrogance on many occasions. That was what big sisters were for, right?
Scratching her chin thoughtfully, Christine proceeded to explain her ridiculous and confusing comment. “Well, you seem more settled. For an entire month, you haven’t mentioned a wild night out or a one-night stand. And you haven’t used me to get out of a sticky morning after in a while.”
Shoving pasta into my mouth, I chewed slowly, considering Christine’s revelation. I used to do that a lot, didn’t I? How quickly, I changed. It was only weeks ago and now I was looking back and realizing how immature that was. Strange how quickly my mindset changed. All because of one woman. “I see. Well, I suppose it’s because I have a…girlfriend.”
Christine’s brows shot up. “Like one of many?”
“No,” I replied. “Like only one.” Clearing my throat, I added, “I guess you can say it’s pretty serious. It is serious.”
Christine gawked at me, sending my annoyance mounting. Was it that hard to believe that I could settle down with one woman? Then again, I suppose my actions over the years have implied that I wasn’t capable. I’ve surprised even myself.
“My God,” Christine said in awe. “I have to meet this woman. She must be something special. You’ve been breaking female hearts and flitting from one bed to the other like a philandering butterfly since you hit puberty, and now it sounds like you’re in love. Oh, my God. Are you in love?”
I never blushed. Yet, I felt my face heating up. “First of all, philandering butterfly? You really know how to insult a man, don’t you?” I glance toward Mason through the archway of the kitchen. “And in front of my nephew no less.”
“Oh, please. He isn’t hearing a thing,” Christine admonished.
I glowered in her direction. “Second, yes, she is very special.”
“And third?” My sister eyed me with a smug expression, her eyes gleaming with challenge.
Am I in love? I had to loosen my tie a bit. The L word was such a big deal for a simple four-letter word. Hell, just the mention of it was making me, a grown man, sweat. But then my anxiety evaporated when I thought about being with Crystal for the rest of my life. I didn’t break out into hives at the thought of having such deep feelings for someone as I would have just weeks ago.
I nodded. “It may be too soon, but, yes, I suppose I am in love.”
A beat of silence passed and I still didn’t have any adverse reactions. Yup, I was in love and I was okay with it. Christine, on the other hand, appeared to be stunned beyond words. Her mouth opened and closed several times without a sound. She resembled a fish out of water and I almost laughed.
“Wow,” she finally got out. “I knew one day that hard-ass shell of yours would crack, but I had no idea it would be this soon. What’s her name? Wait,” her eyes narrowed. “Is it by any chance Mason’s teacher?”
“How do you…” Of course, Mason told his mother we had Crystal over the weekend I was supposed to babysit. I would never ask a six-year-old to keep secrets from his mother; I just hoped he wouldn’t utter a word to Christine. “Are you angry?”
“That you chickened out and had to call for backup to look after one kid?”
I frowned. She made me sound like a real pussy.
She laughed. “Why would I be mad? I’ve met Miss Scott and spoken with her a couple of times. At least you got someone trustworthy. Mason doesn’t shut up about her. I think he has a little crush on the teacher’s aide.”
I laughed. “The kid’s got great taste like his uncle.”
Shaking her head, Christine got up and began clearing the table. “Alright, so there’s no need for a big introduction. I like her. Mason likes her. You love her. Bring her over for dinner this weekend.”
Crystal wouldn’t like it. She was determined to keep her head down. I knew she’d be uncomfortable around Christine, having to dodge certain questions. I opened my mouth to
refuse but Christine declared,
“I won’t take no for an answer.” She gave me a pointed look, the look that said I’d better do as she wished. I wasn’t up for an argument I’d lose so I resigned with a sigh. “Fine.” I’d be here to thwart Christine’s inquisitive nature anyway, so Crystal would be okay.
Clapping her hands gleeful, Christine smiled broadly. “I think I’m more excited about this than you are. I was worried about you.”
Finishing off my pasta, I reached for my beer and gulped it down before responding. “Why?”
“I thought for sure we’d scarred you for life. Scared you away from finding love and settling down.”
“We?”
“Mom and Dad. Me and…”
Pain flickered in her eyes and I felt the urge to break something. Preferably her ex-husband’s neck. My sister’s ex had nearly destroyed her with his cheating and abuse. Then he left his wife and child high and dry. The bastard showed up a year later demanding Christine sign divorce papers so he could get married again to a woman he’d started another family with. My sister being the stubborn, prideful woman she was didn’t hesitate to sign those papers and rid both herself and Mason of the asshole. She didn’t ask for a dime, and between me and her, Mason wanted for nothing. Our parents were another story. Growing up bearing witness to their toxic relationship did indeed leave me scarred.
I shrugged it off. “It never bothered me.”
She sent me a dubious glance. “Yeah right. As if you can lie to me. Seeing those around you in relationships that never worked out, that ended disastrously, was what made you skeptical about love your entire life.”
Gritting my teeth, I sat back. It wasn’t a subject I enjoyed talking about. “Alright, you got me. It seems that I’m cured now so you don’t have to worry anymore.”
Shaking her head, she snorted. “I’m your big sister. You don’t have to play tough around me. I’ve seen you cry many times, remember that.”
“When I was five,” I said on a groan. There were times when Christine seemed to forget that I was an adult.
Snickering, she waved me off and busied herself loading the dishwasher. I got up, ready to get back to my place. Back to Crystal. It was incredible how much I missed her after seeing her just this morning. I’d decided to give her some space because I felt like I was crowding her too much. It was enough that I’d pretty much demanded that she stayed with me. So, before I left for work, I told her she’d have the house to herself for the entire evening.
It was getting late, but I decided to hang out with Mason a bit first before heading home. I missed the little guy.
* * *
I could practically feel her anxiety as we waited at the door. “It’ll be fine, Crystal. Christine doesn’t bite and you love Mason.” It had taken great effort to talk her into accepting Christine’s dinner invitation. It took days to wear her down.
“I’m not nervous about seeing your sister again. She was nice the first couple times we spoke.” Crystal smoothed her casual green dress with shaky fingers. “I’m worried about her asking questions.”
“I knew you would be. Don’t worry, I’m right here.” I laced my fingers with hers and she released a breath and smiled.
Just then the door flew open to reveal a beaming Christine with an equally excited Mason at her side.
“Uncle Erik! Crystal!” He paused. “Can I still call you that? We’re not at school.”
Crystal smiled. “Of course you can.”
Satisfied, Mason grinned and launched himself at me. Catching the rambunctious child in one arm, I shook my head. “Pretty soon I won’t be able to keep up with you, little buddy.” I still held on to Crystal, and Christine eyed our connected hands with a small smile. I sent her a warning glare to not say anything to make Crystal uncomfortable. She was already skittish enough.
With a smirk, Christine turned her full attention to Crystal. “Hi, Crystal... may I call you Crystal?”
“Of course.”
“Welcome, it’s good to see you again.”
“You too. Thank you for your invitation.”
“No problem. Come in, both of you. I hope you like seafood.”
“Love it.”
As if realizing that she was still holding on to my hand for dear life, Crystal blushed and eased her hand out of mine. I missed the contact but was relieved she’d relaxed a bit.
Dinner was off to a great start. Mason was the center of attention for the first portion. Christine was right: Mason couldn’t stop talking about how great Crystal was. She’s the nicest, she’s the best teacher ever, she always helps me with math. If we allowed him, he’d sing Crystal praises all night, but not long after dinner he was carted off to bed and he reluctantly went.
Christine returned a short time later. “Crystal, it’s safe to say, Mason loves you. You seem to really be great with kids.”
“I love children,” she gushed. “I’ve always wanted to work with them.”
“So, I guess you’re going to start having a few little ones of your own soon.”
Crystal’s smile slipped and her shoulders went rigid. “I... well…”
Crap. I should have known Christine was going to go there and stopped her. Certainly she wouldn’t be aware of the demons Crystal was trying to escape. The thought of having children and being on the run was freaking her out, I could tell.
“You two would make great parents. Erik is great with Mason even though he’s convinced he’s horrible with children. Have you two—”
“Christine, that’s enough,” I bit out.
Crystal had gone pale. I was annoyed and Christine was clueless about the mental catastrophe she’d caused. She looked from me to Crystal. “Oh, dear. Have I overstepped? You two just started dating. I don’t know why I went there. Clearly it’s much too soon to think about children—”
“Christine.”
She looked at me, wearing a perplexed expression. “Okay, whatever I said wrong, I’m sorry. I talk too much when I get excited,” she explained. “Sometimes I put my foot in my mouth. It’s a disease I can’t get rid of.”
“You haven’t said anything wrong,” Crystal began. “It’s just that things are...too complicated right now to even think about children.”
Christine frowned. “Complicated between you two?”
“No…”
“For goodness’ sake, just stop with the questions,” I snapped a bit too harshly.
Two pairs of wide eyes swung to me. Christine’s filled with confusion and Crystal’s with shock.
Reining in my temper. I glared at my sister. She meant well, but sometimes she really did talk too much. It always amused me, but not now. Not when Crystal seemed as if she was ready to bolt. I couldn’t have her run. “We’ve been seeing each other for a month. Do you really expect us to start popping out kids already? Enough with the children talk.”
“Fine, I’m sorry.”
I thought things would get better, but I was wrong. Christine turned her attention back to Crystal. “More wine?”
“Sure. Thanks.”
Crystal was in the process of taking a sip when Christine said, “So, Crystal, tell me a bit more about yourself. Are you originally from Seattle? Tell me about your family.” Crystal gulped down the contents of her glass and her hands started to visibly shake.
I wanted to throttle my sister, but I couldn’t. Her questions were completely innocent. She wouldn’t know about Crystal’s sensitive situation. “She has no family in the city,” I jumped in.
A hand rested on my thigh and I turned to look at Crystal who gave me a reassuring smile. “As Erik said, I have no family in Seattle. Everyone is back on the east coast. I really just ended up on this side of the country by chance and fell in love with the city. Then, I got a job and it just seemed right to stay.”
“Wow, by chance?”
Nodding, Crystal’s fingers tightened on my leg. But she was holding her own. “Sure. You ever feel adventurous and you just get up and go?”
Leaning forward, Christine nodded. “Oh, my God, yes. But that was when I was much younger. Now, with a kid and a full-time job, no matter how adventurous I feel, I have to cool my heels and stay right here. Honestly, sometimes I wish I could just get up and go somewhere.”
Chuckling, Crystal said, “First of all, you’re still very young and second, whenever the adventure bug bites you, I’m sure Erik will babysit Mason for a week or two.”
Sputtering, I grunted, “Don’t give her any ideas. Look at her, she’s planning a trip to God knows where as we speak. I can’t babysit for an entire week, much less two. I’m horrible at it.”
“No, you’re not,” both women chorused. They turned to each other and laughed, leaving me feeling outnumbered. Incredible. Crystal had expertly skirted around my sister’s questions and managed to divert the conversation to me. I gazed at her with an admiring smirk and saw a smile tug at her lips.
“I don’t know why he insists he’s so bad with children,” Christine said with a shrug. “Given the chance, Mason would choose to live with his uncle instead of me.”
“I’ve seen first-hand how great he is with Mason,” Crystal added.
“Okay, enough, you two.”
They both giggled and before Christine could ask anything else, Crystal asked, “So, can I help you clean up?”
“That would be great. Thanks.”
I caught Christine’s twinkling eyes. She approved of Crystal, not that I needed her approval, but it was satisfying. Giving my leg another squeeze, this time reassuringly, Crystal got up and began clearing the table. “Thank you so much for dinner, Christine. Hats off to the chef.”
My sister didn’t blush that easily, yet her cheeks turned pink. “Thank you. I try.”
I watched in amazement as both women moved around and easy conversation floated between them, with Crystal keeping the topics on Christine. I was immensely proud of how she handled my inquisitive sister, but I saw the sadness in her smile each time she directed one at me. That only fueled my desire to make things right for her.
