It was clear Magnum knew his daughter and cared about her, which I assume was why he’d kept her a secret. He had to know it would come to something like this. If he didn’t think the Minister and our mother would step in, he was only being naïve.
“I had everything else delivered to the house,” I told my brother, trying my best to ignore Cinder’s attitude raining off her.
“Valerie’s, you mean?” Cinder took the moment to speak with a sinister look on her face. Nothing about this meet-up made me feel good, including when my brother’s fiancée added, “Here she is, the answer to my prayers.”
She knew better than to use Tulya like she was some disposable commodity, yet that was how she was treating her. Then again, Tulya’s own mother acted that way to a certain extent. All of it made my blood boil.
“Magnum, Cinder, good to see you,” Tulya said, coming to my side, the roller coaster we’d experienced the last two nights set aside for the business at hand.
Tulya and I kept a respectful distance, which felt equal parts horrible and awkward, but it wasn’t necessary to give away our secret. Especially since it ended now.
“Let’s get to work.” Cinder stood and tipped back her coffee before setting the empty cup down.
“Are you ready?” I quietly asked Tulya.
“She is,” Cinder responded before Tulya could even nod.
“Come on, Cin,” my brother said, running his hand down Cinder’s back. “You said you were going to try,” he tried to whisper to his fiancée.
If Hollywood were making this movie, the critics would call it not believable. We, as Rubians, looked like humans, had powers similar to witches and warlocks, walked about the earth with no one knowing our secret. Earning money and living our posh lives, untilboom, my brother has a torrid affair, fathers a child and falls for the woman, while being engaged to a fellow Rubian. Leaving us now, here in the States, trying to transfer feelings between one of us and a human, and basically steal the child, all the while hoping the fiancée likes the kid. And praying we didn’t endanger Tulya—at least I was doing the last item.
“I am, I am,” Cinder said, leaning into Magnum. “Especially once Tuvy takes this pain from me.”
I made quick work of stealing a glance at Tulya. She held her shoulders high despite the weight bearing down on her.
Again, an insatiable need tugged at me to comfort her but now wasn’t the time. Actually,neverwas.
I handed the valet my ticket and he ran for the car while Magnum came up behind me carrying the gift bags, Cinder’s body language anything but saying she was going to try.
Marley answered the door with a sour look on her face.
“I wouldn’t have allowed this,” she mumbled but was stopped short by Blake scurrying to her side. “But here we are.”
“Daddy!” Blake squealed before launching into Magnum’s arms.
It was a well-practiced move and it was clear they had done it many times before. As startling as this knowledge was to me, I glanced at Cinder who looked like she’d seen a ghost. She was pale white, almost translucent. I was worried she was going to faint. We’d never imagined a child being involved when thiswhole idea materialized—I couldn’t help but ponder whether it would have changed the course of action.
Surprisingly, Magnum took notice of Cinder and put one hand on her elbow, holding his daughter with the other arm.
“Hey, Bumblebeeeee,” he said, kissing Blake’s forehead.
Desperately, I wanted to check in with Tulya, but I couldn’t take my gaze off my brother—the family man—and his slowly fading fiancée off to the side. My God, what a mess he’d made.
“Hi, Daddy. Merry Christmas.” The small girl curled into his shoulder in another well-rehearsed move.
“Shall we go inside?” I suggested, thinking Cinder should sit and we should take our spectacle somewhere private.
Marley moved without a word, allowing us entry. Magnum headed in first, still holding Blake. Cinder stayed by her man’s side, giving a quick glance toward Tulya with a pleading look. I grabbed the gift bags Magnum had set down and waited for Tulya to enter, my hand taking a quick moment to touch her lower back.
She didn’t respond but I knew she felt it. There was some sort of zing that happened when we touched one another. I’d felt it get stronger the more intimate we’d been, and I knew it wasn’t my imagination. Sadly, it was likely our polar opposite powers clashing, trying to make order out of the madness.
“Mom!” Blake jumped out of Magnum’s arms and ran toward the kitchen where we first visited a few days ago. “Mom, Daddy’s here, come on.” I heard Blake from afar.
Taking in the room, I recalled seeing the tree the other day. Fresh, if my nose served me right, decorated in all white, a star at the top. Underneath sat several presents, I assumed the ones I sent.
Magnum was clearly familiar with the space and stood next to Cinder as she took it in herself. On the mantel sat a framed photograph of Magnum holding a tiny infant-sized version ofBlake in his hands. A piece of my heart shattered seeing how much of my brother’s life I hadn’t known about; I couldn’t imagine what Cinder was feeling but I was starting to think it didn’t matter.
Turning my attention across the room, watching Tulya squirm by the tree, I knew she could feel Cinder’s pain heightening.
