“Hey, Mom,” I answered.
“Hey, hun. How’s it going?”
“Good. Just doing some cleaning, about to start laundry.”
“Tell me everything.”
I chuckled at the sound of my mom begging for some gossip.
“Everything is still the same,” I told her. “Roman is withdrawn and a bit of a grouch. The place is really nice, though.” I said, looking inside for a laundry basket.
“Really?” Mom said, sighing. “He’s not the boy I remember. He used to be so calm and sweet. We’re all still hurting, and I suppose we all grieve differently, too.”
I swallowed hard at her words. It was true. We did grieve differently, and it wasn’t something that would go away, no matter how many years it had been.
“I met Sophia, too,” I said, changing the subject. “Mom, she looks just like Chloe. Blonde hair, blue eyes. She even moves the same way, like the mannerisms she uses.”
“Have you talked to Roman about bringing her around us?” There was a note of hope in her voice.
“Not yet, but I’m going to when the time is right. I haven’t been around him much at all. I was hoping to spend some time with the two of them, build some relationship first.”
“So, who’s been watching Sophia all this time?”
“Different nannies brought in by an agency. Roman also has a personal assistant named Monica, and she seems to handle almost everything for him when it comes to the house and Sophia.”
“And what about school for you? You had the meetings, and then things got busy, and we didn’t hear back.”
“I’m enrolled. Sophia goes to daycare during the day, so tomorrow, I’ll drop her off in the morning, go to school, and then pick her up that evening.”
“I sure hope I didn’t push you into this. It seems like you have a lot on your plate.” I could hear the frown in her voice.
“You didn’t push me into it,” I told her. “I want to be here. I want to fix this for our family, and I want Sophia back in our lives.”
“I want all that too, but not at the cost of you spreading yourself too thin. You should be focusing on school, not raising your niece. I guess I thought Roman was doing more for her. At least that’s what I’ve been telling myself.”
I took a seat on Sophia’s bed.
“I can do both,” I assured her. “Plus, anything is better than being back in New York with a cheating boyfriend and a lying best friend. I promise everything is OK.”
She sighed. “OK. I believe you.”
We continued our conversation for a few more minutes before bidding each other goodbye. I hung up and looked around the room.
I didn’t want to admit it, but I had a lot of work ahead of me.
TEN
ROMAN
It had been a long ass day. I was tired as fuck, cranky, and hungry. All I wanted to do was go home and eat. I wanted a hot meal, a cold drink, and a long shower to decompress. I was annoyed the instant I pulled into the parking garage because I noticed the Mercedes wasn’t there, meaning Sasha and Sophia hadn’t made it home. If they hadn’t made it home, then I knew there was no dinner on the table. And above all else, I wanted something to eat. As I walked into my home, I mentally bitched at myself for getting rid of the staff. It was time to start fresh, but I hadn’t had the time to replace them yet.
Walking into the silent penthouse was weird. It had never been quiet before. There was always Sophia and her nannies making noise, or the staff I kept employed. But they were all gone, and I was alone.
I listened as I slowly looked around the room. It was dark despite the large windows. A storm was rolling in, so the sunshine had checked out, and dark clouds blotted out the sky. I took a deep breath and pushed myself forward as I checked the time on my watch.
It was only a little after five, so I figured that Sasha was picking Sophia up from daycare. Walking through the house, Inoticed that every room was clean, even though it never really got messy. I went to the kitchen, finding the room clean and dimly lit, as if the room hadn’t been used all day.
There was no sign of food, not even a scent that clung to the air from an earlier meal. My stomach rumbled, but I tightened the muscles and turned to walk down the hall to go to my home office. I wondered what Sasha planned on preparing and how long it would take. My stomach continued to rumble, and I bitched to myself about how I shouldn’t have skipped lunch.
