I am slipping. That’s why it’s imperative to tell my best friend the truth tomorrow morning and not a moment later.
My desire to claim her is urgent.
33
DAHLIA
Tomorrow, the secrecy will end. I will take his hand, and we will walk hand in hand into my brother’s house. Together.
I refuse to live in secrecy any longer. Enzo will accept our love because we won’t give him an alternative.
I refuse to go to my bed alone when I want to fall asleep in his.
I refuse to be afraid after I’ve been terrified for years. The girl I used to be is gone.
The metamorphosis is now complete. It took years, but I’ve emerged from my cocoon and become a woman. And this woman is not afraid to go after what she desires.
At the piano, I touch my lips. They still tingle from his possessive kiss. This man can kiss. Kiss me silly. Kiss me mad.
The phone call with my sister-in-law just a few minutes ago gave me the final push.
“Love hates secrecy, Dahlia. It wants to be in the open. It’s self-centered like that.”
I smiled at her reply. “Thank you for giving me tonight. But tomorrow, it ends.”
I am so thankful to her for having distracted my brother for the last few days.
Tonight, I will reveal to Mika what I’ve worked on tirelessly. A completely new composition. A declaration of love resounding in every key.
Inhaling deeply, I straighten my shoulders and offer him a soft smile.
He pats his chest in return. He’s not hiding in the shadows anymore, but sits in the middle of the first row.
Turning my attention to the piano, I pour my endless love into every note. Floating beyond time and space.
The hour ends, and silence greets me. My heart twists, thinking I did a horrible job, and then the audience explodes, easing me instantly.
Everyone jumps from their seats, clapping in a frenzy. Overcome with gratitude, I bow my head to the audience in thanks. As my eyes sweep the crowd, I see a flash of a shadow that resembles my brother. My nerves must be at an all-new height, making me paranoid.
My sister-in-law organized a romantic date tonight, and they’ll be holed up in their penthouse at the hotel.
Mika’s eyes glisten as he blinks at me, rooting me in place. I am terrified that it was too much. That he didn’t like it, but that all goes away when he rises to his feet and strides to me.
Cupping my cheek, he lowers his face, breathing me in.
“Thank you.”
Two simple words, but with a world of meaning behind them.
The curtains close around us just in time for him to claim my lips in the softest kiss possible.
“You liked it?” I murmur.
He closes his eyes for an instant, but not before I glimpse an unbound love burning in them. “I loved it. I have no words, baby girl.”
I take his hand and place it on my heart, saying in Russian, “Ty muza za vsem etim, lyubov’ vsey moyey zhizni.”You’re the muse behind them all, the love of my life.
“You know Russian?” he asks, the awe clear.
