Artur snorted, saying, “She had to have them by C-Section. Only one person was allowed in the room with her. It was a no-brainer who was going in there, but they didn’t let him in immediately while they got her ready. He was like a caged lion roaming back and forth in front of the door… wearing pink scrubs. It was hilarious.”
“I didn’t think so,” Grigori growled.
“You were awfully cute in those scrubs,” Ember teased, patting his leg. “I think my doctor had a thing for you.”
Daniil and I stopped eating when his kids went silent.
I stared as Ember’s red brows puckered.
Grigori quickly said, “You obviously weren’t interested at the time. And you know I wasn’t a monk.”
Ember’s jaw clenched, and she stayed silent.
I chewed on a piece of bacon slowly.
This was the first time I had ever seen Grigori frantic. It was kind of amusing.
“Honey, it wasn’t while he was your doctor.” I damn near choked realizing Grigori was also bi. All of this information was gold. “It was afterward. He came into Blitz Club one night while I was DJing. It was only once.”
Eva delicately cleared her throat.
Grigori stopped and then amended, “Twice. I meant twice. That’s all.” He paused. “You and I were only friends then.”
“Mmm,” Ember said through her teeth. “He was very pretty if I remember correctly.”
Grigori’s mouth opened, and then snapped shut.
He outwardly decided it was best to keep quiet.
I kept eating in the silence. Daniil did the same.
Ember sighed, breaking the silence. “Elizabeth, a word of advice. Make sure you have an ugly doctor.”
It was in the early hours of the morning when I stirred from Daniil lying me down. I yawned and stretched, glancing around. “Where are we?”
“My bedroom.” He began undressing.
I only remembered being on the plane. Not the landing. Or leaving the plane. Or the car ride. I must have been out completely. “I should really be back at my apartment. I have to go to church in a few hours.”
Unbuckling his belt, Daniil paused. “What time do you need to be there?”
“Ten o’clock,” I grumbled, and rolled, staring around the room. The bedroom itself wasn’t large. The four-poster King size bed took up most of the darkly colored room done in mauves and deep blue hues. The woodwork was dark, but the woodwork along the ceiling was intricately carved with swirls and loops. There was a dresser in the same dark wood. A flat screen TV hung above it on the wall. There were two nightstands, with lamps on each with dark blue lampshades. Off to the right, there was a bathroom, to the left was probably a closet, and through the open door next to the dresser there was a large area resembling a living room done in the same deep shades. It appeared he had an apartment of sorts. Like back in the 1800s in England. Very posh.
Daniil sat down next to me on the bed and set the alarm clock for eight. “I’ll be attending with you.”
I grinned. “Dad’ll love that.” I paused, yawning. “I guess I can wear something from the trip. Did someone bring in my luggage?”
“Yes,” Daniil kissed my forehead. “Go back to sleep.”
The next morning, my stomach churned as the alarm clock blared. I rolled out of bed, disoriented for a second, holding my mouth and glancing around, trying to remember where the hell I was. Daniil shot up in bed—I felt a little relief seeing him—took one look at my face, and jumped out of bed. He rounded it, opening a door, and ushered me inside. It was the bathroom, thank God, because almost as soon as my knees hit the tile, I started puking into the toilet.
He held my hair back with one hand, crooning to me softly and wetting a washrag with his other hand. I didn’t even have time to feel embarrassed. All I felt was sicker than shit. I groaned and felt it coming again even as he set the cool, damp washrag on the back of my neck. And it did come again, even as I repeatedly flushed the toilet.
Puking was so not my thing.
Hugging the toilet when I was done, Daniil left me for a moment. I heard him turn the alarm clock off that was still beeping annoyingly. I didn’t move when he came back in, but he unzipped the back of my dress I was still wearing, and gently undressed me—and himself—then picked me up and carried me into the shower. He proceeded to wash himself and me with the gentlest hands imaginable.
By the time the shower was done, I was feeling much better…and starving.
