“Tell me.”
“I am taking you to meet my family. My brothers and sister.”
My breath caught at the declaration. I hadn’t expected that.
“Tonight?”
“Yes.”
He didn’t look at me when he said it, but this thumb pressed reassuringly into my thigh. “You shouldn’t be alone right now when you are already dealing with so many emotions at the same time. Their company will help make you feel better.”
“Are you sure, Avgust?”
“You are my wife, Ilana,” Avgust glanced at me as he said the words, making me gasp yet again. “If anything, I am already rather late in introducing you to my family, who in extension are your family as well now.”
My heart suddenly felt lighter, as if the feeling of him hiding me away had been weighing on me. Before I could respond in acceptance or denial, he picked up his phone and dialed.
“Zhenya,” he said as soon as the line connected. The phone was on speaker so I could hear everything.
“Avgust Chernykh,” Zhenya exclaimed from the other end. “You disappear for weeks and do not pick up my calls and do not answer my messages, and now you have the balls to call me out of nowhere?”
I almost laughed at the way she spoke to Avgust, which made me realize they shared a rather friendly relationship. I had always thought I was close to my brothers, but our relationship had been formal from the very beginning.
“I called to tell you that I am coming home tonight. For dinner?”
“For dinner? You aren’t coming to stay?” Zhenya asked.
“I might stay as well.”
There was a pause on the other end. Then excitement crackled through the speaker.
“If you were ugly or awful, I could have held onto my anger for a little longer. But you know exactly what to say when,” Zhenya croaked.
“Now listen to me, I am also bringing someone important with me,” he added, and then turned to look at me. “Very, very important.”
I heard Zhenya squeal through the speaker, already knowing she expected him to bring a girl.
“I can’t wait to see you, brother.” Zhenya ended the call, and I finally allowed myself a small chuckle.
“How angry will she be when she finds out we got married without her present?” I asked, feeling a little excited to meet Zhenya and the other Chernykh siblings already.
“Devastated,” Avgust shook his head. “But she will get over it eventually. She is close to me and often gets demanding, but you will love her when you meet her.”
“I don’t doubt that for one second,” I replied in all honesty. He smiled, choosing not to reply, but I had no desire to stay silent anymore. “So I am someone very important?”
“You are the only one that is important, Ilana,” Avgust said, without missing a beat.
My heart almost melted.
“You’re going to be very safe with us, Ilana. I promise,” he said simply, as if stating an obvious fact.
And God help me, I believed him.
***
I had certainly not expected this. Whatever this was.
Laughter echoed through the house the moment we stepped inside. Real, warm, unguarded laughter. Not the hollow politeness I was used to in social settings and my own house. Not the obligatory laughter used only as a strategy.
