He crossed his arms, looking smugger than I’d ever seen him. “Is he in love with you?”
Sheesh, don’t sound so shocked.
“No, not at all. He’s got some weird idea that the universe is telling us something. Bullshit Russian lit versions of life. They have a stupid proverb for everything.” I stood and placed my hands on his folded arms. “He’s not what I want. You are.”
A shiver shuddered down my spine. I ignored it.
His lips curved in a smirk. “Maybe you could stretch it out. Get him to pay you alimony.”
I laughed nervously, and he joined in a second later. That same unease shivered through me. “I don’t need his money. This will be over soon, but in the meantime, could we place the proposal on ice?”
He cupped my waist with his hands and pulled me close. “So if we slept together, we’d be having an affair? Sounds kind of naughty.”
I had to say, he was taking this very well. After the initial shock, he seemed to understand that we had ourselves a very fixable situation.
This was exactly the kind of person I wanted to marry. A reasonable-minded problem-solver, not an emotionally stunted secret hoarder, toying with me like a cat would a comatose mouse.
The affair comment irked me, though. I didn’t want anything Nazarov-related to taint what I had with Thad. I would not be using this crazy situation to improve my sex life.
Which was fine. Absolutely fine.
“I’m so sorry that this happened. I have a top-notch legal team on it, gathering all the paperwork necessary to make this go away.”
Best not to mention that the divorce papers had been drawn up and sent several days ago, only to be ignored by my ass of a husband. I would keep that romantic dinner and locker room kiss to myself as well.
He chuckled. “It’s kind of wild. I don’t want to share you, but if I had to choose anyone …”
“Not funny.” I was no longer enjoying this. I preferred when he was moody and jealous.
Like Alexei.
Chapter Twenty
Alexei
* * *
Franky opened the door with little Cammi in one of those wraparound carriers.
“Hello there. Come in.”
“Am I disturbing you? Jason asked me over for lunch, but he should be the one answering the door.”
“Not at all.” She pushed her glasses back on her nose. “He’s in the kitchen, making salad dressing. It’s a thing.”
Okay. “And how are you today?”
She smiled, and the woman Jason had fallen in love with blossomed before my eyes. “Well. I’m trying to get into a routine—it’s been a lot of change around here, and I’m the kind of person who craves a structure.”
“And Isner is not?”
“Actually, he’s more organized than I gave him credit for. I’m the one having a little difficulty settling down. I have a book to write but this little one is taking up every spare second. Aren’t you, Cammi?” She nuzzled the baby’s head as we walked into the kitchen. “Look who’s here.”
Jason wore an apron with the slogan, “I’ll feed all you puckers.”
“Naz! Grab yourself a beverage—water, juice, whatever you need is in the fridge.”
He had been somewhat insistent that I come over for lunch, which I didn’t mind. To be honest, I was glad of the break from Sasha. He had thrown a tantrum this morning before Maya arrived because he wanted to play chess, which was one of his favorite things to do with his friends in Seattle. But one, I didn’t know how to play, and two, I couldn’t risk him hurting himself with the sharp-edged pieces. I was reminded of how reliant he was on me for everything, and yet again, I questioned if I had made the right decision to come to Chicago.
