Page 80 of Midnight Wedding

Mom bustles around, straightening things, basically acting like she can’t sit still. It’s actually nice to see—when she’s at her sickest, she can’t do very much, and it drives her inside. She’s the kind of person that needs to be busy all the time.

“So, tell me, how are things with Arsen?” Mom asks. She makes tea, and we sit at the table together while Dad snores on the couch. I don’t know where Vadim is, but I figure he’s either hiding in his room orworking.

“It’s good, actually. He’s on his way over, but he got caught up in work.”

“I didn’t know he was letting you visit.”

“There are like ten armed guards outside right now.”

Her eyebrows raise. “No kidding? You’re not in that much danger, are you?”

“No, it’s not like that, don’t worry.”

She fusses over me and asks a bunch of questions. It feels good sitting with her in her kitchen. It took a lot of arguing and convincing and at least one more session of extremely sweaty sex before I wore Arsen down enough to let me visit here.

But it’s good. It’s so much better than I thought. Mom seems healthier than I’ve seen her in a while, and Dad’s actually relaxing for once in his life. They’re not stressed-out messes. The contrast between the way things were and how they are now is like night and day and only makes me realize how terrible our life was.

Until Arsen came along to change it.

“Well, aside from worrying about your brother, life is good,” Mom admits. “Arsen found me new doctors, and they’re trying different treatments, and those seem to be working. We don’t worry about money anymore, which is a nice change. I’ll be honest with you, when you first married him, I thought you were making a terrible mistake. But now? Seeing how happy you are? I don’t know, maybe it’s not so bad.”

I blink away tears because I know she’d only wave them away and tell me to be strong, but hearing her say all that swells my heart with pride.

Arsen shows up a little while later. Mom flutters around him, asking if he needs anything, and even Dad manages to wake up from his nap long enough to shake Arsen’s hand. We end up back at the table, Dad snoring away, and Mom pouring more tea. Arsen seems entirely out of place in this normal townhouse, but he sits beside me and compliments my mother’s decor.

“If there’s ever anything you need, tell me,” Arsen says.

“You’ve done enough. You’ve done too much! I’m fine, we’re all fine. I just want to see my little girl more often.”

Arsen takes my hand in his. “Soon she’ll be able to come as much as she likes.”

“Good, that’s very good. I’m so happy right now, I can’t describe it to you.”

The conversation goes surprisingly well. Arsen’s polite and kind with my mother. She’s a little pushy and asks some inappropriate things, but Arsen handles it with tact. He even makes her laugh a few times, which is no small thing. After a half hour is over, we’re ready to get going when there’s a sound from the stairs.

Vadim appears. He looks disheveled. His eyes are red-rimmed, and his clothes are all rumpled. “Well, look at fucking this,” he sneers, coming into the kitchen. “My little sister’s home.”

“Hi, Vadim,” I say, frowning at him. “You look like shit.”

He flinches and grabs a soda from the refrigerator. “And you look like a rich guy’s toy. Because that’s what you are, right?”

I stare at him in shock. Arsen’s grip on my hand tightens. “That was disrespectful,” my husband says. His tone is low and menacing.

“I apologize for my dumbass son.” Mom gets up and lightly smacks Vadim. He glares at her, and I can tell he wants to push her away, but even he wouldn’t dare. “Sometimes he’s not so smart.”

“What, it’s stupid to call this what it is? This weird little farce?” Vadim stalks to the other side of the kitchen. “Lena got knockedup by rich dick, and suddenly we’re going to pretend like that’s normal?”

“Vadim,” Mom hisses. “Arsen’s helping us.”

“He’s throwing money at us. I don’t call thathelping, more likebribing. And I see it’s working on you.”

“That’s enough.” Mom snatches the drink from his hand and slams it down on the counter. “Go back to your cave.”

“I don’t know why you’re being so rude right now,” I say, getting to my feet. “My relationship with Arsen isn’t your problem. He’s done nothing but help our family.”

“Your husband’s a fucking criminal. You know that, right? Yeah, I know who you are, Arsen Sarkissian.Patronof the Brotherhood.”

Everyone stares at Vadim in shock. It’s one thing to flirt with that idea, but it’s another to say it out loud.

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