Page 82 of The Pakhan's Sold Bride

“No, I’m doing a lot better. I, um, I am looking forward to you coming home, though,” I say hesitantly.

There is a slight pause.

“You are?” he asks. I wonder what he thinks when I say that. I want to tell him I’ve come to understand that I’m crazy in love with him, but it will be so silly if he doesn’t feel the same.

“I am. How is your day going?”

“Mm. Well, I’ve got a bit to sort out here before I can get away, some things went south.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt your work,” I say nervously.

He chuckles, a beautiful sound that rumbles through the phone. “No, little one. I love your interruptions. Are you out somewhere?”

What does that mean?I can’t help the massive smile that spreads over my face.

“I am walking in a very pretty garden. I came to visit my mom’s grave. But I’m headed home now.”

“That’s sweet. I’m glad you’re feeling better, then. It’s a gorgeous day to be outside in nature.”

My heart somersaults.

“I have something to tell you,” I say, excitement shooting through me.

“Oh really, what is it?” I can hear the smile in his words.

“No, not over the phone. We can talk when you get home.”

“Should I bring takeout?”

“Yes, I’m craving chow mein.”

“Excellent choice. I don’t know how you expect me to be patient waiting to hear what you want to say.”

“You’ll just have to be,” I giggle.

We talk a little while longer before I hear a lot of noise in the background, and I know he has to go, even though he sounds reluctant to end the call.

My heart is singing, walking the rest of the way back to the car.

What I’m sensing from him, and what I now understand about how I feel,it’s real.Maybe we were both just scared to be the first to say something. But he wouldn’t treat me like that if he didn’t care about me.

And maybe once we talk about things and explore the possibilities, he will even grow to love me.

It’s strange how earlier I didn’t want to go home, because I felt lost and unsure. And now all I want is to be there, with him, wrapped in his arms.

I climb into the driver’s side and drop my phone into the passenger seat, humming a song my mother used to hum to me when I was little. I start the car, and it growls to life as I pull out of the parking area, turning onto the road that leads back home.

I can’t wait to tell Nestor. It’s a conversation I want to have face-to-face, though. He’s going to be so excited about being a father.

And then I’ll tell him how I feel.

I’m certain, but nervous. A happy kind of nervous.

A car skids out onto the road in front of me, and I slam on the brakes as I smash into it, the seatbelt cutting into my shoulder when I’m thrown forward.

A scream of fright shoots from my lips as my face hits the airbag that explodes from the steering wheel.

The wind is knocked forcefully from my lungs, and I gasp for breath, grasping blindly to unclip the safety belt constricting me.

---