know that stuff happened to you. I’m just not sure what.”
God, I wanted to tell her. But I couldn’t talk about it. My heart wouldn’t let me.
“It’s in the past.”
“Do you miss your dad?”
Yes. “We’ve lived separate lives for a long time.”
“Does he want you to take over the business? Are you supposed to go back to Russia?” Her voice pitched higher at the end.
“I don’t have any plans to take over his business. He knows that. He’s known that for a long time.”
“So, you want to stay in Canada?” God, she was cute. I could see her trying to process this news and fully understand how it would impact her future. I found it adorable.
“Canada is my home now. I’m here to stay.”
“Okay.” She took that at face value.
I braced myself for the next questions. Coy questions about how much I was worth and how much I would inherit. Detective Wallace had let out the secret that I was heir to a billionaire. That information usually changed people.
She looked around the restaurant. “Do you want dessert?”
I gave her a bemused look. “You don’t like sweets.”
She shook her head. “I know, weird, right? I totally could crush a cheesecake right now or a tiramisu. Do you think they have that here?”
“We can find out.”
We ordered a lemon meringue pie for Charlie and a coffee for me. I waited. I waited for her questions, for her sly looks, for a shift in her, now that she knew she was married to someone who was insanely wealthy.
But they didn’t come.
She told me a story about the dogs. “I was trying to teach Sasha to roll over. And Sniper was sitting behind us, watching. And every time I gave Sasha the command, Sniper was doing barrel rolls behind me and Sasha was too busy trying to chew the cushion tassels.”
I grinned. “Maybe we have the smartest dog in the world and the dumbest dog?”
She burst out laughing. “Honestly, sometimes when I talk to Sniper, I swear he understands exactly what I am saying. And when I talk to Sasha, he’s so clueless. So damn clueless. Good thing he’s cute.”
On the way home from the restaurant, Charlie asked me if we could stop by the grocery store because she needed to pick up a few things.
I carried the basket and followed her around.
“We need grapefruit juice,” she said, bending down to look at the eggs.
I grabbed a carton. She glanced back at me and frowned. “That’s not our brand.”
“It’s all the same. Juice is juice.”
She reached into the basket and traded it out for another one. “This is sixty cents cheaper.”
I grabbed her hand and looked her in the eye. Searching for any difference. “Are you for real?”
“Last time I checked.”
“You just found out that your husband is heir to billions of dollars. And you’re trying to save sixty cents on juice?”
She scowled at me. “You just said juice is juice. Why should I pay more for a label?”
That comment struck me as hilarious. I started to laugh and I couldn’t stop. Tears were coming out of my eyes and I was sucking in my breath, but I didn’t seem capable of doing anything but laugh.
She glared at me, not impressed, reminding me of early days Charlie. “You’re an idiot, Petrov.”
“I know,” I gasped, holding my stomach. I couldn’t help it. I felt like a weight had been lifted and everything was so light and I felt so damn good.
“Get yourself together,” she mocked.
Using monumental fortitude, I picked up the basket and swung my arm around her shoulder. “You’re the best.”
She turned her face into my chest and breathed in deep. “I think Sasha inherited his smarts from you. Good thing you’re both cute.”
Her sass was perfect. And my smile didn’t come off my face the entire way home.
Life was near perfect. There had been no more incidents since Charlie had gotten her money back from Yazimoto. The Wolves were doing amazing, and we were leading in our division as we headed towards playoffs. Charlie was Charlie. She was everything I needed in a woman, and I couldn’t believe she was mine.
The sex was off the charts, but the rest of our time together was amazing too. This was better than any relationship I’d ever had. We had fun together. She was playful in and out of bed. It felt like since the moment I had told her I wanted to give this marriage a real shot, she had let down her final wall