Page 51 of Fallen Roses

I hate that I sound so needy, but it’s weighing heavily on my mind and for a second a shadow crosses her face and she whispers, “I must return to Russia. Titus has called an urgent family meeting and we leave tomorrow.”

My heart plunges off the cliff, and she says quickly, “I’m sorry, James. It’s unavoidable.”

“So, you’re leaving.”

My appetite suddenly deserts me, and she nods ruefully. “For now. It’s only a plane ride, though. I’ll be back as soon as this is settled.”

“How long?”

“I can’t tell you that but?—”

She lifts my hand to her lips and kisses it softly, her lashes batting in my direction as she whispers, “I am coming back. I promise you that.”

I would like to believe her, but I’m fearful when she returns home she will be caught up in her life and I don’t blame her. I wouldn’t come back because what is there here for her? A screwed up executive who needed her family to bail him out—twice and couldn’t defend her if her life depended on it. I have nothing to offer her but devotion, and that could wear off pretty damn quickly when somebody more deserving of her comes along.

I say nothing.

She doesn’t need to hear my reservations, but she does need to hear one thing.

“If you do return, baby, I will be waiting for you.”

“Will you, James?”

I love how her eyes light up, and she smiles with genuine happiness. “I really hoped you’d say that.”

“Of course I’ll wait. You are already everything to me, Ana, and while you’re away, I am going to prove to you and your family that I deserve you.”

“How?”

She cocks her head to one side and smiles sweetly and I physically ache to hold her right now.

“I will make The Rose Foundation thrive and the good causes we serve benefit even more. I will honor my mother’s memory and make you and Dylan proud and if you still feel the same when you return, I will make a home for us here but before you ask, I insist on some form of color to complement the white.”

This time I roll my eyes and she laughs out loud. “Do you want to know why every home we own outside Russia is the same, James?”

“It may be interesting to find out.”

“Because when you are born a Romanov, you live and breathe the business. There must be no distractions in any way at all. White is good. It shows everything. Every mark and every shadow. There is nowhere to hide with white and all the imperfections are in plain sight to be dealt with. It’s the way we do business. Nothing to hide and any problems are dealt with swiftly and easily. Nothing to distract us from what matters most and when we are away from our home in Moscow, we are away for business purposes.”

“What, no vacations?” I raise my eyes and she shrugs.

“Of course, but the business comes too. Back home in Russia, we have a very different home. Full of beautiful art, flowers, amazing furniture and an explosion of color. That is where we thrive. Where our lives make sense. It gives us the greatest pleasure because that is where our family is.”

“What if your brothers marry, or when you do?”

I am fascinated by her life and she smiles coyly. “Nothing will change. When you marry a Romanov, the business is part of the package. I’m guessing that’s why my brothers travel a lot. They get their privacy and their girlfriends get their man’s attention.”

“What happens when kids come along?”

She shrugs. “We will deal with that when they do. Mama will insist she’s on hand, although–” She falters and I note the pain cloud her eyes and she looks down and whispers, “I hate what Adele said.”

I squeeze her hand and whisper, “Of course you do. It’s not what you wanted to hear, but I have to ask, do you think it’s a possibility?”

The waiter arrives with our drinks before she can reply and as we wait for him to leave, I study the anguish on her pretty face.

“You think she’s telling the truth, don’t you?”

I answer the question for her and she sips the mimosa and then sighs.

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