Page 82 of The Rusalka and Mr. Right

KEV’S PARENTS AND ONEbrother (Cal, I presume) move as one unit, a flock of panicked geese in track pants and Penn State hoodies looking anxiously around. Their eyes settle on Kev, and I can see the love in their reactions. His father looks heavenward in thankfulness, his mother clutches at her heart and begins to run, and his brother falls to a crouch, hands on his knees as he lets out a “Thank God!”

“Put me down!” I shove at his arms. Kev is still holding me. I’m sure I can walk. Pretty sure.

“Not until tomorrow. And you’re most likely going to come to work with me and just sit in the waiting room so I can come look at you anytime I want,” he hisses, tightening his grip. “Don’t argue. I gave you my soul. You can give me eight hours of intense staring. Plus, I’ll bring you snacks from the break room.”

“That soul thing is going to be the ultimate guilt trip, isn’t it?” I laugh and panic evaporates like a bursting bubble. I’m so happy, because it’s such a heavy thing we’ve done, that we’ve gone through, and yet with him—there’s lightness. We tease. We laugh, our heads close as he carries me in his perfect arms.

We get tackled.

“Oh, sweetie! Oh, I was so scared!” Kevin’s mother embraces him and me by default.

“He was so brave! A hero,” I praise, still trying to get down.

“For real for real?” Cal slaps his brother and pops his chest to his arm, a strange victory hug, I suppose.

“Most real,” I smile.

“This is Marina?” Kev’s mother looks at me.

Okay,someof the panic is back.

“Hello. So nice to meet you,” I smile, lips closed in case she should notice just how sharp my teeth are.

“How’d you know to come here?” Kev asks.

“You weren’t at your apartment so we went to wait in this little coffee shop—the pine something— and everyone was talking about ‘the rescue’ and how they were heading to Country Pines to meet the boat. We followed the crowd,” Kevin’s dad explains.

“Yeah, they told us your ex was like... Russian mafia?” Cal bounces on the soles of his shoes.

“Worse,” Kev and I say as one.

“Do you all need to get to the hospital? What about the police?” Mr. Bailey looks around. “Thought I saw an ambulance parked over—”

“We’re fine, Dad. Well, fine enough. There was an officer at the scene of the uh—rescue. He’ll call us if he needs more info.”

“Yes, I just need to clean up a bit. I will let you catch up,” I whisper, trying to bow out. I’m not sure what to do. No man has ever wanted me to meet his family. Gregor had no family of his own. I know Kevin had some reservations about telling his mother how serious he was about me.

I don’t know what I expected to happen, but it wasn’t that his mother would make a noise like a stepped-on chicken, and start a lecture. “I don’t think so, sweetie! Kev, you keep ahold of that girl!”

Kev obeys. “Don’t have to tell me twice.”

I didn’t expect Mrs. Bailey to march us to her car, shove us into the backseat, and cover us with a blanket while talking a mile a minute.

I didn’t expect Jakob to wave us out of the mass of Pine Ridge residents desperate to hear what occurred, and to find myself in a protective hug, pillowed between Kev and his mom as she talked nonstop, her hands stroking my hair and my cheek with such tenderness that my eyes start to leak.

“Hush, now, baby. You let it all out.”

To my surprise, I do.

MY MOTHER IS A NURSE. She’s seen it all. She looks over Marina’s head and into my eyes as Marina breaks down. My mother can do that to you. There’s something so—gentle but commanding in her tone. She gets people through scary shit, and I guess I take after her.

When we reach my apartment, Dad goes into full Dad-Mode. That means he’s going to make a big pot of something, usually chili, and start making bad jokes to distract people from whatever sad or scary stuff is going down. Cal bounces like a yo-yo in the corner, nodding in approval.

Mom is still huddled with Marina, leading her to the couch and tucking her in while talking soothingly the entire time. She only leaves her to come and give me a hug that makes me fear for my internal organs. Fortunately, she stops before they rupture.

“Son?”

“Yeah, Mom?”

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