Page 56 of Reluctant Surrender

“Slowly and calmly, Hanna, what’s the problem?”

“Have you talked to Christian?”

“Not in the last week or two, why?” I steeled myself. “Is everything all right?”

“No. Of course it’s not. Your brother has really lost his marbles, Lukas. He wants me to come home for Christmas to meet Jakub Staszek.”

“Staszek?” I furrowed my brow. Christian would have called if there was something brewing with that family.

“Yes. He’s a second cousin or something. He wants me to meet him because he’s thinking that we should solidify the truce with a marriage!”

My hand froze on the handle of the car. “Your marriage?”

“Yes, mine. You need to talk to him, Lukas. You need to tell him there is no way in hell I’m marrying anyone until I’m damn good and ready!”

“Okay, well, first of all, you might get a little further with Christian if you didn’t throw a fit like a damn kid every time you didn’t get your way.”

“If I’m a little kid, then why would he propose marriage for me?”

“Maybe he thinks a husband would do what the school and we have failed to.”

“What’s that?”

“Get you under control.” I grinned, thankful that she couldn’t see it.

Something like a growl came through the phone, but when she spoke again her tone was even and calm.

“Lukas, I know you guys think keeping me hidden away has been good for me. But I hate it here. And it’s not fair for him to start thinking of who to pawn me off on as soon as I graduate.” She paused. “I deserve to find the sort of happiness he has.”

“We aren’t going to pawn you off on anyone, Hanna. I promise. Christian hasn’t even mentioned it to me, and if was really thinking about a marriage for you, he’d tell me.”

“Why do you two get to make such a decision for me?” Her question was muted, her initial anger softened.

“I will talk with Christian about it. Just behave yourself at school. And no yelling at him about this. We’ll handle it like a family.”

Silence stretched on for an uncomfortable amount of time.

“Hanna? You still there?”

“Yeah. I’m here. All right. I’ll wait to talk to him until after you’ve had a chance to.” Hanna had always been able to depend on me to defend her from Christian’s overbearing ways. But if he really was thinking to use a marriage to join our family with the Staszek family, I might not be able to win this argument.

“Okay. Good.” I sank into the car and shut the door. “I have to go. I’m picking my wife up from work.”

“Have you told Christian about your wife?” she asked. It was then I realized I had completely left him out of the loop about what was happening with Maggie.

“I’ll call him tonight,” I promised. I’d shot him a text about getting married, but I hadn’t spoken to him to explain anything. He wasn’t exactly pounding down my door for information, either.

“Hmm. She seemed nice enough on the phone.”

“She is. You’ll like her.”

“Who cares about me. What about you? Do you love her?” My little sister had a fairy tale heart, no matter how much of a hard-ass she appeared on the outside.

“I have to go, Hanna. I’ll talk to you soon.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Bye!” I clicked off the call before she could start needling the subject to death.

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