Page 87 of Primal God

“Oh. Well, now I feel bad for secretly disliking her.”

His lips twitch. “Is my girl jealous?”

I like it that he calls mehisgirl. I like it a lot.

“Kind of.”

“Good. I felt the same way when you wouldn’t tell me your boyfriend’s name.” He pauses. “I feel like we need to talk about him.”

“That’s really unnecessary.”

“Isn’t it?”

“No. He’s not my boyfriend.”

Dimitri is silent.

Hoping I can change the subject, I say, “Come on. I need your help with something.”

He follows me from the closet into the bedroom. I grab the small bag from the toy store and open it.

“What in hell is that?”

I snort. “Baby ducks.”

Opening the package, I pour some into the palm of my hand. Each micro plastic duck is a different color. Some have sunglasses on, and others have bows.

“Since Clara and Diego love the book about the ducks so much, I thought it would be fun to hide some of these around their room so they can find them.”

Dimitri picks one out of my hand and holds it up.

“These could be a choking hazard for Isadora.”

“I’m aware, but I’ll only put them in places that the twins can get to. And I’ll only set out a few at a time.” I say, “You know how the twins are, especially Clara. They’ll both see this as a challenge.”

He snorts. “I can’t argue with you there.”

“Let’s hide some and then get the kiddos. It’s too quiet around here.”

In the twins’ room, we hide six micro ducks. Some are obvious, some are more hidden. I leave one next to the book on the bookshelf and then turn to Dimitri.

“Let’s go.”

Dimitri drives my SUV and I ride in the passenger seat. He holds my hand the entire time, and I don’t think I could stop smiling if I tried. We arrive at the Carters and walk up to the front door.

Mrs. Carter opens the door, and her gaze goes between us.

“Dimitri, it’s always good to see you.”

“You as well, Moria.” He leans in, kissing her cheek. “How’s that husband of yours doing?”

“Ornery as ever. Let me get the kids for you.”

She turns, and a maid dips her head before disappearing. A moment later, she returns with the twins and Isadora.

Isadora reaches for me and says, “Momma!”

The look on Mrs. Carter’s face would be laughable, but I’m too busy trying not to cry.

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