Page 60 of Surrogate for the Bratva
“Nothing,” I sighed. “Just wanted to check in with you and Jacob. How are things over there?”
Kelsie sighed. “Things are tame. Jacob is doing well, coughing less each day. Right now we’re chillin’ and watching a show on Netflix.”
The silence hung between us before a laugh escaped. “So wait, what you’re telling me is that you and my brother are enjoying a session of Netflix and chill?” More laughter spilled out of me, and it was a nice distraction from thoughts that never fully left my mind.
Kelsie doesn’t give me a straight answer and that’s enough of an answer for me. “Seriously?”
Now wasn’t exactly the perfect time to get into the whole secret crush my best friend and brother have on one another but what else was I going to do? “If you want to Netflix & Chill with Jacob, I’m fine with it. You more than anyone else knows what you’re getting into.”
“April,” she sighed. “We are not talking about this.”
“Because his head is resting in your lap and your fingers are sifting through his hair?” I laughed again and shook my head at the strangled squeak she let out. “It’s okay that you don’t want him to hear,” I joked.
Kelsie grunted. “Is this how you feel?”
“Yep,” I answered happily.
“Does this mean things are better with you and mister baby daddy Russian gangster?”
I laughed. “Better? No. Different? Hell yes.”
“Wanna talk about it?”
“Yes,” I sighed. “And no. My situation is far more complicated than yours, unless you started carrying Jacob’s baby in the week since I last saw you both?”
“Asshole,” she grumbled but I heard the laughter in her voice.
“Didn’t think so.” It felt good to laugh but I also felt like I was betraying Igor by laughing right now. He was out there putting his life on the line to secure the future of his familyname, and I was safely inside his home, inside this luxurious room, perfectly safe.
After a prolonged silence, Kelsie sighed. “Is there something else on your mind?”
I wanted to talk to her about all of it, but I couldn’t. There was nothing she could do, and it didn’t feel right to put that heavy burden on her shoulders. “Plenty,” I answered honestly. “But nothing I want to talk about or dwell on, which is why I asked about you and Jacob.”
Kelsie sighed. “Fine. We’re sitting around watching a movie with an emphasis on Netflix.”
“Not the chill,” I guessed correctly with a laugh. “I’ll let you get back to your movie, then. Call if you need anything and um, be careful, will you?”
“Always but now you’re scaring me, April.”
“It’s nothing, just you know, exercise a little extra caution. Love you both. Bye.” I ended the call before she could ask any questions, and I cursed myself for adding another layer of worry when she’s already looking after Jacob for me.
Talking to Kelsie wasn’t quite the distraction I hoped for so I returned to my e-reader and got lost in the pages of a love story I knew would have a happy ending, unlike my own story which was ambiguous at best. I don’t know how much time passed as I got lost in the pages but when a knock sounded on the door and I looked up, the sun had long sank behind the horizon and the sky was a dark, inky blue color.
A quick look told me it was about dinner time, so I wasn’t surprised to find Ivan on the other side of the door with a rolling tray filled with food. “Ivan. How are you feeling?”
He flashed a friendly smile and rolled the cart into my room. “I feel good. A little sore but on the mend.”
I looked away as guilt overwhelmed me. “I am so sorry that happened to you, Ivan. I just, I don’t know, I’m really sorry.”
He looked slightly uncomfortable, but he shrugged off my apology. “No apology necessary, April. Better it happened to me than to you.” He lifted one side of his shirt, and I caught side of the angry red scar that had started to heal. “See? It’s not so bad and the chicks will dig it.”
His words pulled a reluctant laugh from me. “And that’s what matters?”
“Might as well have something good come of it, right?”
“I guess that’s one way to look at it.” I didn’t know how he could be so calm about getting stabbed while on a snack run for someone else, but I didn’t want to make him more uncomfortable.
“Stop worrying about it. This is the job and I’m fine. I didn’t die and I don’t have an infection so all you’re doing by worrying is stressing yourself out. And the baby.”
