“Sure. That would be great.” I liked the way Vanessa and Griffin treated me like a normal person, not some poor victim who’d just endured a lot of pain. I’d been a prisoner for so long, and this was the first time I’d ever truly been free. If I really wanted to, I could walk out the front door and go to the coffee shop down the road. I could hop in a taxi and go anywhere. It was the greatest feeling. “I’m not sure what else to do with my time except sit here and wait for him to call.”
“Been there, done that,” Vanessa said. “It’s no fun.”
Griffin glanced at her from his spot in the kitchen, catching the look on her face before he returned to his work.
“Well, maybe you can tell me some stories about Carter,” I said.
“Like, embarrassing ones?” she asked with a smile.
“Yes. Especially embarrassing ones.”
“Get comfy,” she said. “Because I have quite the list.”
The next day, Carter called Griffin.
Griffin was sitting on the couch with the TV on while Vanessa and I played checkers at the coffee table. He took the call, his muscular arms practically ripping through his t-shirt. “Carter, what happened?”
I was about to put down my piece when I heard what Griffin said. “Is he okay?”
“What happened?” Vanessa said. “Did Egor leave?”
Griffin held up his hand before he put the phone on speaker and set it on the table. “Hey, I put you on speakerphone because the women were pestering me with a million questions.”
“The women?” Vanessa asked.
“You are women, aren’t you?” Griffin asked with a straight face.
She narrowed her eyes with menace, but there was a note of affection in the look.
“Carter,” I said. “Everything okay?” I wished I could speak to him privately, but this would do.
“Yes, sweetheart,” he said, speaking to me in the same tone he always did. “I’m fine.”
Vanessa’s face turned back to the phone, her eyebrow raised.
“Did he believe you?” I asked, slightly afraid of the answer.
“Yeah, I think he did,” Carter said. “He was suspicious in the beginning. Came into the house and examined the body himself. But he seemed to find what he was looking for. Said he wanted to bury the corpse at the sea because he refused to bury you properly. We parted on decent terms.”
“So, you think it’s over?” I couldn’t let myself believe it unless it was actually true. I would hate to be that happy only for my hopes to come crumbling down again.
“It would be stupid to assume that, but I think so. I’ll keep laying low for a bit. I’ll have the house repaired while my real estate agent finds me a place in Tuscany. I’ve also found someone to adopt your son and take him out of the orphanage.”
Even though I was sitting with two complete strangers, I became overwhelmed with emotion. The tears sprung to my eyes. I didn’t care that Carter asked me to bed him in exchange for my freedom. It seemed like more than fair after what he’d done for me. “Oh my god…”
Vanessa stared at me, her eyes softening.
“I’ll just need his name so I can get started on the paperwork,” Carter said.
“Okay,” I whispered. “Luca Moretti…” I hadn’t said my son’s name out loud in so long. It felt so good to feel that name on my tongue, to picture his beautiful face. I missed holding him in my arms, missed taking him to the park to play with his friends. I missed everything about being a mom.
“Alright,” Carter said. “I’ll get started on all of that. I’ll check in when I can. Thanks, Griffin and Vanessa. I appreciate what you’re doing for me.”
“No problem,” Vanessa said. “Mia is lovely.”
“Let us know if you need anything,” Griffin said.
“Alright,” Carter said. “We’ll talk later.”
“Wait.” I didn’t want him to hang up, not yet.
“What’s up, Mia?” Carter asked.
I grabbed the phone and took it off speakerphone. “Excuse me for a second…” I took the phone out the door to the staircase. I sat down at the top and held the phone against my ear. “I just wanted to talk to you…alone.”
“You alright?”
“Yes, your family has been wonderful to me. I really like Vanessa.”
“She’s pretty cool. I thought you two would get along well.”
I sat in silence with him, just appreciating his presence. After he’d decided to help me, my feelings for him had changed. They immediately deepened into something much heavier. I saw him as a hero, as the man who saved me. “All of this doesn’t seem real…the idea of seeing Luca again…doesn’t seem real.”
“I know, sweetheart. But it is real.”
“Because of you…all because of you.”
He was quiet.
“Carter, thank you.”
“You shouldn’t thank me,” he whispered. “I’m getting something out of this. My hands aren’t clean.”
“I don’t care about that. Doesn’t change my opinion of you.”