“Okay, I am starving.” That easily, he takes my hand and we go downstairs.
***
Christina
The flight home takes seven hours, but it goes by too fast. We spend it in bed, wrapped up in each other talking about the trip, all the things I liked and didn’t, and I treasure every second. When it’s close to the time to land, Ivan sends me into the shower first then uses it when I’m done. Too bad, I could have gotten use to traveling like this, I think as I put on a new dress.
I sit down in a chair in the cabin and lecture myself on not crying or being a baby. Ivan appears again, he’s in jeans and a polo and I want so badly to touch him. He sits down beside me. Taking my hand, he squeezes lightly. I can feel him thinking.
“You’re coming home with me. This isn’t over between us. Not today, not tomorrow.”
My heart is in my throat. His eyes fathomless, he’s expecting a fight. Why, I have no idea. “For how long?”
A shrug. “Why do we have to put a number on it? Until we both don’t want to.”
Closing my eyes, I wonder if this is a dream, if this is real. Ivan squeezes my hand harder—no dream.
“Look at me, Christina. Open your eyes, don’t hide from me.”
It comes rushing back, that moment so long ago. I open my eyes.
“I tried. I’m not letting you go.”
“That’s good, because I don’t want you to.”
***
Ivan
Thank fucking god. That was easier than I thought it would be. Christina is happy, glowing. She didn’t want to leave me. Now I can breathe again.
Taking Christina’s hand, I guide her through the condo. I feel her confusion as we go in the other direction of our bedroom. When she sees it, she gasps my name in sheer joy before throwing her arms around my neck.
This was the main living area and the largest room in the condo, I don’t use it often. There is another, smaller room that Christina prefers anyway. A corner unit, this is where the two corners meet and the two walls are of thick glass with panoramic views of the lake.
My instructions were followed: everything was removed, including the carpets. Now there are bare wood floors, and the cream rolling curtains that cover the two walls have been changed out for soft white. There are three easels, and three different rolling carts to hold paints, brushes, and tools, all filled with the best of those items, acrylic, oil, and watercolor paints, since from her history she used all three at various times. There are fifty blank canvases ready for her use in the various sizes they came in.
“How did you do this? When did you do this?”
“Lilly did it yesterday. I called her and told her to make a studio you couldn’t walk away from.”
Her head tilts in question.
“In case you didn’t want to stay.”
“Ivan, you have to be the stupidest, most idiotic, brilliant billionaire that ever existed. I would never stay for a studio or a closet full of dresses, or even a ring on a dream board. It’s only ever for you. Just you.”
20
Christina
“More coffee?” I ask Ivan as I refill my cup. It’s weird how much I love taking care of him, which I only get to do on the weekend. We fend for ourselves with Lilly only working during the week. He usually makes breakfast because he’s up for hours before me, sneaking into his home office then working out. Like most mornings, he wakes me up with kisses and coffee. Then in the afternoon I cook us lunch and in the evening we make dinner together. Sometimes we go out or even have our meals delivered, but not often. We enjoy cooking together and staying in our own little world of just the two of us.
I hate the idea of leaving this perfect cocoon. However, if we don’t I’m risking offending Elise, and I don’t want to do that. When we got back from England I had lunch with Elise and Lydia as promised. Elise was even nicer than I hoped. We’ve only had lunch twice because Anna was hurt when I mentioned going to lunch with Elise. I fumbled, not sure if I should invite Anna or not the second time. After that I thought it was best to keep my lunches for Anna, since we didn’t go out in the evening. It was nice to keep our afternoons the same, considering all the ways everything else has changed.
Elise was so sweet, she understood, no harm at all but that meant we needed to come over for dinner. I’ve been ordered to show up with Ivan in tow for dinner tonight or else. Ivan is even less happy about it than I am, but he’s given in because he knows how Elise can be.
I spot it, he’s doing the tapping thing with his forefinger. Carefully, I put the carafe of coffee down, as I wait for whatever is coming that has made him so tense.