I get one box unpacked, and I swear when I go back out to the hallway to grab another, more have appeared. I push my glasses up my nose, going to the box at the very end to bring it back into the bedroom. When I open it, I know I haven’t been going insane; there are indeed additional ones because I don’t recognize the items inside of them.
The first is filled with all kinds of sewing supplies that put mine to shame. Then there are the ones with more fabric than I know what to do with. When I finally get almost everything unpacked, I have easily filled the spare room. If this room is to possibly be a nursery one day, I’m going to need to move all this stuff to another location in the house, which is more than fine. This will work for now.
The thought gives me pause. I find myself thinking about having a baby with such ease, as if it’s not a significant life-changing event. It should be freaking me out, but it doesn’t. I might be living off the excitement of my new husband. I have hope for the future now that we’ve cleared up all the misunderstandings between the two of us.
When I get the rest of my clothes unpacked, I fall back onto the bed. I should send Marks a few pictures and—
“Oh my God!” I jump up from the bed. Marks is going to murder me. It’s been days since I’ve contacted her. Where the hell is my phone? The last time I remember having it was at the dock. It’s then I remember that my husband has my phone. Did Warren do as he said he was going to and dig into Marks’ life? “Shit.” I hurry down the stairs towards my husband’s office but pause when I see the doors closed.
“Tova.” Cosima calls my name.
“You’re still here.”
“For now. I’m sure they’ll ship me off again soon enough.” Cosima rolls her eyes.
“I thought you loved Paris?” Cosima had done her last few years of prep school in Switzerland and then moved to Paris to go to college.
“I did, or do.” Cosima shakes her head. “I don’t know. It’s complicated. It’s different when your family makes you stay somewhere rather than you picking it.”
“They’re making you?”
“I don’t know what they are doing, but I get the sense they don’t want me here.”
“I want you here.” I have always enjoyed Cosima’s company. We never got a chance to really be close, but when she was in town, we’d hang out and talk books. It was one of her vices, along with reality TV and shopping.
“Really?”
“Of course, not that I have a say.”
“You’re home now.”
“I don’t know about all that.”
Cosima lifts a brow. “It’s your house now. My parents never stay here anymore.” She’s right; they aren’t around much, except when you’re fooling around with your husband and they burst in. Out of all the times for them to show up. “Does Z stay here often?”
“I’m not sure.” I don’t spend a lot of time in the main house. That’s obviously going to change. “When he is, he sticks to his room.”
“Does he date?”
“Z?”
“Yes, Z.” Her voice drops, and she steps closer.
“I’ve never seen him with a date.” Cosima nods. What am I missing here?
“He’s all in my business about my dating life.”
“Are you dating someone?”
“No,” Cosima huffs. “But I could be.”
“So if you can’t date, then he can’t either?” I laugh. Cosima presses her lips together, not finding it funny at all.
‘We should go shopping.’ Cosima pastes a smile on her face, changing the subject and her mood. ‘It will be a sisterly bonding experience.’
‘I’ll speak to Warren about it.’
‘Warren, you say.’ Cosima smirks. ‘You’re the only one who calls him that, you know.’ I have to admit that I kind of love that.
‘He asked me to.’ Does that bother them?
‘Of course he did. He’s always been smitten with you.’
‘Smitten?’ I burst into laughter. Smitten is not a word I would have thought anyone would call Warren.
‘He is. It’s sweet and good for him. I was worried.’ There has to be at least ten years between Warren and Cosima. ‘I’m sure you know he’s, well, he’s War. Not sure how to put it.’
‘I get it.’ That’s all I’m going to say on it. How Warren is with me is special and ours. It feels as intimate as sex. If Warren doesn’t want to show anyone that side of himself, I’m not going to be telling everyone about it.
Okay, I might tell Marks some if she doesn’t murder me.
‘Is everything okay?’ Warren asks, standing in the doorway to his office.
‘We want to go shopping.’ Cosima answers before I can. Warren’s brows pull together; he’s not a fan of this idea. ‘You can’t lock her away forever.’
‘I’m not locked away.’ My protectiveness for Warren is instant.
‘When was the last time you left the farm?’ Cosima challenges.
Well, shit. I try to search my memory. There hasn’t been a reason for me to. Everything is delivered here, and my best friend is online, so I’m not skipping down to the coffee shop to meet up with her.
‘How about you let me worry about my wife?’ I make my way over to Warren, lifting on my tiptoes and dropping my head back. ‘This means you want a kiss,’ he says right before pressing his mouth to mine. I love that Warren is being affectionate even though his sister is in the room.
‘This is bullshit and adorable.’ Cosima huffs, annoyed.
‘Is there a problem?’ Warren tucks me into his side.
‘Besides other people getting to have a love life and me being shipped off all the time?’ Cosima puts her hands on her hips. ‘If not, then I guess there isn’t one.’
‘I’ll see about you and my wife going shopping. If she wishes.’
‘I do.’ I’m not a big shopper like Cosima, but it is enjoyable to see what other designers are doing, and I should spend time with Cosima. I have only scratched the surface of whatever is going on with her, and I find I want to figure it out.
‘Give me time, and I’ll get it worked out.’
‘I heard about the wedding dress situation. Don’t be doing that with this.’ Cosima pokes at Warren. I snort a laugh, really putting it together now that he isn’t a fan of me leaving the farm. He’d made sure that all the wedding prep was done right here under his roof.
“Time, Cosima,” Warren tells her again.
“Whatever.” Cosima rolls her eyes. “At your speed it will never happen.” She turns, heading back down the hallway toward the kitchen. “It took years for you to seal the deal with Tova,” I hear her mutter.
“Do you truly wish to go shopping?” Warren asks when we’re alone.
“I could use a friend.”
“I’ll be your friend,” Warren offers. Even though his suggestion makes me melt, he knows that’s not what I mean.
“Girlfriend. I need girl friends.” I dip under his arm, pretty sure he only lets me because when I do, I’m heading into his office. The door clicks closed a second later.
“You want friends that are girls?”
“Yeah. I have one, and I’d like my phone back so that I can call her. I bet she’s worried.”
“Marks.”
I brace my arms behind me on Warren’s desk and lift myself onto it. “I don’t think I care for the way you said her name.”
“How did I say her name?” Warren flicks the lock on the office door, making his way toward me.
“Very War business mode.”
“Do you know who Marks is?” he asks.
“Sit.” I point to the chair in front of his desk.
“Are you ordering me around?”
“I am.” I give him a bright smile. It works because he sits down in the chair. The second his butt hits the seat, I drop my smile. “Do you know who Marks is?”
“Not as much as I would like.”
“I thought you weren’t going to look into her! Isn’t that what you said on the dock?”
“I never fully agreed to that.”
Crap, he hadn’t.
“Wait, do you do that on purpose? Moving the subject along so I forget you never fully agreed to that?”
“Yes.” I open and close my mouth because how do I respond to that? He didn’t lie or dance around his answer.
“So you tricked me.” I wring my hands together in my lap. Warren’s hand covers both of mine.
“I did. I hadn’t thought of it as tricking you, but I did purposely move you away from it. I don’t enjoy telling you no and seeing you upset, but I will do what I need to so that you are always protected.” Only Warren can annoy me and somehow make it sweet. I suppose it’s all about intent. I know in my heart that he’s only looking out for me. That he wants to keep me safe at all costs. It doesn’t mean I’m not going to continue giving him a hard time about it.
“Like never letting me leave.”
“Do you want to leave?” Warren’s eyes search my face.
“I don’t want to feel trapped, but I get that I’m not living a normal life.”
“Do you want a normal life?”
“I thought I was the one here to ask questions and demand things, like my phone.” I lift my chin.
“I am only trying to understand what you need so I can try to make it possible. If it can be possible.”
“You make it really difficult to argue with you.”
“Would you like for us to argue?” Is Warren teasing me?
“Shut up.” I laugh. He really does make it impossible. “But in all seriousness, Marks is my friend.”
“Your friend that makes you use an app so that no one can track your texts or calls.”
“They don’t need to be tracked. I’m not doing anything, so what does it matter?”
“I don’t need an app to track you. I can do that on my own.” This is true. I can’t sneak out of one window without him popping up.
“How do you run an empire and stalk me at the same time?”
“It’s a skill set.” He smirks! Freaking smirks, and it’s sexy as hell.
“Don’t make me laugh.”
“Because we’re trying to argue?” I press my lips together to try not to laugh.
“Is this you dodging my questions?”
“This is me enjoying my wife’s company.” Warren leans back in his chair, stretching his legs out.
‘Please tell me what’s going on with Marks. She really is my friend.’ Warren lets out a loud breath.
‘Why do you think she would have you use this app? You don’t find this strange?’
‘I don’t know.’ I shrug. ‘I downloaded a few apps when she and I became friends. Discord and another. It’s for video games.’
‘That app has nothing whatsoever to do with video games. You could speak to her on Discord or normal texting. The Signal app is meant to keep messages private and untraceable.”
‘You don’t need to track Marks.’
‘When did this Marks become your friend? Was it before or after you moved to the farm?’
‘After,’ I admit. ‘It can be isolating out here. I joined a few book clubs and met her in one.’
“She’s a hacker.”
“I know she’s talented with computers.” I shrug. Once she was able to fix my laptop without physically touching it. It was kind of badass. I keep that to myself. I’m already trying to dig Marks out of a hole right now. “Doesn’t mean she’s going to hack me. There’s nothing to hack. I don’t even have a bank account.”
“She wouldn’t be trying to get information on you. Except maybe now.”
“What? I’m not a desirable hack? Now my stock rises when I marry you,” I tease halfheartedly.
Warren leans forward, his elbows going to his knees. “Did you have stocks before?”
“No, I don’t know anything about stocks.” Now I feel dumb; maybe I should know these things. “But I can do a mean backstitch by hand.”
“I know, little mouse.” He reaches out, grabbing one of my ankles that I was swinging back and forth to rest in his lap. “You have many stocks now, so rest assured.’
Before this second, I didn’t give stocks a second thought, so I’d been resting fine without them—or, I suppose, with them.
“Do I get them in the divorce?” I sass. His hold on my ankle tightens. “I’m joking.”
“A joke is funny.” I snort a laugh and quickly cover my mouth with my hand. He narrows his eyes at me. If that’s meant to be a warning of some kind, he’s going to have to come up with something new. “Tell me, you said you’ve desired me for a long time. Does she know that?”
“Desired? It’s called a crush.”
“I don’t think what I felt for you was a crush.”
“No, that’s an obsession.” He nods as though I’m right when I was only teasing. I might have really hit the nail on the head. “I enjoy your obsession.”
“This is what comes with that, Tova. I am very obsessed and possessive of you, and I act accordingly.” Damn it. He has a point.
“So you’re worried she befriended me because I was here? I never said your name.”
“Maybe this is a discussion we should continue with Z.”
“Why?”
“Because Z knows of Marks.”
“What do you mean?” My stomach sinks. “She’s my friend.” Tears burn in my eyes. Warren stands, cupping my face between his hands.
“For her sake, she better be.”
