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My parents and brothers aren’t around during lunch. However, Maks is waiting for me after we finish. His blue eyes reveal nothing. I suspect he’s slightly drunk despite the early hour. My middle brother is known to party hard. Petra often claims he’ll either die young or live forever like Keith Richards.
Right now, he doesn’t seem close to death, just edgy about the noises from the kids who cluck like chickens behind me.
“You’ll entertain a guest this afternoon, so make an attempt to fix yourself up,” Maks says, tilting his head to look me over. “Can’t do much about your busted lip but maybe put on more makeup and fix your hair. Might want to wear a more flattering shirt and a pair of jeans showing off your ass.”
“Who is coming here?”
Maks gives me a cruel smile, clearly amused by my fear. “The biker you fled.”
“Bear?”
“Is that his name?”
Giving my brother a dismissive scowl, I mutter, “You know their names. You probably know the women they regularly fuck. Isn’t your job to run security for the family?”
Maks narrows his eyes and leans closer like he might head-butt me. I don’t flinch even when he gets close.
“Try to wear something revealing. You’ve got a decent body underneath all this,” he says and waves at my baggy jeans and loose-fitting, pale pink T-shirt. “If you ensnare the biker, we won’t need to pawn you off to an out-of-town husband.”
My heart races, making me dizzy. “Is that why Bear is coming here?”
“Why else would he want to see you?” Maks asks, cocking a dark brow.
“He might want to yell at me for leaving.”
“Can you blame him?”
Frowning, I push for more details since my brother seems chatty today. “Did he say why he was coming here?”
Maks rests his hand on the top of my head in that weird way he does to Laszlo when he’s trying to will the child to stop speaking. Every time he attempts the same gesture with my babies, I maneuver them away.
“If you don’t fuck this up, you can stay in Banta City with your girlfriends,” Maks says when I just frown at him. “Isn’t that what you want?”
“Didn’t I fuck this up already when I left?”
“Things have changed,” he says and removes his hand. “Not for him, but for you.”
Maks juts his jaw toward my babies who are now making growling sounds after hearing the word “bear.”
“Go clean up and see if you can con this biker into marrying you,” Maks demands before adding when I just watch him, “It would make our mother happy to keep you in town. Can’t you even pretend to care for her feelings?”
Properly scolded, I stop frowning at my brother and gesture for the kids to follow me. We head up to my room, where they rest in their beds and talk to their Sesame Street dolls. By the time they crash into a nap, I’m nearly coming out of my skin.
Bear O’Malley is the last person I want to see. I look terrible while he’ll look fantastic. Even on my best days, I go weak around him. That’s why I didn’t confront him about Ollie. If I allowed him to explain, I might have convinced myself to stay. My heart hurt too much to reward Bear with the prize he coveted.
Two years is a long time, though. I can’t imagine he still wants me, unless he hopes to punish me for abandoning him.
Of course, if Bear does marry me, I’ll be free to remain in Banta City and enjoy the man I’ve long craved. However, we’ll still be the people who wronged each other. Is it possible to move past those grudges?
Finally, I text Siobhan to ask why Bear is visiting today. She says she doesn’t know and will find out. I sit on the closed toilet, tapping my foot and gnawing at my thumbnail. Siobhan takes forever to respond.
I’m in the middle of plucking a few stray hairs from my eyebrows when she calls.
“I don’t know,” she tells me rather than hello. “I’m at the office, and Zoot said he doesn’t do gossip. He suggested I ask his brothers, but Noble and Dad are visiting the Hills Chapter with Mom.”
“Why do you think Bear might visit me?”
“Didn’t he explain himself to whoever he called?”
