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“Can you believe we’ve been on Konstantin’s friend’s ranch for six weeks already?” Stacy flops back against the sofa, pulling my legs over her lap.
“I can’t believe I’m fucking six weeks pregnant!” My hand goes to my still-flat belly. “Jesus. How did that happen?”
“I know you were a virgin, Bella…” Stacy teases. “But do I really need to tell you the story of birds and bees?”
Laughing, I hit her with a cushion and then down my juice. “Why would a woman do this to herself?” Lying back, my head sinks into the pillow my brother has stashed all over the large ranch house in case I have one of my spells. “I just want to go horseback riding again and not feel sick every time a certain smell hits me. Fuck, even the smell of roses makes me want to hurl.”
“Don’t mention that again,” Stacy warns me. “Konstantin has already threatened to get rid of the horses if you insist.”
“Why is my life just filled with overbearing men?” I growl.
“At least you have family that loves you.” Stacy’s voice drops, that dark shadow flashes in her eyes, and she gives me a tight smile. “I don’t give a fuck if I never see my parents or my brother again.” She snorts. “I bet they don’t even know I’m gone.”
Frowning, I watch her closely. I had a crush on Stacy’s older brother, Harry Thompson, for as long as I can remember. While Stacy would tease me about him, she never encouraged it.
Now that I think about it, Stacy always steered me clear of Harry. I always thought it was because she didn’t want me dating her brother because it would impact our friendship if anything bad happened, and Stacy never got along with him.
“I’m sure they do.” I pat her arm, comforting. “And fuck them if they don’t. You have us. We’re your family.”
“That you are.” Stacy’s head turns toward the front living room door that’s nearest to the front entry hall. Her eyes light up. “Isn’t Konstantin finally coming home tomorrow?” She glances at me.
Whenever my brother’s around, Stacy lights up like a Christmas tree, and he is so gentle with her. I’m not sure what to make of their relationship. I’m not an expert on love, but I’m sure that’s what it looks like based on the way those two look at each other.
“I hardly got to know my brother in the two weeks we got here before he had to leave for Russia.” I lie back against the cushioning and sigh while Stacy massages my feet. “It feels like Konstantin has been gone for so long.”
“Four weeks.” Stacy glances at me.
“I hope our uncle in Russia is okay.” My brow creases, looking at Stacy questioningly. “Are we really thinking of going there with him next time so we can be in Russia when the babies are born?” I rub my stomach.
Stacy’s brows shoot up. “You keep saying that like you’re torn about it.”
“Well, I think going to Russia might be a good idea.” I shake my head. “I know America is huge, but where the Belovs are concerned, this country is too small to hide from them for long.”
“No, not about Russia.” Stacy pushes a point on my foot, and I wince. “Sorry.” She rubs more gently. “I mean, you keep saying, babies—plural.”
“Do I?” My brows shoot up, realizing she’s right. “Oh!” I shrug.
After just coming around from yet another fainting spell, I don’t feel like talking about my pregnancy right now because that means thinking about my baby’s father. I don’t want to think about Andrey, as that’s all I seem to do these days.
“My father was a twin, but his brother died before I was born, according to Genevra.” My frown deepens. “You know, I still can’t believe I never realized in all these years how Genevra was always the one trying to keep my mother’s memory alive.”
“Before Genevra’s husband died, your mother and she were best friends,” Stacy tells me.
“How do you know that?”
“Lots of time spent in your kitchen eating Genevra’s amazing Italian cooking.” Stacy grins. “She may have been as stiff and strict as a school marm, but whoa, could she cook.”
“Stacy, how could I have been so blind…” my voice trails off. It’s been six weeks, but I’m still trying to wrap my head around the fact that I never knew who my father was at all. “To everything?”
“Your father is an extremely clever man, especially at deception and manipulation.” Her eyes are filled with compassion and understanding, but there’s something else there as well.
Something I can now see Stacy is keeping hidden. Fuck, and I now realize whatever that something is, it must’ve been there all the time. I just never saw it because I wasn’t looking hard enough.
I’m the world’s worst fucking friend. I was so wrapped up in my pity party of trying to get out from under my father’s thumb I didn’t see the shadows haunting my best friend’s eyes.
Stacy always just seemed to be together, free-spirited, didn’t give a fuck what anyone thought, and did her own thing. I didn’t realize that was all just a cover. Not until we got here, and I’ve watched her over the past six weeks.
There’s something softer, more vulnerable, and haunting inside her. And the little fucking suppressed princess that I am, I didn’t even see it. Jesus. Yet Stacy has always been there for me.
