CHAPTER Twenty Three
Alek
Erin tells me about her mother. I know her better than she thinks I do. I’m not the type to give up on what I believe in. “I’ll purchase first class tickets. We can leave for Lafayette the day after the performance.”
“My aunt Sophia is the godmother of all piranhas. She won’t let me see Mom on unscheduled days. In her eyes, I’m the enemy. And because I tried to—they believe I tried to hurt both myself and Mom, and to top it all off the state of Louisiana agrees.”
Angry doesn’t describe the way her words hit me. “What madness are you talking about? How is it that a daughter isn’t allowed to see her mother whenever she likes? Who makes a decision like that?”
“Most of my mom’s family agreed, Alek,” she mutters, her eyes focused on my hands.
My response to that statement gets cut short by my cell phone. “Hold that thought, baby, okay?” She nods and I lean over to kiss her. I love how she’s changed in that aspect of our relationship. She trusts me now. For a man coming from my background, I must feel the woman I choose to give up everything for fully believes I can be the man I need to be for her.
“It’s Adriana,” I say and push the talk button.
“Alek, it’s Mom. I don’t think she’s doing too well. I don’t know what to do. Should I move them both? Please come over.” Her words fly out of the phone at me at what feels like a mile per second.
“Hold on, Adriana. Them? Nevermind. We’ll be over.”
“Hurry,” she pleads. I disconnect and glance over at Erin who gives me a horrified look.
“What happened?”
“Mother’s having a mood swing,” I say, hoping to lighten the moment and ease Erin’s obvious discomfort. “I’d like you to come along.”
“No way. I am not ready to face off with Katerina.”
“I need you by my side tonight,” I explain.
She lifts her shoulders and releases a long sigh. “I don’t know, Alek. Kat and I aren’t exactly fashion buddies these days. After what she did to us…”
“Tried to do,” I correct, moving over to sit beside her. I take her hands in mine and kiss them in a way I know that excites her. “Which is exactly why I want you by my side. She needs to understand this is the real thing for me. I need you, Jaybird.”
“Alright.” She gives me a nervous smile. I want to take her back to my place and thrust both of our pains away. But first, I have to deal with Mother’s psychological rebuke of her plan to break us up.
* * *
We arrive at the house in Bellagio. I hate to drag Erin out here with me at this late hour. She hugged her shoulders the entire time we were in the car. The way I see it is that if she understands the imperfections of my world, then she can finish releasing the demons still holding her back from fully embracing what we’ve found.
Adriana meets us just inside the doorway. I barely have time to grab Erin’s hand before she turns and walks through the living room, heading straight to the sunroom at the back of the house. On the way, we step over trash, German beer cans, and shattered wine glasses. Mother only throws parties that leave this kind of evidence when she’s upset.
“Whoa. Did Katerina get kidnapped last night?” Erin asks, her dark eyes scanning over the chaos scattered around the place.
“No.” That’s all I say as we head toward the back of the house. Inside the sunroom, I find Mother passed out on a wicker sofa. A shirtless guy with a familiar head of floppy dark hair sleeps draped across her body. He can’t be much older than me, and he looks disturbingly familiar.
I bend down and shake him up. I’m not gentle with my wake up call, either. The man rolls over and hits the ground. The drunken face of Mikhail, Nikolai’s lead dancer, is now looking up at the three of us. Mother’s also beginning to stir too. Adriana gasps and covers her mouth, while a raging anger courses through me. I know how vulnerable Mother can be when she gets lonely for my father. I’m fairly certain she won’t be happy when she sees Erin and me here together, either.
I bend down and lift Mikhail up by his hair. He winces and Erin says something about being easy on him. Like hell I will. I don’t hear her next words. I’m too busy fighting the rage rumbling through me.
“F*cking playboy! Your career is over! Did you hear what I just said?” I growl in Mikhail’s face. My arm pushes against his windpipe, and he’s turning all shades of blue and I seriously don’t give a f*ck at this point.
“Alek!” Erin’s voice calls from behind me. “Stop this, please.” Her touch calms me down.
I release Mikhail who slumps to the floor. “You’re finished, you slimy bastard. As in, fired from the show.”
“I am sorry, Aleksandr,” Mikhail begins, “she insisted that I stay with her.”
“Don’t you dare hurt my guest,” Mother manages to say, her words slurred, and her body swaggering. Adriana sits by her side. She’s doing her best to try and support our mother who insists on rising to her feet. “You will not fire anyone unless I allow you to do so, which I have not.”
I turn my heated gaze in her direction, just before I release Mikhail. The look of horror in his face almost makes me feel sympathetic…almost. “You’ve got ten seconds to erase your face from out of my sight.” Picking up his shirt, I toss it toward him, smacking him in the face. He wastes no time stumbling toward the front door.
Erin steps closer to Mother. This makes the first time she has noticed that Erin’s even in the room. “You again. What are you doing here? Do you never go away?” she snaps at Erin.
“My turn, Mother. If I’m not allowed to rough up your boy toys, then you will not speak to the woman I love that way. You’ve done enough damage, yes?”
I feel as though time has stopped.
All three sets of eyes snap toward me.
F*ck me now and be done with it. “That’s right. I love her mother.” I stare directly at Erin when I confirm this. I’ve tried to deny the way I feel far too long. Because of that, I almost lost the one woman who has stood by my side, even after I told her about my shady past with Nikolai. I’ve already been given too many chances. I won’t let this one slip away.
“Love,” Mother scoffs, her eyes rapidly blinking. “Love is only a dream, son, an illusion. A tricky little nightmare that’ll grab you and toss you into a dark pit.” She slumps over on Adriana after she finishes her statement. It’s like someone pulled a plug out of her body and she deflated.
I move toward them. Mother is knocked out now.
And Erin still hasn’t said a word. I don’t think she has fully processed what I just declared. That’s understandable. I’m still trying to figure out what drug somebody slipped in my drink this morning, too.
“Alright. Let’s get her up to bed,” I say to Adriana.
“I’ll help you,” Erin offers. She moves over to the other side of Mother and places her arm over her shoulder.
“I’ll go find extra covers for her,” Adriana says and moves out from under Mother’s arm as I take her place.
“Will she be alright?” Erin asks. Worry swims in her eyes. Even though Mother has done everything but ripped her heart out, she still manages to show concern for her well-being.
“She’s a fighter, like you,” I answer meaning every word. We stumble into the guest room located on the first floor. I go outside the room and wait, while Erin and Adriana help my semi-conscious mother remove her clothing. Erin steps out of the room first, gently closing the door behind her. “She’ll have the headache from Hades after she wakes up. That’s for sure.”
“Come here, Jaybird.” I pull Erin into my arms, inhaling her scent. She wraps her arms around my waist. I want to tell her how I feel again. I don’t. Instead, I settle for something more subtle. “Thank you for being in my life.”
She glances up at me and smiles. “You don’t have to thank me, Alek. It’s like you said. Some things are just meant to be. We shouldn’t question something like that.”
A strange jolt of energy hits me, filling me with both warm and wild thoughts jumbled together. I intend to make sure Mother stays put in bed, and then I’m going spend the rest of the night making it up to Erin for each one she spent alone over the past week.
Mother fought her way off the streets of Texas to become the embodiment of a Russian queen. She’s the one who gave me the spirit and the willpower to be the same way. The only difference is that I found my redeemer in the woman standing here with me. But Mother still searches and waits for the one moment that’ll change her life forever.
Some battles must be fought. For me, I’m going for what’s logical, the woman I love. For my mother, I honestly don’t think she’ll ever be happy unless she stays put on her battleground.