“Wait.” I stand up. “Why don’t you at least let me make you some hot chocolate?”
She looks at me curiously. “Hot chocolate?”
“It’s a cooler night. I’ve arranged that we have the house to ourselves. What would be better than indulging in full cream milk hot chocolate?”
She hesitates, and I can see she’s trying not to smile. “Okay. We can have hot chocolate. If there are marshmallows.”
“I always keep marshmallows. Do you think I’m a heathen?” I chuckle as I lead her to the kitchen. I put some milk on to boil and prepare two cups of hot chocolate.
She picks up the canister of hot chocolate. “Oh, this is that fancy branded hot chocolate. I’ve never had this one.”
“It’s the one they normally serve in the coffee shops,” I comment. “When I first had it at a coffee shop, I bribed the owner into telling me which brand it was.”
She snorts. “Really?”
“Yeah, and the trick is to heat the milk in a pan, not in the microwave. It’s just better. Don’t ask me why.” I grin as I wait for the milk to bubble. “Do you want added sugar in yours?”
“That’s a bit sweet, don’t you think?” she asks.
“Not really.” I finish making the hot chocolate and let her take hers. “Let’s sit in the living room.”
I wait for her to sit first and then sit beside her. She sits back and holds her hot chocolate in both hands, blowing on the top and sipping it.
“My mom, when you meet her, she’ll talk a lot about doing shows. She was a performer.” I nod. “She did a lot of shows, and my father wasn’t always happy about it, but my mother loved to perform. She did until she had Luka, and then she retired because four kids were too much. Personally, I think she knew Luka was her last and wanted to spend as much time as she could with him.”
She watches me steadily and settles into the sofa. “Your family sounds very close.”
“You’ll find Danil is very serious all the time. He gets quite moody. Arseny is a little psycho, a little bit of a joker. I’m pretty sure my dad dropped him on his head a few too many times.”
“What about Luka?” she asks curiously.
“Luka, despite being head of security, is also a gentle soul. Much like you are. He would die to protect the ones he loves.” I sip my hot chocolate. “Just don’t mention my dad around anyone. It’s a touchy subject.”
“Why are you telling me this?” she asks quietly.
“Because when we go to our first family event together, I want you to fit in more. I want you to feel comfortable. I want you to feel more comfortable with this entire situation.”
I take her mug and set both our mugs down. I take her hands, and she sits up closer to me. “After the theatre…”
She pulls away from me and stretches. “I’m so sorry, Kervyn. I’m so exhausted since being pregnant. Could we talk about this another time? The warm hot chocolate has made me even sleepier.”
“Of course,” I say, standing as she stands. “Penny, if there’s something wrong…” I pause.
“You abducted me from my life that I worked so hard for. That doesn’t change, Kervyn.” She blushes. “No matter how many hot chocolates you make me.”
She walks out, and I stand there for a moment, frustrated and infuriated. All I’m trying to do is make her see that we could work as a team.
Women.
Fucking frustrating as hell.
I leave to check on the club and stay there for several hours, and when I come back, I find the kitchen lights on. I check what’s going on and find Penny scratching through the cupboard.
“Are you looking for something?” I ask.
She jumps slightly. “I thought you were asleep. I’m sorry, I just suddenly had a craving for a tangy, salty pickle.”
“Ah, the pickle. I think we ran out after your last craving. Come on.” I motion for her to walk out of the kitchen. “There’s a convenience store nearby that sells them. Since you’re up, you can go for a drive with me.”
She smiles excitedly, forgetting herself. I see a happy side to her. A pickle can make my fiance happier than I can. How fucking depressing.
I drive us to the convenience store to buy five bottles of pickles. The clerk smiles at us. “Pickles at two in the morning. Is someone pregnant?”
“She is.” I motion to Penny with my head. “It’s why I’m always here.”
“You’re the pickle dude the other clerk always talks about.” He laughs. “That’s brilliant.”
I give him a curt smile and take the bag of pickles. We get back to the car, and Penny opens a jar immediately and pulls one out, biting into it.
She moans softly. “Hmm. Yes, that is exactly what I’m looking for.” She looks at me. “Can we go back in?”
“What? Do you want all the pickles?” I ask.
“No. I want something sweet, too.”
“Okay.” I smile. “Let’s go get your weird food.” I wander around after her with a basket as she picks out various things. I can’t say my stomach doesn’t agree with the selection.
By the time we’re home, I have to call a guard to unload the car. Then Penny and I spend an hour repacking the kitchen so she has a shelf just for her snacks. It’s amusing, to say the least, but it’s a side of her I like to see.
