AmayaI tried not to let questions about our married life stick in my brain too long. Even if things did take a turn for the normal after we got married—and I hoped they did because my lazy-ass self couldn’t deal with all this drama in my personal life day after day—it was for the best. I wanted an easy life, a normal one or as close to normal as I could get, given who Kristo was and what his family was like and the enormous fortune they had access to. I hoped he wanted the same thing too. I hoped my life wasn’t going to be a source of gossip forever, that eventually things would even out and we could just enjoy being together once again. I remembered how it had been those first few weeks when we had been getting to know each other, peeling away our layers and falling slowly but surely in love. That was what I wanted for the long term. Long nights sitting up drinking beer and eating ice cream and talking about everything and nothing. That, I could live with.I finished up my work and

Kristo“I’m pretty exhausted,” Amaya admitted. “I could do with getting home and having something to eat. If that’s all right with you?”“Sure, it is.” I planted a kiss on her cheek. “Come on, let’s get home.”“I think I have a chain I could put the other ring on,” she murmured, as she looked down at her hand again. “You’re going to have to stop getting me these, you know. I’m going to run out of room.”“A girlfriend actually asking for less jewelry?” I teased her. “Could it be true?”“Hey, watch it, or I’ll make you go back and buy me everything in that store,” she teased, and she looped her arm through mine, the bag with Jolene’s gift swinging happily in her other hand.We made our way back to my place, chatting about the days we’d had as we went. She told me a little about Darla on the way over, some new girl who’d started work at the library who she felt like she was already clicking with. I was glad for her. She didn’t seem to have many friends, perhaps not finding the time until

Amaya“There’s something else as well,” I continued, and her face dropped again.“Don’t tell me you’ve been hiding a whole niece or nephew from me as well?” she exclaimed, glancing around the room as though she expected the secret child to come sprinting out from behind the bed. I shook my head.“Nothing like that,” I promised her, chuckling. “That’s a long way down the line. But we wanted to ask you …”I hesitated for a moment. Should I give her some time to process everything I’d just dumped on her head? Or should I just get it all out there now and let her make her own decision? All of this was happening so quickly, and I didn’t want my baby sister to be left out of a single thing.“We wanted to ask you if you would consider living with us.” I grinned, and she stared at me again, silent, as though she was waiting for me to tell her I was just fooling and not to get so excited. I didn’t contradict myself. Her eyebrows shot up.“You’re serious?” she shrieked, and I nodded. I leaned o

Amaya“Dinner.” Nonna clapped her hands together and nodded toward the dining room. “Someone give me a hand bringing the food through, and we can eat.”Amaya and I volunteered to take everything through to the dining room. I was glad for a little time alone with her. I seemed to be craving it any chance I got, drinking in these sweet little moments where she would tap my arm as though reminding me how she felt about me. I couldn’t believe how natural it felt to be near her like this, even now. I’d assumed at some point that novelty would wear off, but for now, I was just enjoying getting her to myself. After all this time feeling like she had one foot out the door, that I could never truly call her my own, it was just the two of us, and I couldn’t have been happier.Cleo wasn’t coming for dinner, and I, for one, was relieved at that. We would have to start talking again eventually, but I was still too furious at what she’d pulled with the contract to face looking her in the eye withou

AmayaI talked to Kristo, who thought it better for me to grab an over the counter test. He picked me up and even went into the store to get it himself. We drove to a cute little diner that he loved, and I left him sitting at the table, his knuckles white and eyes a little wide. His words rang in my ears from the car ride over. “I’m sure you’re fine,” he promised me. “Just a little food poisoning, that’s all.”I didn’t have the heart to tell him I hadn’t eaten anything heavy enough to warrant this kind of reaction the last few days and, instead, just waited in the office with him until we were called in. “Everything’s going to be okay, baby.” He squeezed my hand. “I promise.”I was glad he was there by my side, but I was having a hard time believing him, even though I wanted to. My heart twisted in my chest as I tried to think about everything it could be—not food poisoning but maybe the flu? Perhaps just tiredness from working my fucking ass off since what felt like the beginning o