And it went well?
Me
Very. We’re drawing up the paperwork.
* * *
My phone rang. “Hey.”
“Hello. I think it is easier to talk than text.”
Speak for yourself. “So Arkady’s a big fan.”
“Yes, but not as big as me,” he said.
I laughed. “I meant he’s a big fan of you. It was almost as if you’d sent him to talk about how fantastic you are.”
“I cannot help his adoration of me. Or you. I know he has watched your games—he is the kind of person who does his research about the people he works with. I think you two will make a good team.”
Words he had once said about us. The idea of us not being a team hit me in a way I hadn’t expected.
“I would never have expected you to look out for me. After … what happened.”
“I will not switch off my feelings for you because you do not want to see me. You are right in that I have lied to you, that I have not treated you with the respect you deserve. For that, I am truly sorry. I let the situation with my father cloud my judgment. But I will always be in your corner. Never doubt that.”
My response, such as it was, died in my throat. I had been angry with him for lying, for staying away, for not trusting me. But I was also angry at my part in all this. After all, I had resisted any efforts over the years to thaw my frigid heart, and with it any chance at reconciliation.
Finally, I managed, “Thanks, Alexei.”
“Of course. I hope that one day you can forgive me, Lauren, but I realize that this might take time. If it ever happens at all. For now, I am determined to give you everything you wish for.”
Before I could respond, he clicked off with a hasty goodbye.
A few minutes later, Esme knocked on the door. “Courier delivery for you.”
I took it from her and opened the envelope. The contents should have made me happy. After all, my husband had finally come through with what I had wanted all along.
Signed divorce papers.
Chapter Fifty
Lauren
* * *
Another day, another book club meeting.
Of course, this was the first since my life had imploded: Thad had done me dirty, my agency was in tatters, and my secret husband was a secret no more.
On the other hand, I had signed Arkady Volkov and lost myself in this month’s romance, an amazing queer historical paranormal that had kept my mind occupied while my world went up in flames.
We were meeting at Franky and Jason’s place again, so after the passing around of Baby Cam Doe (my Pitt-inspired nickname), admiration for Summer’s gorgeous Parisian fashions, and the distribution of cocktails, I was anxious to get into the weeds of the book.
“So, magpie tattoos and sexy times—what did we think?”
Rosie laughed, a touch maniacally. “Slow your roll, Yatesy. You think we’re not going to talk about the fact you’ve been married to Alexei Nazarov for months and we had to hear about it from the tabloids?”
“There’s not much to say. We ran into each other in Vegas, and one thing led to another …” I trailed off, assuming they’d fill in the gaps.