Chapter 3
Sloane watches him struggle to plan his escape with amusement.
"I'm feeling like having coffee in the kitchen," she tells him after putting away the keys on the entryway table.
"Join me?"
Nikolai sighs in relief.
"You are angel."
"I've got my moments."
He follows her into the kitchen, where he offers to set up the coffee maker as a thank you for the excuse to get away.
Sloane lets him, and she takes a seat on one of the stools at the kitchen island, the sound of her shoes clattering against the floor as she slips them off.
"Sorry.
My feet are killing me."
"Is your house, you can be comfortable now," he reassures her, looking through cupboards to pull out two white coffee mugs.
"Anniversary dinner okay?
Romantic?"
Sloane nods, smiling.
"It was nice.
Quiet.
We sat down at the same time and I ate my food while it was still hot, for a change."
"A miracle," Nikolai agrees, thinking about his mother as he pours coffee into the cups.
How she used to sit and eat her meal last.
Only after Nikolai, his father, and brother were finished or nearly finished.
How she never complained about it.
"Children okay?" Sloane's voice brings him back.
"No trouble?"
"No, they were great," Nikolai slides her a cup, happy to talk about something else.
"Well, Weston said Milo cried a little because they couldn't find space book."
Fuck
, the space book," Sloane groans, a hand to her forehead.
"Hazel tore a few pages off it by accident the other day, so I threw it away before Milo could notice.
I meant to replace it throughout the week, but I totally forgot."
"Is okay.
Weston took care of it.
They read different book."
Sloane wraps her hands around the mug in front of her, her eyebrows raised.
"Really?"
"Yes.
Snakes, I think.
Why?"
"Oh, nothing.
It's just..." Sloane shrugs, blowing on her drink.
"We always read about space on Fridays, so I'm surprised Milo accepted something else." She takes a sip of coffee, smiling a little.
"I'm glad Weston was here to talk him into it.
I'm not sure I would've known how."
Nikolai nods, drinking from his own cup.
"Me too.
Weston is very good with Milo."
"He is," Sloane agrees.
She seems to get lost in a train of thought for a moment, but she then shakes her head and smiles at Nikolai.
"You both are, with all our kids.
I can't thank you enough."
"Nonsense.
We love your family." As he speaks, Garrett's laughter roars into the kitchen.
Nikolai makes a face.
"Well, most of them, anyway."
Sloane laughs.
They can hear Garrett still going on about... whatever.
Nikolai doesn't pay attention to what he's saying, but he can clearly hear Weston's monotone voice going "
Really
?" and "
Wow, that's crazy
" at carefully spaced intervals, which Nikolai knows the meaning of–that Weston has completely stopped listening and is now reciting grocery lists or hockey stats in his head.
He bites back a smile.
"You think he's okay out there?" Sloane whispers, reading his mind.
Nikolai sighs.
"Are
okay in here?
This was arranged marriage, is the only explanation I have," he fakes frustration, making Sloane snort into her cup.
"Just say the word and we take you in. Weston does not like girls but he would treat you right anyway."
That pulls a big laugh out of her.
Nikolai loves when he gets a reaction like this out of people.
"I'm sure he would," Sloane covers her mouth with her hand, a habit she has when she can't stop smiling.
"But contrary to popular belief, I did marry out of love."
Nikolai makes a distressed sound.
"If you say so," he takes one more sip from his cup and sets it over the counter.
"But I should get Weston.
It's late anyway."
"I won't hold you back any longer, I'm sure you're tired," Sloane jumps off the stool she sat at.
Without her shoes, she's several inches shorter than Nikolai, barely reaching his shoulder when she stands next to him.
"And I can't wait to get out of this dress and into my reading-in-bed time.
Unzip me?"
Nikolai nods, his hands already reaching for the small zipper on the back of Sloane's neck.
"Weston reads before bed every night, too.
Same boring book about hockey, but...
Is nice habit.
I think I should read more."
"You should try!
It helps me sleep better," Sloane smiles, reaching for the cups of coffee and placing them in the sink behind her.
"I'd recommend something, but recently all I read is same boring book about parenting."
Nikolai hums, as it makes sense, but then remembers something he saw earlier in the living room.
"No stories?
I saw some books on your table.
Maybe scary?
They said something about specters."
"Specters?"
No?
I think I heard the word in movies Marcus and I watch between games."
Sloane hums, racking her brain for the kind of books she keeps at the living room.
Then, realization seems to hit her, and her eyebrows raise and her expression falters, just for a second.
She composes herself, but not fast enough for Nikolai not to notice he's asked something with a difficult answer.
"Oh," she says gently, leaning back against the counter.
"No, honey.
Not specters.
Spectrum
." Nikolai's not sure he's heard this word before, but Sloane continues before he can ask about it.
"It's a...
Well, we haven't told anyone yet, but–"
"You don't have to tell me if it's private," Nikolai hurries to stop her, hoping not to sound rude.
Sloane smiles at him, sincere.
"No, it's okay!
It's not a secret or anything, it's just that we're still in the evaluation process.
We think Milo might be autistic.
Doctor said he'll give us results in about two weeks, but all signs point to yes."
Nikolai frowns, concern bubbling in his chest."Doctor?
Is he going to be okay?"
"Oh, yes, totally!
Autism is not an illness or anything.
It's just..." Sloane pauses, choosing her words.
"It's just the way some people are.
You know how we all have different needs?"