“Just a kiss,” she says, tugging me closer. “And maybe help getting to the bathroom. This bowling ball makes movement challenging.”
I laugh and help her up, supporting her weight as she waddles to the en suite. Before I leave, I press one more kiss to her lips.
“I love you,” I tell her, meaning it more than I ever have.
“I love you, too,” she replies. “Try not to terrorize too many people today.”
Not too many, I almost say. Today’s list has only one name.
My father’s study door looms as it always has. Grandiose, overly large, suffused with its own importance.
I don’t knock before entering. Those days are long past.
Andrei looks up from his desk, surprise flickering across his features before his expression settles into careful neutrality.
“What an unexpected surprise, son.”
“Is it
