Amour Amour (Aerial Ethereal #1)(119)

I hold up my hands. “I didn’t know anything.”

“It was my decision.” Katya fiddles with her fingers. “I’ve thought about it since Thanksgiving…” She takes a deep breath. “…I only wanted to go to Noctis because Mom and Dad were there. And it took me some time but I realized something important.” She rubs her eyes with her hand, cheeks already splotchy.

“And what’s that?” Nikolai asks.

She laughs into a tearful, happy smile. “I realized,” she says, “that you’re more of a parent to me than they ever were.” She laughs again and points at him. “You’re my favorite brother, Nik. You know that?”

He has his hand over his mouth, his eyes flooding. When he drops his arm, he says, “And you’re my favorite sister.”

“I’m your only sister,” she reminds him.

He hugs her, and I hear him whisper in Russian that sounds close to thank you. He wanted her to stay.

I wanted her to stay. I blow out a breath, relief loosening my muscles. She chose him over her parents.

This good news comes on the heels of Luka’s. He accepted a role in Infini yesterday, after learning a new discipline. They’ve added the Wheel of Death back into the show, the apparatus that Timo was previously known for. The one that Luka didn’t think he had the patience or skill to learn.

I realize exactly what this means for the future. Katya will be in Vegas. With Luka. Timo.

Nikolai.

And me.

I smile. So much. It’s a better ending than the one we’d all been imagining.

When they break apart, Katya looks to me, wiping her eyes again. “Can I keep Darkest Warmest Night until I finish?” she asks me.

I nod and Nikolai gives me a look. “What kind of book is that?”

I clear my throat, a tickle where my lie sits. “It’s not romantic.”

“It’s about a werewolf family,” Katya says. “It’s a good book.”

I really can’t stop smiling. “Exactly.”

He wraps his arm around my waist, pulling me closer. And that’s when I see my mom, dad, and little brother emerge from the elevators. My pulse picks up speed.

“Good luck tonight,” Katya tells me, noticing my family. “I’ll be in the nosebleeds with Luka, but we’ll be there.” She waves goodbye and heads down the east wing.

The nerves return.

“Act normal,” I say to Nikolai. This’ll be fine. Don’t sweat it. The closest I’ve come to this moment was introducing my homecoming date to my parents. I was sixteen. Not living with him, of course. This is a different caliber.

Nikolai stares down at me. “As opposed to all the times I act abnormal.”

Right. No, wait, not right. “You pierced my…”

“Thora!” My mom exclaims, throwing her hands in the air to hug me. That was a close call. She squeezes me tightly, my dad nearby with a proud smile.

“Pierced what?” Tanner asks. Or not.

My thirteen-year-old brother is taller than me. It’s not right. He has his hands in his jeans, sizing up Nikolai.

“I pierced her friend’s ear,” Nikolai lies easily.

Tanner looks impressed. “Really?”

“It’s easy if you have a piercing gun.”

“Huh,” he says.

I’m in a death-grip with my mom, frozen at the string of lies. No one thinks they’re lies but you. Right. I release my mom so she can breathe and then gently hug my dad.

“I’m proud of you, Thora,” he says again. He tells me that almost every day now. Even though I achieved this position with my boyfriend’s help—they see it as a true success. I didn’t think they would, but their joy—it’s everything to me.

Don’t cry.

I’ve been doing well so far. “Thank you. And thanks for coming.” I hug Tanner next.

And he whispers, “Your boyfriend is a fucking beast.” He has an f-bomb problem.

“He’s not that tall.”

Tanner steps back from me and gives me a weird look. “Did Vegas make you stupid?”

“Hey,” my dad cuts in.

“Just saying,” Tanner says, raising his hands. “I’d still live here…even if it rots a couple brain cells.” He nods his head, fixated on a much older cocktail waitress at the casino bar.

“I’m sure,” I say. Now for the hard part. “Mom, Dad…this is Nikolai.” I gesture between the three of them. My two worlds are colliding again. This time, it’s a much smoother fusion.

Nikolai shakes my father’s hand, both amicable.

“Thanks for looking after my daughter,” my dad says.

“She did well on her own.” He looks down at me, his lips rising.

My mom is full-blown smiling. “How long have you two been together?”

“Almost seven months,” he answers.

Seven months. It went by quickly but in the same breath, I feel like I’ve spent years with him. Maybe because we shared every day together training.

“Seven months?” She smiles more, if that’s even possible. “Wow.”

I say, “It’s been wow.” I end up grimacing. What even was that? It’s been wow. That’s not how you describe a relationship. “I mean…you know what I mean.” Stop while you’re ahead, Thora.