Page 166 of Shutter and Sin
Everyone turns to look at me.
“He likes to play pranks,” I say quickly, out of breath. “He’s very naughty. My husband wasn’t trying to hurt him. He was trying to stop him from throwing ants at him. Please, everybody calm down.”
The man with the phone lowers it slowly. The woman with the stroller relaxes a little.
“You’re sure?” the first man asks.
“I’m sure.” I walk over to Alexei and Yuri. “Baby, tell them. Tell them this is your papa.”
Yuri stops thrashing. He looks at me, then at Alexei, then at all the people watching. A slow grin spreads across his face.
“That’s my mommy,” he announces. “And this is my dad.”
Alexei sets him down immediately. Yuri runs over to me and wraps his arms around my legs.
“Sorry for the confusion,” I say to the crowd. “Everything’s fine.”
They disperse slowly, still looking suspicious.
Alexei brushes sand off his jacket, glaring at Yuri. “You almost got me arrested.”
Yuri grins up at him. “Did I?”
“Yes.”
“Good.”
Anya walks over, still laughing. “That was incredible.”
Taras finally lets himself smile. “The kid’s got guts.”
I look at Anya and notice the way Taras immediately moves closer to her, his hand resting on the small of her back protectively. She leans into him without even thinking about it.
Alexei steps closer to me, his hand sliding around my waist. “Your son is a menace.”
“Our son,” I correct.
“Right now, he’s yours.”
Yuri tugs on my hand. “Mama, can we go get ice cream now?”
I look down at him. “After your playdate. If you’re good.”
“I’m always a good boy.”
Alexei snorts. “Sure you are.”
Yuri sticks his tongue out at him.
Alexei looks at me. “See? This is what I deal with.”
“Maybe if you stopped making me cry, he’d stop being mean to you.”
“I haven’t made you cry in months.”
“He doesn’t know that.”
“Then tell him.”
“Where’s the fun in that?”
Anya laughs. “You two are so cute.”
“Yes we are,” I say.
THE END
