“Tripped over a toy?”
She rolled her eyes. “I tripped over Hayden’s stupid remote control car.”
Ilya laughed, delighted by this new and important information. “It was Hayden’s toy?”
“One of the kids left it out,” Hayden insisted from the other side of the room. “It wasn’t me!”
Ilya shared a look with Jackie.
“Come on.” Ilya offered her his hand. “I will help you to the car.”
She tried to move her swollen ankle, then winced.
“Are you sure it is not broken?” Ilya asked.
“It’s not broken. It just hurts.”
She reached for his shoulder, and Ilya decided to make this easier for her. He bent and hovered one hand near her bent knees. “May I?”
“Go for it.”
Ilya lifted her into his arms. She wasn’t a tall woman, but she was fit and strong. He was still able to lift her easily.
“Hey, I can do that!” Hayden insisted as he strode across the room.
“Good grief, Hayden,” Jackie said. “Just get the door.”
Ilya carried Jackie to the Pikes’ SUV and helped her get comfortable in the back with her leg elevated across the seat. Shane exited the house with all four kids trailing behind him.
“You good?” Hayden asked her as he got into the driver’s seat.
“Do you have her health card?” Ilya asked.
“Shit.”
“It’s in my purse,” Jackie said. “On the kitchen counter.”
“Got it,” Shane said, jogging back to the house.
The kids swarmed the car, asking a million questions at once.
“I’m fine,” Jackie assured them. “Mommy just needs a doctor to look at her ankle. He’ll patch me up and I’ll be good as new!”
“But you were going to paint our nails,” one of the twin girls—Ruby, Ilya was pretty sure—said with a pout.
“I can do that later,” Jackie promised her.
“I can do it,” Ilya said. He looked at Ruby and tapped a finger against his lips. “Wait. What color?”
“Purple. With sparkles. And pink. And blue.”
He smiled. “No problem.”
Shane returned with the purse, and handed it to Jackie.
“Thank you for doing this,” Jackie said. “I know we ruined your day.”
“Not ruined,” Ilya said honestly. “Just more interesting.”
Amber, the youngest Pike child, started crying when Ilya tried to close the car door.
“Oh, sweetie,” Jackie said. “It’s okay. Mommy will be home soon and you’ll have so much fun with Uncle Ilya.”
“Uncle Ilya?” Hayden grumbled.
Ilya picked Amber up and smiled at her. “Shane told me that you are a great chef.”
The three-year-old stared at him with wide, wet eyes, then nodded.
“If you like plastic food,” Hayden said, “you’re in luck.”
“Better than what Shane eats,” Ilya said, winking at Shane.
Hayden actually laughed at that.
* * *
“Sparkles on all of them?” Ilya asked.
Ruby nodded without hesitation and Ilya got to work. He’d already painted her nails a bold combination of dark purple, neon pink, and light blue, but obviously the sparkles were necessary.
“How’s it going?” Shane asked as he entered the kitchen.
“Amazing. Look at this great job I am doing.”
Shane bent over the table and inspected Ruby’s manicure. “Wow. I’m jealous.”
“I’m next,” said Ruby’s twin sister, Jade, claiming her spot before Shane tried to butt in line.
“Is Amber asleep?” Ilya asked.
“Yeah. Conked right out after a solid hour of preparing food for us.”
Ilya smiled, remembering how seriously Amber had presented each of their plastic meals. “Was surprised you ate the hamburger. Red meat, you know.”
Shane lightly punched his shoulder. “Idiot.”
“That’s not nice,” Jade said.
“You are right,” Ilya agreed. “That is not nice, Shane.”
“Sorry.” He sat at the table between Jade and the middle child, Arthur. The Pikes’ only son was a remarkably quiet kid, seemingly content to watch whatever was happening around him. He seemed to be fascinated by his sister’s nails.
“Do you want nail polish, Arthur?” Ilya asked.
The five-year-old blinked at him, then nodded.
“He can’t!” Ruby insisted. “He’s a boy.”
“Boys can wear nail polish,” Ilya said. “Watch.” He carefully brushed a coat of the pale blue color on his thumbnail. “See?”
“Dad said it’s just for girls,” Jade said.
“Well, Dad is a—”
“Your dad doesn’t know a lot of boys who wear nail polish,” Shane cut in just in time. “But plenty do.”
Ilya painted the rest of the nails on his left hand and admired his work. “This is nice. I should have sparkles too maybe.”
“Here,” Shane said. He took Ilya’s hand in his, then grabbed the bottle of glitter polish. “It’s easier if someone else does it. Probably.”
Everyone watched as Shane bent over Ilya’s hand, concentrating intensely as he brushed polish on each nail. Ilya’s heart fluttered at the sweetness of it.
“Is he your husband?” Ruby asked.
Ilya flinched, nearly making Shane’s brush slip. “No.”
“Are you his husband?”
“That’s not how—” Shane said, then stopped himself. “We’re not married.”
“Are you going to get married?”
Shane locked eyes with Ilya, and Ilya saw the silent plea for help in them.
“Do you think we should?” Ilya asked.
“Do you love each other?”
“We’re friends,” Shane said stiffly at the same time Ilya said, “Yes.”
Jade grabbed her sister’s arm. “We could have a wedding today!”