Page 18 of Heartfelt Pain (Ruling Love #3)

Ren

Roma: Did my mom invite you to Sailor’s birthday party?

I ’m still staring at the message when my phone rings.

“Hi?” The last time I spoke to Russet over the phone, I’d scheduled a meeting with her.

There’s something in the background. A TV possibly. I can already picture her flicking her hair back, the frustration comes across so clearly.

“Did Yelena show up at Fujimori’s today?” It sounds like she’s got the phone pressed to her ear, the connection slightly wobbly.

“Yes. How did you know?”

“Roma called Max.”

But how did Roma find out? I bite down on my lower lip and open my fridge. It’s feeling like a Wild Cherry Pepsi type of night.

“Um. . . yeah, so,” I trail off. “I mean. . .”

“Are you coming to Sailor’s birthday?” Russet asks. I can’t figure out what I’m hearing in the background.

“Are you baking?” I ask.

She hums in confirmation.

“Are you. . . stress baking?”

She snorts, disgruntled and sarcastic. “What gave it away? The frantic whipping of icing or the fact that my mother-in-law from hell is planning my kid’s birthday party.”

I crack open the Pepsi and let the carbonated fizz wash down my throat. I’m correct in thinking Russ’s venting isn’t over.

“She’s co-opted the whole fucking thing!” A bowl bangs in the background. “She asked us if Sunday would work. We thought it’d be a small family get together.”

Yelena doesn’t know the meaning.

“Lev said it’d just be a family dinner. And Max agreed just so the grandparents would be satisfied because it’d been a while since we went over.

Or at least all three of us. He took Sailor over a couple of weeks ago so I thought it was suspicious when Yelena texted Max about coming over again.

And then we found out she’d sent invitations out! She’s hired caterers.”

Grocery store cakes and pizza made up my childhood birthdays. What it must be like to grow up rich.

“Um,” I hum. “Isn’t Sailor’s birthday in the fall?”

Russ’s frustration is a force through the phone. “Her birthday isn’t even until September! Why the fuck do you think we were taken aback when we received an invitation. But she said something about visiting her mother in Russia and that somehow equated to throwing a party.”

I frown as I mull this over. “How long is she planning on being in Russia?”

“Hopefully forever,” Russ grumbles. She’s either on the verge of crying or shooting somebody. “Do you know how annoying this bitch is? She can’t fucking ever get the hint. This is Sailor’s party and she’s made it all about herself.”

“Maybe it won’t be that bad? ”

A disgruntled noise fills the line. “It’s Sailor’s birthday! I mean it’s early, but it’s still her birthday party!”

“I mean what would Sailor want to do?” I ask. She’s two, but from all the videos Russ shows, she’s very chatty. And honestly if she takes after her mom, Sailor seems the type who would love having a random birthday party that basically doesn’t even correlate to her actual birth date.

“She said she wanted a party with blue everything,” Russet says. “Does this beige bitch even know what color is?”

I stare at my refrigerator where I tacked the invitation Yelena handed me earlier today. Admittedly, the cardstock and cursive font are giving off regal wedding vibes. But it is printed on blue paper.

“I think as long as there’s cake and sugar and other kids Sailor will be fine,” I, a childless woman, say. “Will Milo be there?”

Sailor loves to baby Lennie’s nephew around.

Russ takes a breath. “There will be a few other kids,” she admits. “But still! She’s annoying.”

“Can you cancel it?”

There’s another frustrated sigh. “Max wants to placate her. He says we’ll throw an even better party on her actual birthday.”

I stay on the line with her. I assume she’s icing cupcakes or something.

Russet comes to book club. Sometimes she’ll pop into dinner with Len.

She’s sarcastic and fierce. I can’t picture myself being a mother, but it comes naturally to Russet.

Not just in the way she takes care of her daughter, but everyone around her.

She notices our favorite foods and desserts and checks in on us if a couple of weeks go by without seeing each other.

No one gets along with Yelena. I’m not surprised Russ needs to vent especially since it involves her daughter .

Yet, I still find myself saying, “For what it’s worth, Yelena seemed sincere when she showed up.”

She pauses her stress baking, the line quieting. “Tell me what happened? Why did she invite you? I mean no offense.”

“No, I get it. I’m not family and I’m not. . .”

Friends.

Oh fuck, does she know something is going on between me and Roma. Is she worried her son will end up dead thanks to his association with me?

“She showed up around lunch time,” I say.

She appeared out of the blue. Isolde wordlessly went into the kitchen with Abe, leaving the table empty. Yelena didn’t bother to look at Trevino as she sat down.

Fujimori’s is clean and friendly, but there’s no denying it’s a hole in the wall. Yelena’s jewelry costs more than the month’s rent.

She showed no signs of unease as she sat, straight and proud, in the chair in front of me.

“It was quick,” I admit. “She asked how I was doing. Gave me the card. Left. There was a car waiting for her at the curb.”

That’s pretty standard mafia wife stuff. Her bodyguard stood right outside, knowing to tone it down at Fujimori’s.

“Don’t worry,” I tell Russ. “I’m not going to go.”

“What the fuck do you mean you’re not going to go?” she asks. “Are you saying you don’t want to go to my kid’s party?”

“You don’t even want this party to happen.”

“But it is happening and I need as many allies as I can get.”

“It can’t be that bad,” I reason.

“She’s invited over a hundred guests and I know a handful of them.”

My back digs into the kitchen counter, my painted toes wiggling against the rug as I ponder.

Going to my ex-boyfriend’s niece's birthday seems a bit odd considering I don’t get along with his family .

“I’m not exactly close with the Zimin’s,” I remind. “I’m not sure why Yelena invited me. She also invited Abe and Ben, though.”

Russet perks up. “Really? That’s good. Abe is good with kids.”

I try not to roll my eyes. “He already said he’s coming because he wants to know what the inside of Lev’s house looks like.”

“That’s fair.” Russ laughs. “Come with them. I don’t know why she’s pulling Fujimori’s into this, but maybe if you go along with it, we can figure it out.”

I chew my lip. Yelena is up to something and Russ is right to wonder. But it’s more to do with her son than anything.

I think Yelena knows a lot more than she ever lets on.

“Also I want to see what Trevino looks like,” Russ admits. “Lennie says he’s hot, so make sure to bring him along.”

“Yeah, just me and the Ghost rolling up to Lev’s house,” I mutter. Something beeps in the background so Russ gets off the line in a rush.

I’m left staring at the birthday invitation.

My phone lights up with multiple new texts from Roma. I don’t bother reading them but I do send one of my own.

Ren: My door’s unlocked. Either you get here in thirty minutes and eat me out or I’m calling someone else.

I don’t bother waiting for a reply. I strip off my clothes so he’ll find me naked in bed when he gets here.