Her Russian Millionaire

Chapter 12

“This one?” Erik pointed to the computer screen. Jalisa shook her head and passed him a pork egg roll dipped in duck sauce. Erik clicked the next arrow and bit into the egg roll. The sweet sauce dripped down his chin.

“I kind of like that one.” Jalisa pointed one chipped nail to the screen. With her hair no longer in twists, she started to chew on her nails to protect her natural curls.

“Isn’t it a little small, though?” Erik licked his fingers and scrolled down to read the specifications.

The two were gathered around a desktop monitor at a hotel next to the airport they would depart from tomorrow. Chinese and pizza were the only thing that delivered there, and they had had pizza for lunch. Nikita lounged on the bed with the portable gaming system that Erik had picked up for her so she would have something to do during the flights.

On the screen, real estate in England flashed by. Right now they were searching in London, so most of what showed up were flats or apartments. Jalisa was okay with almost anything, so long as the area it was in had a reasonable crime rate. Erik was much pickier, searching for the perfect house. Prices scrolled by at the top, reaching mind-boggling high amounts for anything with land.

Right now they were looking at a modest two story with three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a garage. It didn’t have much in the way of backyards, and it was attached to a line of homes that looked just like it, which Jalisa didn’t like, but it was nice. Erik clicked on the next.

An apartment on the top floor of a building. Two beds and one bath. An open floor plan and a big kitchen. It wasn’t an ideal home for the three children Jalisa wanted to raise, but it would work for a while.

The next, a grand mansion with five spacious rooms, three and half baths, and hardwood floors. It was nestled in the heart of London and was outrageously expensive. Erik looked at that one a long time before deciding it would be noisy.

“I’m seeing a lot of old homes…” Erik mumbled.

“I don’t care what kind of home it is so long as it had enough space for all of us.” Jalisa didn’t have anything against old homes.

“Old homes are more likely to need frequent repairs.” Erik shook his head. “I’d rather invest in something that will stand up for a while.”

“Why?” Jalisa asked. “It’s not like this is permanent. Right?”

“I’d like it to be.” Erik turned to her, wiping off the bit of duck sauce on the corner of her lips with his thumb.

“How about let’s just take it slow?” Jalisa was not about to commit to anything permanent without a ring on her finger. She didn’t doubt that he intended to be with her for the long run, but intentions and doing something were two very different things.

“Slow?” Erik’s eyebrows went up. He turned to her, stopping only to admire the way her jeweled skin glowed in the blue light of the monitor for a moment before getting serious. “I didn’t think we were taking it ‘slow.’”

“I don’t know exactly what that means.” Jalisa pressed her lips together. “Can we just speak plainly?”

“Sure.” Erik sighed. “I just thought…that we were more than boyfriend and girlfriend. I know we aren’t married, but we are in a committed long-term relationship. We’re not just high school kids visiting each other’s lockers and making out in cars until someone catches us. I feel like we have a real, adult, committed relationship. Isn’t that what you want?”

“It is what I want, but I can’t ever marry someone who can’t or won’t go to church with me. Religion is very important to me; it runs deeper than blood. It is a very integral part of me. If you don’t love God, then you don’t love all of me.

“I dream of taking our children to church. Us all sitting on a pew like ducklings in a row. Me, You, Nikita, our eldest daughter, our middle son, and our youngest daughter. Taking them to choir. Dressing up for Easter and Christmas. Praying before meals.

“I understand that you and Christ have a rocky past, but…and I don’t mean to sound insensitive, but you need to not let your brother’s death hold you back so much. I understand that his passing was brutal and violent and occurred right in front of you. God can help repair your heart, but you shut him out.” Jalisa stopped as she noticed Erik shaking his head.

“It’s not just that, Jalisa. I have been in therapy for my brother’s death. I’ve moved on from that. He is not the one holding me back, I am. The things that I have done when I’ve worked in the mafia. It wasn’t all drugs and illegal alcohol. It was murders. Organ harvesting. Protection racketeering. I hurt people for power and money. I don’t think that God can ever forgive me for that. If I wasn’t so scared of losing everything in this world – including you – I would just end my life and send myself to hell early.”

“That’s what I’m talking about.” Jalisa pinched the bridge of her nose. “I can’t be with someone who thinks he’s going to hell, and – even worse – accepts it.”

“God will not forgive me-” Erik began.

“God is merciful and will forgive those who truly repent,” Jalisa insisted.

“Can we continue looking at houses? I promise I will think about all you’ve said.” Erik clicked to the next one. “This one is cute, but it still has no land. Let’s look outside of London. After all, England does not have to automatically equal London.”

The two flipped through houses, pointing out ones that looked nice or were near exciting city centers. Jalisa made a list of restaurants she wanted to eat at and sights she wanted to see. She had never left the United States, so this was a real treat for her.

The two saved a bunch of houses to a joint account before preparing for the rest of the trip. Erik had used his connections to get them all new papers much much quicker than Marie’s connection did. Jalisa didn’t even mind losing the thousand dollars. She was just happy to now be Trinity Tallace, a woman who had zero business with the Department of Child Services and had no reason to be nervous when presenting her passport.

“Nikita,” Jalisa called. “What’s your name?”

“Nikita if you’re asking; Alice Tallace if anyone else is asking.” Nikita’s eyes didn’t even leave the screen of her portable gaming console.

“Good, just making sure.” Jalisa nodded. She turned to Erik. “And you are Samwell Smith.”

“Yup.” Erik stretched his arms out in front of him before shutting off the monitor. For a moment, the only light was that of the moon and Nikita’s flashing screen. Then Erik flipped on the television and relaxed against the bed. He pulled out his cell phone and punched in a number.