My Mother's Secret by Alina Adams

Author:Alina Adams
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: History Through Fiction
Published: 2022-12-15T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Sixteen

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“I made terrible decisions,” Regina told Aaron. “I trusted the wrong people. I don’t know if my parents are dead or alive. I don’t know what happened to Cecilia. I don’t know if she and Kaminsky were innocent or guilty. I don’t know if I was innocent or guilty for listening to them. I don’t know anything. Except I was a selfish coward who ran to protect myself.”

“Wise choice,” Aaron observed. He’d listened to Regina employing the same inscrutable expression with which he listened to Felix’s directives. She had no idea how he felt about what she’d confessed. Either about her past in Moscow. Or her turning down Felix’s proposal. Or her desire to marry him, instead.

“You wouldn’t have done it. You wouldn’t have let anyone cower you. You didn’t vote to freeze the seeds no matter how hard Felix intimidated you. You left to help the Cossacks when no one was on your side.”

“You were.”

Regina gulped and shook her head. “I was a coward then, too. I used to think I knew everything. I thought I was smarter than my parents. They clung to the past. I was forging a brave path into the future.” She raised her arm and pointed her finger, echoing Lenin. She’d done it before. With Felix. She’d meant it then. She had no idea what she meant now.

“You defended Marta,” Aaron said. Raising Regina’s chin with his hand, forcing her to look at him in a way she hadn’t since that day when he’d smeared her face with balm, triggering previously unknown sensations in Regina, Aaron reminded, “You defended me.”

“Because you were right. How do you always know the right thing to do?”

In lieu of an answer, Aaron dipped his head and kissed Regina. He went about it slowly, first merely brushing his mouth against hers, then bringing it back for another pass. His upper lip slipped inside, catching her lower one between his, followed by a flick of his tongue. He pressed himself against her and Regina felt the ground shifting beneath her feet, like she was falling. She instinctively reached out behind her. But there was nothing to steady herself on, forcing Regina to lurch forward and clamp onto Aaron’s elbow, holding on tight as the world around her spun, the only stability coming from the spot where they’d inexorably connected.

“Was that the right thing to do?” he asked innocently upon pulling back and surveying Regina at arm’s length.

“Y-Yes…” It was impressive Regina was able to get the single word out, considering the utter lack of breath left in her body.

“How do you know?” Aaron teased.

She kissed him back. Not slowly, not patiently, but like Regina was making up for all the times she’d wanted to, all the times she hadn’t realized she’d wanted to, and all the times she hadn’t done it due to reasons Regina was now having trouble recalling.

“I want to marry you,” Regina said. “But I don’t want to put you at risk. They could still come for me.

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