HEJ, MY LOVE

ERIK

Rome wasn't built in a day, and Sierra didn't immediately move back into their room. It would be too good to be true.

Leone noted there was some improvement in his parent's attitude, though. His mother began to have meals with them again. For Jonas, it was more than enough. Seeing her seated at the table beside him appeased the man.

Sierra no longer had her braids. She wore her hair blown out thanks to Erik, who gave her some good addresses in Stockholm.

Erik.

The name came back often.

Sierra worked more and spent more time at the office than at home. Most of the conversations revolved around the editor when she got home.

"How was your day?" Jonas asked.

"Good; I ate at Le Bon Repas with Erik for lunch. I need to type my review."

Erik.

There he was again.

Jonas had met the man a few times. The name and the person didn't seem relevant on those occasions, but Erik was becoming a household name. The husband could not help feeling a hint of jealousy. Erik exceeded in making Sierra smile where he now failed.

Sierra sat down, "Erik wants me to begin to review hotels."

"Pardon?" Jonas cocked a brow, "which hotel, where, why?"

Sierra shrugged, "in other regions, I guess. I just have to sleep there, use different services, and write an honest article."

"Does Erik know you're married and that your family might not be jumping for joy to see you travel around Sweden playing the Princess And The Pea?" Jonas asked.

In other circumstances, Sierra would have laughed at what seemed like a joke, but there she gave her husband a bleak stare as she replied, "well, it's better than nothing. It's not like I can go where I want, right?"

Leone's gaze switched from father to mother before gulping. What was happening?

Was his mama angry at his papa?

Where volcanos erupted, the heat cooled down instantly, "I'm sorry," Jonas lowered his gaze as he remembered his wife's circumstances.

"No, I'm sorry, Jonas," Sierra said, bringing a hand to her forehead.

Why did she have these mini outbursts?

It was so out of character, Sierra thought when she assessed her behavior. "It's just I'm trying to grasp any opportunity while I wait for better."

"Sierra, you know you don't need to work," Jonas said.

"But I want to; it's all Iㅡ," Sierra sighed and covered her eyes, "sorry, I guess I'm too sensitive these days."

"Mama, pas peuré," Leone said despite the mouth full of mashed sweet potatoes.

"No, Leone, Je ne vais pas pleuré [no, leone, I won't cry]."

Sierra held back, crying was all she wanted to do, and she would do it all day if her tear bank allowed it. Her emotional state was one of the main reasons she didn't return to their paternal suite. The woman didn't want to rub her sorrow in her husband's face without forgetting the intimacy. Sierra didn't feel ready to share a bed with Jonas though she knew nothing would happen without her consent, yet an invisible barrier held her back.

The situation with Sierra and the infamous Erik sprinkled on the top made Jonas anxious. If there was a moment the man needed reassurance, it was then.

He and Sierra spoke, but there was this distance Jonas couldn't reduce. His phone's ringtone stopped him from pondering further, "Hej Anders."