“Hi, kitten. Did you like your flowers?”
“I love them. Are you having fun telling everyone we’re married?” I grin.
“Did Marie call you? She was so excited for you,” he kisses my cheek.
“She did. I’m going to meet her for lunch soon. In secret. I wish all of this didn’t have to be so hush-hush,” I sigh, chewing at my lip. “I’m so happy, I want my family to be happy for me, too.”
Yulian holds me tighter and kisses my forehead. “Well, in the meantime, you can celebrate with your new family. My brother has arranged a dinner for us so that we can announce our news to the whole family at once. Arkady knows, but only because I couldn’t keep my mouth shut and I spoiled the surprise. But no one else knows, so he’s agreed to host, considering our mansion isn’t ready for the big reveal yet.”
“When is this dinner?” I ask, already knowing the answer by the grin on his face.
“Tonight,” he smirks. “If we don’t do it tonight, I’m going to have already told everyone by the time we have it.”
He is the sweetest, most beautiful man I could ever have dreamed of marrying. I pull him close to me, grabbing the collar of his shirt as I press my lips over his.
“I love you,” I whisper.
***
That night, at quarter past six, Yulian leads me proudly into his brother’s home.
Everyone is there. Luka, Rose-Ann, and their little girl, Niko and Sera, Jade and Radmir, Arkady and Tania, and, of course, Aliyah.
I thought Yulian was going to give a speech at dinner, but instead, the moment we walked through the door, he shouted, “She said yes, and we got married in Hawaii!”
I crack up laughing at his outburst. This man is too excited for words, and it’s making me happier by the second. I can’t believe someone is this excited to be married to me.
My heart could never be fuller.
“Welcome to the family!” Aliyah shouts, ecstatic.
But as his family surrounds us, hugging and congratulating us and asking a bunch of questions, I realize my heartcoulddefinitely be fuller.
If only my family were here, too. Everything would be perfect.
My heart throbs with what feels like loss, but it’s really just yearning, a wish that maybe my brother will come around soon. That the next time we celebrate, it will be with them as well. Yulian pulls his phone out to show off our photographs, and I stand with my arms wrapped around his waist, holding on to him, because I really need him right now. He’s my rock in all of this. I fall silent in all the happiness, just soaking in his warmth and the reassurance that no matter what, I can rely on him.
As though he senses my emotions becoming too much for me, he tucks his phone away and says, “Let me get my beautifulwife a drink, then we can tell you, guys, more over dinner.” Then he pulls me away from everyone and leads me to the bar.
“Hey, kitten. Are you doing okay?” he asks gently, brushing his fingers over my cheek. I lean my face into his hand. “I am, I just wish Artur could be celebrating with us.”
Yulian nods, taking both of my hands in his. “Sweet, beautiful girl. Everything is going to turn out okay in the end. It might be a bit messy now, but we are meant to be together, and for that reason, everything else will fall in place around that truth. It will all be okay, just watch and see. And every step of the way, even if it gets more challenging before it gets better, I am going to be there with you.”
I sigh. “Your family accepted me so easily. They already treat me like a part of their family, like I’m one of them. They didn’t hold grudges or treat me like an enemy, which they easily could have. Why can’t my brothers do the same?”
“Your brothers have had the bad guidance of your uncle. Boris was not a good man. In time, Artur might even learn that through other people. He’s working out a lot for himself now. I’m sure he’s overwhelmed with his new role. Give him time. He’ll come around.”
I step close to Yulian and snuggle against him. “As long as I have you,” I whisper.
“You’ll always have me, kitten. Always.”
At the dinner table, Yulian keeps me close, a reassuring hand on my leg or around my side at all times. He is supportive and goes out of his way to make me smile whenever the chance arises.
Every single one of his brothers teases me about being another sister in the family. Aliyah is over the moon. She’s theloudest in expressing her happiness at having another girl in the family.
“We outnumber you now, you know,” she warns Arkady. “Girls against boys. On poker night, you’re going to be outnumbered.”
“Poker isn’t a team game, Ali,” he teases.
