“Oh my goodness!” Maria exclaims, seeing us all standing there and the setup around us.
“Did you guys—who did all of this?” she blurts out.
“We thought we should prove that your husbands aren’t entirely useless and between us we can cook a decent meal,” Benedikt chuckles.
“This seems more than just a decent meal,” she grins, taking in the spread of food.
Kazimir grabs a spoon and dips it into the stew, then holds it out for her to taste.
She opens her mouth, and he slips it between her lips, and we all wait tensely for her verdict.
Maria closes her eyes and moans softly.
“Oh. My.Goodness. That is honestly incredible,” she gasps, brushing her finger over her lips to wipe away a little bit of stew.
“Who did the cooking?” she asks as Joseph pulls her chair out for her and Kazimir places a napkin over her lap.
“We all did a bit of it together. It was a team effort,” I say, pouring her a glass of red wine.
She smiles at me, and my heart tenses. It’s difficult not to feel all the things I felt for her in the past. After this trip and spending so much time with her… it reminded me of how close we were and how easy it is to be myself around her.
It terrifies me, but I can’t deny it’s still there.
Maybe it never left. Maybe I always had those feelings toward her, and that’s what made everything hurt even more.
I pour wine for everyone, needing to open a second bottle to fill all the glasses. Then I pick mine up, and as everyone settles into their seats, I remain standing.
“To everyone…” I say, waiting for their attention.
They all turn to look at me and pick up their wine as well.
“To everyone at this table tonight, I wanted to say thank you for a great trip. I’ve enjoyed myself far more than I expected to.” This prompts laughter, and I grin, pausing.
“Honestly, though…this has been amazing. Thanks for coming up here and sharing this time with me,” I say, suddenly uncomfortable with the heartfelt emotions washing over me.
Benedikt stands next.
“To the most beautiful woman in the world. We are all honored to have you as our wife, as the thread that holds us together in a lot of ways. You are the reason we have an alliance, and you are the reason we’ve all had this chance to get to know each other better. We’re lucky to have you, Maria,” he says, then sits down again.
Joe doesn’t stand up, but he lifts his glass.
“Maria, guys, I’m grateful for the chance to get to know each of you. I really feel we can accomplish incredible things together. Through thick and thin, let’s keep communicationopen and keep growing stronger,” he says, his eyes on Maria and a smile on his face.
Lastly, Kaz stands and grins, “To the hottest girl on the planet, I hope you like our cooking!”
Everyone laughs. What more could you expect from Kazimir but to break the ice with his never-failing sense of humor?
I stand again to dish up for Maria.
The guys are chatting enthusiastically, and the burble of conversation and laughter sinks over me like a warm blanket of comfort.
I want this all to be real. I wish I had the balls to just let go of what happened in the past and not be as distrusting as I am.
Fuck, if I could forget Misha ever existed and look at what is right in front of me right now…
But it wouldn’t be in front of me if it weren’t for what Misha did. I would never have kidnapped her and sought revenge.
How do I balance the two?
