Aiden hissed out a breath.“Fine, Keira.Just… fine.I’m not going to strong-arm you over this, but if you change your mind atanypoint, you just have to say the word, and I’ll get you out and to hell with the consequences.”
Her brother was a good man.She might throw the barbabout him being like their father when it suited her, but it couldn’t have been further from the truth.Maybe one of these days he’d actually believe it.She went up onto her tiptoes and kissed his cheek.“Thank you.”
“You’re in over your head.”
Without a doubt.“I love you.”She turned on her heel and went in search of her husband.
CHAPTER TEN
What did you bring me, Uncle Dima?”
Dmitri held out a hand and smiled.“You’ll have to come over here to see.”
Hadley raced at him and threw herself into his arms.She was so tiny to contain so much energy, but then her mother had been the same at that age.He lifted her and spun in a quick circle before settling her on his hip and producing a book from his jacket.
Her cherub face fell almost comically.“Abook?”
“Da.” He waited for her to take it and ruffled her hair.“Do you know that your grandpapa used to read these same stories to me when I was your age?You’ve never met him, but this is a piece of your history all the same.”He looked over her dark head as he said the words, meeting his half sister’s gaze.
At first glance, Olivia didn’t look much like a Romanov.She was his sister by way of his father’s mistress, and theyshared the man’s jawline and straight nose.Olivia leaned against the wall and watched him with her daughter.In the year or so since they’d made their deal, she’d relaxed enough that he knew she trusted him not to harm his niece, but that didn’t mean shetrustedhim.
Nor should she.
He pointed to the overstuffed armchair next to the fireplace.“Shall I read you one?”
“Yes, please.”Hadley said it primly, the very picture of a pretty princess deigning to let her subject have his way.
He settled in with Hadley on his lap and read her the first story in the book of Russian fairy tales—“Vasilisa the Beautiful.”Through it all, though he was focused on her, he kept one eye on the door for Keira’s return.Dmitri didn’t believe for a second that Aiden would steamroll his younger sister’s protests, but he didn’t allow himself to relax until she slipped into the room and took a position on the couch across from them.
Hadley waited until Dmitri closed the book to leap to the floor and rush over to her.“Keira!”
“Hey, Hadley.”She plopped her onto the same couch cushion as if they’d done it a thousand times before.“How’s it hanging?”
“I have to have atutor.”His niece said it like it was a dirty word.
Dmitri raised his eyebrows at Olivia, who took it as her cue to move to the couch on the other side of Hadley.“We talked about preschool, but decided that bringing someone in would be the better choice—at least for now.”She set her shoulders.“Sheisgoing to a normal kindergarten, even if it’s a Catholic one.”
Ah.Her words had the flavor of an old argumentbetween her and Cillian, which was interesting.Dmitri wouldn’t use it as leverage to get what he wanted… for now.Olivia was happy here.More importantly,Hadleywas happy here.Cillian looked at her as his own daughter, and he’d die for her if it came to that.Dmitri couldn’t have placed his sister and niece in a better location if he’d tried.
Keira twisted to face Olivia, a frown on her face.“She needs to be around other kids.”
“I agree.”
She narrowed her eyes.“He’s harping about safety again, isn’t he?Just compromise and have extra security set up around the preschool.”Keira cocked her head to the side, and he swore he could actually see the wheels turning behind those beautiful hazel eyes.“In fact, we will supply the extra men if Aiden can’t spare them.Hadley is family, after all.”
Olivia froze.“Keira, that’s sweet, but—”
He saw it in the hesitance in his sister’s stance and the way Keira’s shoulders twitched as if about to droop.Whatever she was about to say wouldn’t be positive.Keira had offered a solution, and Olivia was going to shoot her down.Everyone in the room knew it.
So he stepped in.“I think that’s a wonderful idea,” Dmitri cut in smoothly.He spared a smile for his niece.“Hadley needs to be socialized with other children.You want that.You said as much yourself.”
Olivia’s chin set in a stubborn line he knew all too well.“I didn’t say that.”
“Not in so many words, but youdoagree with it.”He pretended to consider, and switched to Russian.“Unless it’smethat you’re trying to protect my niece from.”
She jumped like he’d reached over and struck her.“Nyet, of course not.If I wanted to protect her from you, I wouldn’t allow these visits.”
“I’ve given you no reason to call them off.” Agreeing to her terms had been easy enough.He had no reason to manipulate Hadley into doing anything but caring for him.She wasn’t a pawn in his game.The girl may be illegitimate, but shewasfamily—the only family Dmitri had left of this particular Romanov line.If the visits had the double benefit of getting the O’Malleys used to his presence, well, that was a different play in a different game.
