Unfortunately, her words held truth, and I wasn't sure a young man could resist the allure of sex if he had no reason to hope to be with the one he wanted. And I didn't know how to soothe my baby except to offer her comfort. Then she let go of me, took a step back, and focused her attention on Dominic. “Thanks for nothing, Papa. I won’t ask again.” With that, she left, shutting the door loudly behind her, and it was my turn to get furious.
Dominic and I had a rule to never argue in front of the kids and to act like a united front all the time. The strategy mostly worked well, except when the kids started to grow up.
Then my idea of raising girls and his were very different.
“Don’t even start.” His spun his chair, facing the huge window that opened to a view of the headquarters, so I couldn’t study his expression. I came closer, gentling my voice, because talking with him while I was angry seemed pointless and never effective.
“They are in love and he is—”
His amber eyes clashed with mine. “She is in love, but he isn’t.” Extending his open palm to me, he waited until I sat on his lap and wrapped my arms around his neck. Lacing his fingers through my hair, he brought my mouth closer and devoured it with a soul-searching kiss, pushing his tongue inside and entwining it with mine as I moaned into his mouth.
Before I could thoroughly enjoy it though, he stopped, and whispered against my lips, “Do you feel the way I love you?” Nodding eagerly, I closed my eyes as his finger trailed down my cheek, creating goose bumps. In all the years we had been married, not once had I doubted his devotion and love for me. Physical desire was a constant presence in our lives, and I doubted it would ever change. “He would never love her like that.” Resting my head to the side, I put my hand on his chest.
“Dom, no one would be good enough for her in your eyes.”
He growled, “It’s not about me not liking her growing up. At some point, she will have sex.” His face turned green as though he was about to puke. “Not that I ever want to think about that, but I understand. Timur is not the man for her. The way I look at you, it is the way he looks at Elena. Not Lily. And fuck if my daughter willeverbe second best to anyone,” he finished, and my mind swirled as I digested the information he sprang on me.
Elena was Kostya’s daughter. She and Lily were like day and night. Elena dreamed of being a teacher. She wore dresses and girly things, and overall, she had the views of traditional women. The three of them had hung out together all their life, as they were close in age, but I never sensed any love triangle vibes from them.
“How do you know?”
He rubbed his chin on my head and exhaled heavily. “Vitya told me. Timur asked Kostya to date Elena. That’s what the girl wants too. They will go to the dance together. I just spared Lily’s humiliation by her asking him—” His voice halted as something caught his attention, and we both watched through the window as Lily ran outside, raging left and right. She came to a halt when she noticed Timur and Elena on the swing we had constructed when all the kids were small. The boy kissed the girl on the cheek, and they held hands tightly.
Oh, no. My poor baby.
Lily’s eyes widened as realization hit her, but she quickly covered it up and flew in the direction of the shooting range before the kids registered she was there.
“Dominic.”
He squeezed my shoulder. “I know,krasavica. We cannot help her.” A swift knock snapped us out of our depressing thoughts. A broken heart wasn't something either of us had dealt with, and we never wanted our girls to experience it either. “Voidite,” Dom called, and in a second, Jake entered the room and bowed his head.
A smile spread on my face as I rose to greet him. “Darling.”
He hugged me close, and I could barely wrap my arms around his waist he was so huge. Leaning back, I joked, “When did you grow up?”
He grinned, exposing little dimples on the right side of his face, which with his steel grey eyes framed in thick black lashes, brown hair, and ripped physique made him one dangerous but handsome young man.
“In the States, Aunt Rosa.” He winked as Dom growled, and I had to roll my eyes.
“Seriously, darling? He is a kid. Our kid.” All the kids in the Bratva were considered ours, as they all were equally loved by everyone.
Dom just shook his head, joined us, and clapped Jake on the back as he gazed at him with pride. “Good to have you back, son.”
Jake blushed slightly and ran his hand through his thick hair, chuckling. “Yeah, I decided to take the position.”
Frowning, I questioned my husband. “What position?”
“We needed a good lawyer. He agreed to supervise our dealings when he was here.”
Not liking that Dom didn't consult me first about it, I dropped the subject for another time. However, considering how Vivian was adamant about her son not being part of the Bratva, Jake’s decision surprised me, to say the least.
“Does your mom know?”
He winced, resting his hand on his nape. “Dad is talking to her about it as we speak.”
Dom laughed, and I nudged his stomach, but that didn't stop the words from spilling from his mouth. “They are actually talking now?”
“Believe it or not, Pakhan,” he replied, right before Lily rushed in back, breathing heavily.
