It took me away from the fact that my woman didn't sleep in my arms for the last two days; she slept with Jake and we passed by with a cold “hello” in the hallway. My insides were screaming to throw her over my shoulder and fuck her brains out, but the rational part understood she needed time after my screw-up. I did notice odd looks she was sending my way, but since she said nothing, I didn't know how to approach her either.
Which left me here during the evenings in the gym.
Fuck my life.
“Careful, Radmir, or you’ll become so ripped you won’t get through the door,” Vitya joked, as Gleb laughed along with Petor and Yuri.
“What the hell are you doing here?”
They shrugged, placing several packs of beer on the small table near the couch where members rested after an intensive work out. “We figured you’d like some company in your misery.”
“You know, since your woman has you in the doghouse and all,” Yuri added with a straight face while the rest burst out laughing again.
Fucking shits.
“I can still beat the shit out of all of you.” I wiped the sweat with my towel and hopped from the ring. “But beer sounds good.”
Vitya threw me one can, and I opened it, taking a generous gulp, enjoying the cooling sensation it provided.
We all sat on the couch and the two chairs opposite, silent until Yuri cleared his throat. “I’m scared shitless about the baby.”
We all paused with our drinks midair and shared a look.
Yuri was a complicated character, to say the least.
Melissa was an FBI agent who worked closely with Connor and was present during Damian’s human trafficking case and with Dominic’s quest to get his woman back from the psycho. She followed the law to the dot and never helped us. She provided justice where it was needed too, but overall, no one knew much about her. She came here regarding Rosa’s case, but had to stay longer due to her health issues. Mostly she couldn’t keep food down and got dizzy a few times, so she was advised to travel after a week while she submitted her blood work to Ruslan, the Bratva doctor. As stubborn as she usually was, she didn’t object with his decision and put her baby first.
Fucking hated FBI, but just this one thing made me respect her.
Except that Yuri slept with her at some point in the States and got her pregnant.
And then he refused to claim her in the brotherhood, which was unusual, because otherwise, the woman didn't get our protection. He did accept the baby though, so there was that.
But still, despite his claims, the way he looked at her when he thought no one was watching spoke for itself. Due to his past, I could understand his hesitation, but I wasn't sure she would wait indefinitely for him to pull his head out of his ass.
“You’ll be a good dad, don’t worry.” Gleb squeezed his shoulder.
Yuri turned his angry stare at him. “How do you know? God knows none of us had a good example.”
“That’s not true though,” Gleb replied, and then pointed at me. “We had him our entire childhood. I mean no offense, man. You aren't that old, but you always took care of newcomers and taught us all the shit. In a way, you raised us all.”
“True,” Vitya pitched in as warmth spread through me at those words. I loved them all like my brothers, but I was glad I managed to do something good for them. It gave me hope I could manage raising my kid.
With the help of my family.
“Anyway, how about poker? Otherwise, we’re all gonna cry and talk about relationships just like girls.” Yuri punched Gleb in the arm, but he just laughed, and Vitya tossed the cards out.
“Where’s Michael?” I asked him; those two usually stayed joined at the hip.
A soft smile spread on Vitya’s mouth as, amused, he replied, “He’s taking care of the girls.” He placed the deck in the middle and then joked, “Who knows? Maybe you’ll get back in Vi’s good graces when she is a bit drunk.”
Wait, what?
Vivian
Slipping from the room, I grabbed the nanny monitor and took it with me while plopping my ass on the couch with my Kindle on my lap.
Jake fell asleep quickly, thank God. It was ten o’clock, way past his bedtime, but with all the time changes and jet lag, it was hard to get back on schedule. Not to mention his excitement over everything Gleb.
