I didn’t totally agree with what she was saying. And she was probably right about why. My generation wasa lotdifferent from hers. “I can’t agree with all that. I do believe the man should have the final say, yes, but that doesn’t mean it has to be ‘his’ final say.”
Mom’s lips twitched. “No. It doesn’t always have to be ‘his’ final say. But communication is the key. If you’ve made a good match, the man will see your side,” she chuckled, “sometimes more times than not.” She held up a finger. “As long as you know how to communicate properly, which doesn’t include screaming at one another.” She paused. “Although I’m woman enough to say sometimes it does come to that.”
“How do I get someone like Daniil to listen to me without screaming at each other?”
She smiled, and it was a knowing smile. “Daniil is a very strong man. But he does have a weakness.”
I waited patiently.
Her grin grew in my silence, appearing tickled by my confusion. “You, sweetie. His weakness is you as much as it pains me to say it.” She chuckled, shaking her head. “Honestly, other than the knife issue and hitting him tonight, you’ve been doing wonderful from what I can tell. But your conflicting issues,” she tapped my forehead, “got in the way tonight. From what your father said, Daniil actually said he was going to walk away from the situation before he said something rude. That takes a lot for a man of his caliber to say something like that.”
I blinked. Confusion bared down.
Mom sighed. “Elizabeth, you picked an older man used to getting what he wants. As much as you don’t want to hear this, he does have more experience than you do. Do you know how hard it probably was for him to back away and not call your actions childish?”
My jaw set and my eyebrows snapped together, but Mom kept on. “You need to realize this is his life. He gave you his word…” she paused, clucking her tongue, “…how did you phrase it? Ah, yes. That you would have the final say in those who threaten you as long as you’re not in immediate danger, which I actually agree with. And then, you act as if he isn’t going to stand up to his word once he’s—Daniil, the head of the Russian Mafia—already compromised, a major feet for him.” She paused, cocking her head, stating slowly, “In other words, you threw a hissy fit when you didn’t get your way. That’s how he would see it.”
Jaw still set and eyebrows still together, I hissed, “I just wanted to go in there and make sure he didn’t—” I stopped, realizing I was about to say ‘kill him.’ Daniil had promised me previously he wouldn’t do that. So…I had thrown a fit. I hadn’t trusted him enough to take him at his word when he had never done anything to justify that from me. Instead, I had stomped down the stairs, gung-ho and ready for battle, to make sure it didn’t happen. Though… “What was wrong with me just going in there to listen?”
Mom shook her head. “That’s where the whole man-the-head-of-the-household thing comes into play. You, yourself, said the man should be the protector. Well, that’s what he’s doing. I imagine he’s probably in there intimidating and scaring the crap out of that guy…which, again, I have no problem with.” Her eyes unfocused. “I wouldn’t mind having a few minutes alone with the man myself.”
That look she had on her face freaked me out a little, so I stated, “Remember that trick, Mom. I think you need it.”
She shook her head. “You’ll understand when you’re children are born.” She sighed, shaking her head at me. “If you’re going to continue this relationship with him, you have to understand who he is. You pickedhim. And again,heis anolder manwho is used to getting what he wants. Sometimes,” she paused, leaning forward nose-to-nose with me, “you’re just going to have to trust him and do what he says even though you don’t understand. Because you will. In time. You will see what he already knew because sometimes explaining something to someone younger just doesn’t give the life experience justice, and he’s intelligent enough to know it.” She sucked in a breath. “Of course, this wouldn’t happen if you chose someone your own age.”
“No. I pick him,” I stated instantly, even though my mind was racing. I stuttered out, “Do you really think he thinks of me as a child?”
Mom snorted, glancing down at my stomach, stating dryly, “No. I don’t believe so.”
I waved my hand at that and then tapped my head. “You know what I meant. Up here.”
Mom’s lips pursed. “Do you sometimes think of him as an older man?”
I licked my lips and nodded slowly. Yeah, his age showed sometimes.
Mom nodded slowly, “Then, to be brutally honest, sweetie, I would have to say yes. He most likely does think that sometimes.” She studied me as I tried to process that.
I really hated that. I despised feeling inferior.
Mom asked softly, “Is that a deal breaker?”
I glanced away from her. “I don’t know.” I paused, asking, “Does that mean he thinks I’m stupid?”
Mom pulled my chin around, staring me in the eyes, hers soft and loving. “He’s a very intelligent man. More so than I can probably imagine with all the cunning he has to do having four strong-willed children as he has. So, with that said, no, he doesn’t think that. He’s smart enough to realize, it’s just inexperience on your part, not ignorance.”
“You think so?”
“I know so.” She sighed, releasing my chin. “I still can’t believe I’m helping him, but I’ve seen the respect and caring in his eyes when he looks at you when you’re not watching him.”
That startled me since I hadn’t obviously seen it. I thought through what she said before. “You said I was his weakness.”
Mom nodded, a small smile lifting her lips. “I saw him lose it, protecting you in his gym, and then he kissed you like you were his singular sun.” She nodded. “Yes, you’re his weakness, sweetie.”
We were both silent, and soon, my lips were smiling softly like hers. “The age difference isn’t a deal breaker. It’s just something I’ll have to deal with better instead of ignoring it.” Daniil had apparently been dealing with it already since he had tried to back away from me, seeing I wasn’t going to understand before. It was time for me to take some responsibility and trust in the man I had chosen.
Mom patted my leg, and I asked her about her work since I hadn’t gotten to that yet. Dad walked in, handing me my glasses, watching me carefully—almost making me laugh at him. Yeah, I was the big scary pregnant psycho. Sadly, Ember probably wasn’t too far off the mark earlier. So, I listened to my mom tell me how she had been canned today, pretty much getting the same treatment I had gotten today.
Dad held her from behind, placing a small kiss on her forehead, seeing through her masked upset as I did. My parents were… Well, they were infuriating most of the time, but I couldn’t ask for a more loving and unselfish pair. They were still making sacrifices for me. Just like I knew I would when I had my children. I sniffled a little and hugged them both, earning chuckles from them. And then, I sat back down and helped my mom and dad go through the recipe books—that looked new—and waited for Daniil to come and get me.
