“She's my wife.”
“Your what?” Mariya asked from behind me.
I turned around and saw all the women with the kids standing there. The bodyguards made their way back out of the house silently.
“I didn't know you were dating anyone,” Jaroslav said, his face blank.
“I didn't know I needed your permission,” I shot back.
“You got married without telling us?” Lev's black eyes narrowed.
“She isn't Bratva, so there wasn't any need for negotiations.”
Katya came up to me and hugged me, Alexi latched onto her hip. “I, for one, am happy that the reason he isn't around is because he's married. Now, you go and tell your wife that your loving family wants to meet her.”
“You guys aren't going to run her off, are you?” I lifted a brow.
“Stop stalling, Avit,” Vera said, handing Evie to Jaroslav. “You go bring her down, and we'll serve the food.”
“Okay.” I turned to make my way to the stairs.
“And Avit, don't start anything you can't finish, or we're gonna knock,” Ninel called out, and I couldn't help but chuckle.
When I reached Sienna’s room, I inhaled and knocked. The door creaked open, and her wide blue eyes peeked through the crack.
“My family’s here for dinner. They’d like to meet my wife.”
“Your…mafia family?” she whispered.
“Yes. You’re safe,” I said. “I promise no one’s going to hurt you.”
She didn’t move. I could tell letting her meet all of them at once might be too much.
“If you don’t want to come down, it's fine. I’ll just tell them…” I trailed off.
She shook her head, looking down. “It’s not that. I just…don’t do well in social situations. And you’d probably want me to change, and I’d just be more awkward. I just…”
I cupped the side of her face, lifting her chin. “You don’t have to change. And if you need a break, just tell them you’ve got to study, which probably isn't a lie,” I said with a smile.
She chuckled softly. “Okay. I’d like to meet them.”
She stepped out, closing the door behind her. I placed my hand on the small of her back as we walked toward the dining area, and a small part of me hoped they'd accept Sienna.
When we stepped into the dining room, the women were placing the dishes on the table. At least I’d had the foresight to order a fourteen-seater, which took up most of the space in the small dining area.
I cleared my throat, and all heads snapped toward us. I felt Sienna take a step back. I moved my arm from her back to gently squeeze her waist.
“Everyone, this is Sienna, my wife.”
“Hi,” she said weakly, giving a short wave.
Lev stood and made his way to her, extending his hand. “Sienna, it's nice to meet you. My name is Lev. I'm assuming Avit told you about what we do and who we are?”
She nodded and shook his hand.
“As the Pakhan of the faction, it's my responsibility to ensure you're safe. And as the oldest Safin sibling, it’s my responsibility to make sure you’re treated well and have everything you need.” Lev fixed his gaze on me and I nodded.
Sienna looked up at me, but I couldn’t read her expression. Then she turned back to Lev. “Okay.”
