“Good morning, husband,” I whispered, pressing my forehead against his.
“Not yet. Go back to sleep,” he said groggily, pulling me into his arms.
“Wake up. We should go down for breakfast. It’s late already,” I said, trailing kisses all over his jawline.
“Or we can stay in bed,” he replied, nuzzling my neck. “And I can give you an early morning present that you will enjoy far more than having breakfast with the family.”
I laughed, smacking him away, and he finally opened his eyes. After some coaxing, we both got ready and headed downstairs, where the breakfast table was already in full chaos. It had been a month since we had moved into the Chernykh house. We still spent our time equally between here and the safe house, but everyone wanted us to come home. So we did. And I had never been happier.
The long table was crowded with plates half-filled, and conversations collided. Zhenya sat cross-legged on her chair, scrolling through her phone while simultaneously arguing with Timofey about something neither of them seemed willing to let go of. Misha was picking at fruit, and Clara was sipping on her tea. Her hand rested casually on Iosif’s arm, the two of them appearing like the most beautiful couple.
The room went momentarily quiet when Avgust and I walked in.
“Well,” Timofey said, grinning first, “look who finally decided to join the living.”
I rolled my eyes automatically, getting used to his presence. “Good morning to you, too.”
Zhenya looked up, her expression brightening. “You are late.”
Avgust pulled out a chair for me without even thinking, his hand warm at my back. “She wanted to sleep in. Not my fault.”
I slapped his arm. “Liar. He was the one who wanted to sleep.”
“You are both Chernykhs. Sleeping in is practically mandatory for all of us,” Zhenya replied.
“Not all of us, Zhen,” Lukyan chimed in. “Just you.”
“Alright, let’s ignore all this banter. What’s important is that the announcement went through cleanly,” Iosif said, stealing everyone’s attention. “No one has raised any questions against Avgust’s and Ilana’s marriage.”
My stomach fluttered.
“That means our marriage is finally public,” Avgust said calmly, as if it hadn’t changed the way the world could reach for me.
“Very public,” Timofey added. “Congratulations, by the way. You’re officially untouchable now, Ilana.”
Zhenya snorted. “As if she wasn’t already. Avgust was ready to break anyone’s fingers if they decided to touch her. Even her brothers’.”
Iosif’s gaze met mine. “No one will try to take you again. Romanov or otherwise. You are under Chernykh protection from now until forever.”
I swallowed past the sudden tightness in my throat. “Thank you.”
Clara reached over and squeezed my hand. “I know I have said it before, but welcome to the family. I am so glad we have both you and Avgust here now.”
Family. The word settled into me differently than it ever had before. Not heavy. Not conditional. But earned instead.
“Alright, we are heading out,” Avgust said, standing up from his chair and looking at me. “Grab your coat.”
“I am going with you?” I asked, surprised. He hadn’t told me about any plans.
“Yes, my darling.”
“Where are we going?” I asked, standing up and walking away from the table after waving everyone goodbye.
“You will see.”
I looked at him suspiciously and took my coat as he led us towards his waiting car. The drive took us through parts of the city I hadn’t explored since before everything went wrong. The streets smelled like paint and coffee, and everything looked pristine. The sidewalks were crowded with people who clearly had nothing to do with Bratva alliances or power plays. It was a rather posh neighborhood.
We stopped in front of a renovated building with a brick façade, tall windows, and clean lines.
