I don’t need to check to know it’s probably couture. “Aleksei?”
“Yes,maya?”
I close my eyes. The way he says my name makes me feel like a celestial princess. Small things they all do, or say, are enabling massive changes inside me.
“You replaced all my clothes when they were destroyed, didn’t you?”
He makes a noise, which becomes a different sound when I pull the dress on, letting it glide down my body.
Turning around, I don’t need to ask if I look okay. I can feel his praise humming through our bond. His eyes are locked on my face, though.
“And you chose my wedding dress, didn’t you?”
He smirks, flicking his fingers impatiently for me to join him. As soon as I’m close enough, he holds the cardigan out for me. Like with the dress, the cardigan is pure indulgence. The soft coloring of the cashmere, and the length of it, serenades my Omega side.
Aleksei rolls the oversized collar on it, so it hugs my neck. He only stops fussing when I grab his hand.
“My hair looks a mess,” I admit, but he rolls his eyes.
After a kiss on my palm, he reclaims his hand before freeing my bun and using his fingers to comb it out into sweeping waves. He plays with the front of it until it sits how he wants it to.
“I wish you could see yourself how I do,” he says gently.
His quiet reflection is not alarming but concerning. We haven’t even had a chance to grieve for his brother. Irrespective of how much of an asshole Sergey was, a part of Aleksei must be mourning what happened. “Are you okay?”
He slides his hand inside my new cardigan, under my dress, resting it right on the place I showed Santiago. His thumb strokes the skin there.
“A lot has happened, but still, I am better than okay. You’re my wife. I want to feed you, dress you warmer, and take the dogs for a walk.”
I wiggle my way into his space, wrapping my arms around him. “We can do that.”
He drops a kiss on top of my head. “Maybe.”
“No, we can.”
“We need to leave today.”
“Where to?”
Kade appears next to us, and he, too, is dressed in a suit. “If he lets go of you, we can all talk while we eat dinner. Like we planned and agreed, Aleksei.”
“She is my wife.” Aleksei grins. “She bamboozles my brain. Which is a good thing.”
I grin up at him, and Kade shakes his head and walks off. His limp isn’t as pronounced. Or I just don’t see him walking far enough. Grabbing Aleksei’s hand, I pull him with me as we follow Kade.
In the kitchen, Santiago is waiting, dressed very similar to Kade and Aleksei.
“You look good. You all do.”
Santiago’s eyes inch down my body before he brings his focus back to my face. “Youlook incredible. We can’t go out tonight, which isn’t fair to you, so we’re wining and dining you here.”
“I don’t need that.”
Kade clears his throat, and my gaze jumps to him. “You will be romanced, Quinny. There’s no day in our future when you won’t be reminded how special you are to us.”
He pulls my chair out, and I sit. As soon as I do, they follow while the dogs get up from where they were sprawled and come in close.
“How’s your leg, Nalla?” I ask, giving her a quick pat.
