"It's nothing," Yuri says, and he sounds like he means it. "Go rest. You're family now."
Vadim's hand squeezes my waist gently, and he whispers, "Go on… Have a shower." I pause at the threshold. I don’t want to be alone here.
"We'll talk more tomorrow," Yuri says, then adds, "Vadim, if you have a few minutes before you sleep, I'd like to speak with you."
"Of course. Let me get Danica settled and I'll come find you."
Yuri nods and heads back down the hallway, leaving us alone. Vadim guides me into the room and closes the door behind us. I turn to wrap my arms around him.
"Do you have to go?" I ask, and he places a kiss on my cheek.
"Just a few minutes. I promise, then I'll be back by your side. You're safe here."
"I guess I'm going to take a shower," I say reluctantly. I have to get used to this at some point. Vadim has a whole life here. I'm the new girl who has to adjust.
"Take your time," Vadim says. "I'll go talk to Yuri and be right back."
"I'll be fine," I say, forcing a smile. "Go."
"You're beautiful," Vadim says, and he's smiling. "Back soon…"
I head into the bathroom and find that it's as impressive as the bedroom. There's a large walk-in shower with multiple heads, heated floors that warm my bare feet, and indeed, a cabinet full of high-end toiletries. I turn on the shower and let it heat up while I peel off the clothes I've been wearing since yesterday. The blood on my shirt has dried to a dark brown and I shudder as I remember how it got there.
The hot water feels like heaven when I step under the spray. I stand there for what might be five minutes or might be twenty, just letting the water wash away the grime and the tension and the memories of everything that happened. I use some expensive shampoo that smells like lavender and scrub my skin until it's pink and clean.
When I finally turn off the water and step out, I realize I have a problem. I don't have any clothes to put on. Everything I own is back in Belgrade in a house I'll never see again. I dry off with one of the plush towels and wrap it around myself, then look through the cabinet hoping to find a robe or something, but I'm out of luck.
So I give up and just head back into the bedroom naked. The bed looks incredibly inviting and I'm so tired, I don't even care about finding something to wear. I pull back the covers and slide between the sheets. They're cool and soft against my skin, and I let out a sigh as my body finally gets to rest properly.
I must drift off because the next thing I'm aware of is the door opening quietly. I open my eyes to see Vadim enter the room. He closes the door behind himself and starts pulling off his shirt.
"How did it go?" I ask, fighting a yawn.
"It was good." Vadim strips down to his underwear and climbs into bed beside me. "He said we can stay here as long as we need to get on our feet."
"That's generous of him." I'm too tired to be enthusiastic, but I nestle into the pillow again and feel him shaking the bed.
"Family is everything to Yuri. Always has been. Especially now with the baby coming and everything that happened with Dominic." Vadim settles against the pillows, and I shift closerto him. His arm comes around me automatically, and I rest my head on his chest.
"I love you," he says quietly. I pause and listen as a smile curls my lips. He's never said this to me before, and I don't want him to feel self-conscious about saying it. "I need you to know that. There have been a lot of things in my life that I wasn't sure about, but you're not one of them."
"I know," I say softly, and I pull his hand to my lips and kiss his knuckles. "I love you too."
"I never thought I'd get married," he whispers, kissing my shoulder. "Especially not to such an incredible woman."
"We're not really married. We signed papers, but…"
"But what?" he asks, forcing me to lie on my back and look at him. It's so dark, I can barely pick out his features, but I can tell he's smiling.
"You never proposed," I point out. "So it doesn't count."
I'm being playful, and he's picking up my vibe. He tickles my side, and I jerk and smack his shoulder. "You're right. I never asked."
"So technically, I could argue that this doesn't count."
He shifts so he's propped on one elbow, and even in the dim light from the window, I can see the intensity in his eyes. They search my face for a second, and then he cups my cheek.
"Danica, will you marry me? Because I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with someone, and I can't think of a better person to spend it with than you."
