“No. Dad, a complete nobody, by the way, took over the estate after Mom’s death.”
“There’s still you and Alina,” Vaughn reminds me softly.
He sure knows all the right things to say for a grumpy little shit.
There’s another knock before the door swings open, and in walks a guy who’s…massive. Bigger than me, if that’s even legal.
The man looks like a weapon. He’s all muscle, poured into combat cargos and a tight gray T-shirt that leaves zero mystery. He has a buzz cut sharp enough to slice through glass and a face that should be intimidating but isn’t—because unlike Anton’s carved-from-marble poker face, this one actually smiles, then hugs Anton from behind, dropping a kiss to his cheek.
“Miss me, Antosha?” he asks, and I feel like I’m intruding.
“Behave, Maks,” Anton says. “Say hello to Yulian.”
The guy finally notices me, because he’s only been looking at Anton since he walked in.
He hits Vaughn on the shoulder affectionately. “Zolotoy.”
“Uncle Maks.”
“Hi, Yulian. I’m Maksim. Maks is fine.” He watches me. “Get well soon and I’ll take you on the best hike. Do you shoot?”
“Better than Vaughn.”
“He’s notthatmuch better,” Vaughn argues.
I laugh. “Slightlybetter.”
“You kids won’t win against me and Anton, just so you know. Ex-spetsnaz right in front of you. Antosha and I killed it back then.” Maks laughs, wrapping an arm around Anton’s shoulder. “Anyway, welcome to our home.”
“Is it, though?” Anton asks with a raised brow. “Since you spent the whole day outside.”
“I was babysitting for Mike.”
“Is building a war zone for a two-year-old called babysitting now?”
“It’ll make him stronger. You’ll all thank me later.” Maks hugs Anton from behind again, resting his chin on his shoulder. “Would’ve been much better if you’d joined me, though.”
I stare between them, feeling a fuzzy kind of feeling. These two men, equally powerful in their own way, seem to be the happiest couple alive, right in the heart of Russia.
“Mike is their son,” Vaughn tells me. “He’s actually Mom and Uncle Anton’s cousin, but my uncles adopted him when he was around eight. He got married a couple of years ago, and now Uncle Maks seems to think Mike’s two-year-old son is his army project.” He pauses, then raises his hand. “Those are Mom’s words, not mine.”
“Well, I told her he is,” Maks says. “The boy has so much potential.”
“He’s two years old, Maks,” Anton says. “I’ll be joining from now on just to stop your ridiculous plans.”
“As long as you join, I can change your mind,” Maks says with a grin, then drops a kiss on Anton’s mouth.
Vaughn holds my hand, smiling at me, and for a moment, just this moment, I can see our future in Anton and Maksim.
And just for this time, I believe everything will be fine.
36
VAUGHN
“Uncle Maks! Be careful. He’s injured.”
My shout carries from where I’m sitting with Uncle Anton on the slope, dressed in outdoorsy gear.
