“Well, I’ve been trying not to call for the past hour so I guess my patience gave in at the right time, then.” I shake my head, wincing at the stupid comment. “Wait, you knew it was me when you picked up. Did you save my number even though you didn’t give me yours?”
He grunts, making some kind of old man noise like he’s getting up. “Yes. Now, what is it? Is Anya okay?”
“She’s great,” I assure him quickly. “I left her with Mikhail a couple hours ago. We sawSwan Laketoday, did she tell you?”
“Yes,” Anton mutters. “I know you’re not calling me to tell me about your day with my daughter. So what do you need?”
“I can’t be here while I know she’ll be out there without me,” I finally confess, throat going tight. “I know you don’t hate me anymore, but I’d be really fucking grateful if you liked me enough to let me come out there.”
“What?” he questions, voice full of daze and confusion.
“Anya,” I say, feeling my heart ache, wishing I was by her side again already. “I don’t want to be away from her anymore. So, please, tell me I can come back with her.”
“You’re allowed to visit,” he replies, misunderstanding me completely. “You know you are, we’ve been over this.”
“I don’t want tovisit,” I emphasize. “I want to stay. I’m going out of my mind here, Sir. I used to think that I would have ahard time being away from Jade and the twins, but now I think I might actually have some kind of major health event if I don’t start seeing your daughter every day. Like a heart attack or I don’t fucking know but my chesthurts—all the time. I?—”
Suddenly the tiredness is gone from his voice. “Are you asking me to move here?”
“Yes,” I say immediately before I shake my head to myself. “No, I don’t know. Maybe not live, but stay for a long time. I just found out that my sister who I love more than I love myself is having another baby, and all I can think about is your daughter. I don’t want to be anywhere that she isn’t.”
“Have you told your father this?”
“I told him I’m asking to come back with Anya. I haven’t mentioned how long I want to stay,” I admit, not wanting to lie to the man as I’m asking for a favor from him. “But I will, eventually.”
It’s quiet for a moment, and then he grunts again.
“You can come. We’ll take it a week at a time, but our deal still stands. If you do anything to hurt my daughter or her continued recovery, I’ll kick you out of our territory and kill you if you dare to come back before I allow it.”
My body finally relaxes, the tension fleeing me at once. “Thank you.”
“You’ll live at the house Dante bought, or a hotel. If you’re in my daughter’s room, her door stays open. And I don’t want the two of you alone wherever you’re staying. Irina, Lev, Mikhail, or I will be with her if she goes to see you instead of you coming to the house.”
A bit dramatic for ground rules, but I don’t even care.
“Yes, Sir.” I nod to myself. “Thank you again. Fuck, I feel like I can breathe now.”
“Well, I don’t,” he grumbles. “You were supposed to be her friend and you went ahead and fucking fell in love with her.”
My stomach drops, hearing the words from his mouth.
“I—”
“I don’t want your excuses. I’ll see you tomorrow. Go to bed, Matteo.”
“Yes, Sir. Thank you again, I?—”
He hangs up before I finish speaking. And despite the fact that he called me out for being hopelessly in love with his daughter, I can’t help smiling.
Tomorrow can’t come soon enough.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Anya
“Papochka!” I call out, racing toward him.
He looks up from his laptop, and stops leaning over the kitchen counter, whatever he’s working on completely forgotten at the sound of my voice. My sneakers slap against the tiled floor as I run to him, launching myself forward as soon as I’m close enough. My father catches me easily as I jump into his arms, like I weigh nothing to him.
