“You didn’t tell me you were flying back early,” he says, his voice almost being muffled by my wild hair. “I was going to meet you both at the airport.”
“I wanted to surprise you,” I tell him, leaning back to beam up at his familiar face. “We had to drop Matteo off at his house anyway, and this way you didn’t have to make the extra stop with us.”
“I’m surprised he didn’t come right here,” Dad grumbles, but it’s half-hearted at best.
“He almost did,” I quip happily. “But he wanted to go get a car for himself and get his things unpacked. Dante wouldn’t lethim come stay for more than a weekend in that big house all by himself, as it is. So, he has a small team of guards to get sorted as well.”
“I would do the same,” he replies begrudgingly, sounding almost like he’s trying to be more uncomfortable than he truly is.
“Don’t go acting like Uncle Lev on me,” I command with a tsk, wrapping him up in another quick hug before releasing him. “I know that you like Matteo now, even if you try to hide it. I think Uncle Mikhail likes him too. Matteo gave him a bottle ofBillionaire Vodkajust to say thank you for accompanying me on my trip.”
Dad curves up an eyebrow, looking over my shoulder to observe his brother. “You going to share that, Mikhail?”
“Maybe,” my uncle grunts. “Maybe not.”
“You wouldn’t drink three million dollars on your own,” Dad challenges, smirking.
“Three point seven,” Uncle Mikhail corrects and my jaw drops.
“We should give Aleksandr a taste at least,” Dad suggests. “It’ll put some hair on his chest.”
“Be wasted on him,” Mikhail grunts. “He favors beer.”
My dad shakes his head, scrunching his nose up in distaste. “Unfortunate.”
His brother shrugs. “Means more for us.”
“True.”
“I’m sorry, can we back up for a second? Did you guys say that vodka cost almost four million dollars?”
Dad chuckles, nodding to answer my question.
“I didn’t know it was that much,” I say, looking between them with a gulp. “Isn’t that a bit excessive for a gift?”
My father softens, looking down at me. “There’s nothing too excessive to say thank you for protecting something as precious as you,dochen’ka.”
My eyes roll in disbelief. “You’re my dad, you have to say that.”
He puts an arm around my shoulders, tucking me into his side. “I don’t have to mean it, but I do.”
I relax easily, letting him hold me a bit longer, comforted by his fatherly touch. “Are Aunt Irina and Uncle Lev coming over today?”
“Tomorrow,” Dad states quickly. “Irina wanted a spa trip, and your uncle is with Nadya. They went into the mountains to see the last of the snow up north before it melts.”
It’s always nice to hear about Uncle Lev spending time with Nadya. He can get busy sometimes, but she always seems to appreciate being able to be with her father. I can relate.
“There wasn’t snow in Pennsylvania,” I inform him, half frowning. “Not even a little bit of it. I was sad that the weather didn’t surprise us with it.”
“It was cold enough without it,” Uncle Mikhail reports.
“He wasn’t as disappointed as I was,” I huff.
Dad chuckles. “Uncle Mikhail has had enough snow for a lifetime,dochen’ka.He visits Russia much more than the rest of us.”
That he does.
And for reasons that I’m unaware of. Likely to visit family, or to do things for the Bratva. But he never says why he’s leaving when he goes away for a week, or sometimes even a month. Aunt Irina has always made up a story that he’s going to see the mother of his boys, but I know it’s just a fable. Mikhail has never told anyone who gave him his children, not even my father.
