Cesar giggles up at her as she stands behind the camera, grinning like he’s proud of himself.
Taking a steadying breath, I call out, “Hi, Jade.”
Her gasp is so loud that I can hear it, though I can’t see her.
“Hi, Anya!” she replies brightly. “It’s nice to see, well, hear from you.”
“You can come into the frame,” I offer, feeling a little more nervous than before. “I want to be able to tell you that it’s nice to see you too.”
She makes a sort of squeaking excited sound and then I hear her rushing my brothers to make some room for her. When she pops onto screen, I get a closer look at her. She’s just as pretty as she was at her wedding, even though her hair is in a messy bun, half falling out, and her face is free of a lick of makeup. She’s beautiful, and she’s grinning ear to ear.
“I didn’t want to barge in without a welcome, but ugh, I’m so happy to finally be talking to you. Matteo has been gushing about you for ages, especially since traveling out there to see you.”
No doubt my cheeks are burning, but I ignore my reflection to look at my far away family instead.
“He talks a lot about you too.”
“Ugh, he’s the sweetest,” Jade gushes, clutching her heart. “I’m so happy that you two have each other.”
“I am too.”
We all talk for much longer than I would have seen myself being comfortable with. But words flow easily between the four of us, especially when the topic of the twins seems to take over. Jade and Dmitri could talk about their babies for days, and I think I could listen for just as long.
When Matteo returns, I have so much to fill him in on. But we have plenty of time to catch up, especially since my father agreed to let him stay the night again already.
Maybe he won’t need too much time to adjust after all.
I hope not.
Chapter Forty-Four
Anya
Talking to my brothers over the next week goes well. We text back and forth a little bit each day, and plan to call one another more often. It’s slow and steady, but still nice. Jade is who I really get close with, though.
She texts me much more than my brothers do. Pictures of the babies, updates on the family, as well as just making general conversation with me. I can see why Matteo likes her so much, sister or not. She’s just nice, and easy to talk to.
Jade is close with everyone in the Moretti family from what I can tell. Ana and Rayna have become great friends to her, and she tries to spend as much time as she can with all her brothers. She tells me that she’ll miss them all when it’s time to make the move here, of course, but that she’s so excited to get to spend time with me in the future too.
Plus, she’s thrilled that Matteo will already be living here when the time comes. We’ll all be living in the same house, which might take some adjusting. But because Dmitri will be returning so that our father can step down as Pakhan, they’dhave a whole private wing of the mansion to make their own. Plenty of bedrooms, bathrooms, and a private kitchen too.
I don’t think this place will feel crowded with a few more people, and I think having the little ones around will bring some life back into this big space.
And although Dad has been letting Matteo stay the night pretty consistently, tonight we’re trying something new. Our first sleepover in the Moretti’s vacation home instead of the Morozov mansion.
According to Matteo, his brother Armani has been chomping at the bit to get in there and get decorating. So we’ve spent most of our day today going in and out of each section of the house, measuring and making notes for him to start shopping for furniture and decor.
My father was reluctant to let me stay out overnight but eventually agreed as long as we had Morozov guards join the Moretti men in keeping the place secure. They haven’t bothered us yet, and Dad swore they aren’t meant to play the roles of spies.
The house is cozy enough with its temporary furnishings, especially Matteo’s bedroom, where we’ve just started winding down for the night. He has music playing from his TV, and soft neon purple lights wrapped around the high edges of his walls.
Most excitingly, he isn’t wearing a shirt.
“You see something you like?” Matteo jokes, wiggling his eyebrows as he catches me staring.
“You know I do.”
He grins, walking toward me. His feet come to a stop parallel to mine, and he moves his hands forward, slowly hooking his fingers under the hem of my shirt. I feel his blunt nails teasing the soft skin of my stomach as he says, “You haven’t changed into your pajamas yet. Do you need my help, baby?”
