"Piper?"
"Fine." She cleared her throat and sang, "Sadie is Roman's wedded wife, Heather loves Jase all her life, Anna has Drake to hold on tight, Diana and Alex, Mom and Dad — so right, and Babushka lit the fires so bright."
"You actually wrote a song, damn." He liked it. He seriously liked it. Everything was going to be fine.
The moment they walked through the front door of his parents' house, Zach understood that everything was not going to be fine.
The wheeze of his dad's accordion hit them first, followed by the sounds of too many Dvornakovs in one room.
Someone—probably Babushka—was shouting in Russian from the kitchen. Scents of garlic and sour cream mingled in the air, thick and familiar.
Piper froze beside him.
"I warned you," he whispered.
"Don't mention cheese," she said, under her breath.
"It only works if you don't say the words," he said, making his eyes go wide.
Before she could respond, his brother Roman's, voice boomed. "They're here."
Then Jase appeared in the entryway, holding a toddler who looked suspiciously like she'd been eating chocolate with her entire face. "Finally. Nadia's been asking about Uncle Zach for the last hour."
"She can't even form full sentences yet," Zach laughed, reaching for his niece.
Piper was looking at him a little funny. Probably because he was now covered in residual chocolate.
"Nadia communicates. Loudly. Like her great-grandmother." Jase handed over the squirming child, then turned his attention to Piper. "You must be the wedding wizard who's putting up with my brother's bullshit."
"Jase," Zach warned. Growled. Same thing.
"I'm Piper," she said, extending her hand. "And I wouldn't call it wizardry. More like controlled chaos management."
"Oh, I like her. I'm Jase." He grinned and draped his arm around Piper like she was already part of the pack.
Piper allowed it. Seemed to enjoy having a brotherly hug.
And Zach? Zach didn't know what to do with that.
Nadia chose that moment to grab a fistful of Zach's hair and tug.
"Ow. Careful, tiny terror." He shifted the toddler onto his hip. "This is Nadia. Named after Babushka. Well, Nadzieja, technically, but we call her Nadia."
"Because we're not sadists," Jase added.
"Nadia, this is Piper," Zach continued.
"Thank God Jase used the name," Roman's voice called as he entered from the kitchen, arm wrapped around his wife. "I'm officially off the hook."
"Piper, the guy who looks like he should probably take a day off from the gym? That's Roman. Sadie is the one making googly eyes at him."
"Hello." Piper waved.
Heather strode into the room, wiping her hands on a dishcloth and pausing to introduce herself to Piper before saying, "You are not off the hook, Roman. Not according to Babushka. She was just telling us we need a Nadzieja Two: Electric Boogaloo."
"We're not even expecting," Sadie protested, a blush creeping across her cheeks.
Roman grinned, pulling her closer. "I mean, not yet."
