His expression changed, softened a little. “I’m not leaving you,” he said.
I looked down at my hands around the mug. “We’ll see,” I whispered.
“Yeah. We will.”
The silence between us stretched. It was broken only by a ringing sound, a doorbell I guessed. Targen looked at his phone before tapping a few buttons. Suddenly, there was movement in another part of the house. I heard a door opening, a door closing, then soft footsteps.
“The kitchen,” Targen called.
A few seconds later, Andrei appeared in the doorway. I don’t know why I was so happy to see him—it had only been a day. But I glided over to him and hugged him like I hadn’t seen him in years. He patted my back awkwardly.
“Dobroye utro. Kak u vas dela?” he greeted before turning to Targen. “I am here to make sure the last of the items you had atGospodinMaxim’s home are returned. I also have a note for you, sir,” he explained.
I felt my cheeks redden. Damn near assaulted the man and he was all business, as usual. I moved away, about to go back to the bedroom and regroup.
“Mrs. Sidorov?” Andrei said suddenly.
I pasted on a smile before I turned around. “Yes?”
“I will be here later to continue your lessons in Russian, if you would like.”
My smile warmed. I typed a question in my phone, studied the answer for a second before answering him. “Mne by eto ochen' ponravilos',” I butchered, which meant,I would like that very much.
(Later that afternoon)
The goodbye had taken too long.
Not because I minded seeing Theory with her people. Hell, I liked that shit more than I expected to. I liked watching them fuss over her and slowly warm up to me. I liked the way her daddy shook my hand and held my eyes, like he was still deciding whether or not I was worthy of his daughter. I even liked the way her cousins’ husbands kept circling, checking exits, questioning me, making sure they could trust her with me. Protective niggas respected protective niggas. I could live with that.
But I didn’t like how exposed we were.
A family lunch after a wedding was supposed to be a nice little send-off before I took my reluctant bride back to the compound. But there were too many people, too many variables, too many scenarios that I didn’t like. Shit made me uneasy.
Theory noticed, too.
“Why you looking like that? Relax. My family won’t kill you… unless I tell them to,” she murmured, then smirked at me.
I looked down at her. She was beautiful in a soft yellow sundress that set off that honey-brown skin and hugged her curvy body. My wife was playing her part; smiling, she had one hand looped through my arm, that huge diamond flashing every time she moved.
“Don’t act like you wouldn’t be sad,” I muttered.
She gave me a quick eye roll. “Boy, please.”
Finally, it was time to go. Her grandparents hugged her again. Her mama kissed her cheek. Her cousins teased her. Her daddy pulled her in tight, then kissed her forehead.
“Call me if you need anything,” he said to her, the words meant for me.
“I will, Daddy.”
Her voice was light, but I could hear the sadness in it. She was close with her family and would miss them. I rubbed her lower back. “We’ll see them for Real and Everly’s wedding in a couple of weeks,” I reminded her.
By the time we made it outside, Juvie had the Yukon running. Mikhail stood by the rear passenger door, expression blank as usual. We climbed in and Theory sighed, a light sheen of tears blurring those honey eyes. I had to do something. I hated when she cried, wanted it to be as rare as possible from now on. I leaned in close to her and lowered my mouth to her ear. “Soon as we get back, how about I take them pins out your hair and your body out that dress?”
It worked. She leaned back just enough to give me a side-eye. “How about no? Your nasty ass would be thinking that.”
“Among other things.”
She kissed her teeth, but her cheeks warmed. That little reaction was enough. I sat back and enjoyed the ride. Theory was beside me, one leg crossed over the other, the soft scent of her perfume in the air between us. I knew this might be my last moment of peace. Today, I would tell her who I was, what I came from.
