Ev sits on the floor with his back to the couch, gathering a bunch of baby toys around him while he says, “It feels like we’re back home. We babysit while everyone else gets laid.”
I blow another raspberry onto Lyra’s stomach before joining him on the floor. She immediately starts climbing all over us and ignoring the toy fortress Ev’s constructed. He grins when she reaches for him.
“Who’s going to watch all the kids when it’s our turn?” I ask.
He lets Lyra grab onto his fingers as she pulls herself to standing before he looks over at me. “I think we both know I’m going to be the one left on babysitting duty. It’ll just be me and a roomful of babies.”
“I would never do that to you,” I tell him and then laugh at the look he gives me. “Okay, maybe I would, but I’d make it a quickie.”
“How very kind of you,” he deadpans and then switches to his uncle voice when he praises Lyra for standing up so well.
We spend the rest of the day bonding with our niece and squeezing in a quick nap when she does. I’ve learned over the years that it’s the only way to function around a baby. You sleep when they do or you don’t sleep at all. When it’s finally time for us to leave, I’m freshly showered and thanks to the nap andseveral more cups of coffee, I no longer feel like a zombie. I am nervous as hell, though, and when I hear Ev snicker beside me, I turn my head to glare at him, but all it does is make the bastard laugh.
We help Max pack up the BMW he likes to drive when he’s here. It’s sleek as hell with the black exterior and tinted windows but also big enough to fit his family as it grows. Since Nina already has the main house stocked with kid stuff, we only pack the must-have items and then Ev and I each grab one of the pies Talia baked and settle in the back with Lyra’s carseat in between us.
Sometimes I want to laugh at how much our lives have changed. I’m an armed Bratva member who’s killed before and will do it again, and right now I’m squished in the backseat of a vehicle that may look badass but was chosen more for its safety features than anything else while carrying a pie and making silly faces at the cute baby sitting right next to me.
I wouldn’t change a thing, but it’s damn odd at times.
The drive only takes a few minutes, and Lyra manages to keep me entertained for the duration, but once we turn into the long driveway and I see all the parked motorcycles and cars, my nerves start to kick in again. As if on cue, she grabs my finger and gives it a squeeze. I’d like to think I’m not getting my courage from a nine-month old, but there’s no denying that the big smile she gives me that shows off her newest baby tooth is a mood booster. Even though I’m suddenly very nervous at seeing Sitka, the smile I give my niece is genuine and when Max takes the pie in my hand so I can lift his daughter out of her carseat, the feel of her in my arms makes me instantly feel better.
Problem solved, I just need to carry around a baby all night. My own little security blanket.
“Hey, Damien.”
I turn at the sound of my name and see Aleks and Yulia walking towards us. Both of them grinning and wearing matching dimples. I give them both a quick hug before Ev does the same. Their parents, Valeri and Evie, come over to join us. Valeri is the brother who could get away with murder just by looks alone. The dimple he passed down to his kids is on full display as he smiles at Ev and me. He just looks so fuckingnice. Even with all the tattoos, the guy looks like there’s no way in hell he’d be capable of helping to run a dangerous Bratva, let alone kill people for it.
His innocent look is the perfect cover, and it’s served him well over the years. Anyone who underestimates him usually doesn’t live to regret it. There’s no trace of the Bratva boss in him right now, though. He’s all easy smiles and an arm that’s wrapped affectionately around his wife.
“We’re so happy to have you both here,” Evie tells us. She’s carrying a bowl of food, so she heads to the house, but before she walks off, she says, “You two are more than welcome to visit our place anytime you want. Don’t think you have to stay at Vasya’s the whole time you’re here.”
We thank her, and once she’s gone, Lyra lets loose with a string of baby talk, and Valeri quickly steps closer and holds his arms out to her.
“Clearly she’s asking for her Uncle Valeri,” he says, giving her a big smile when she tries to lunge for him. In seconds, my little security blanket has abandoned me without so much as a backward glance and I’m left feeling even more exposed than usual. Before he takes her inside, he says, “Evie’s right. You two come over anytime you want. Aleks and I can take you out on the boat.”
“Sounds great, thanks,” I tell him.
He walks away while Aleks says, “Have you gotten a chance to see everyone else yet?”
Ev fills him in on our visit with Dima and Bran while I casually look around to see if I can catch sight of the one girl I’ve been looking for. I hear voices coming from behind the house as everyone starts to gather around on the veranda, but before we can join them, I see a big, black truck come down the long driveway. They’ve apparently picked up Tyoma and Kostya on the way because they’re both sitting in the truck bed and laughing about something.
Misha is behind the wheel with Yuri in the passenger seat, but the windows are tinted and I can’t get a good look into the back. They park behind us, and when the doors open, my eyes are locked on who comes out. I see blonde hair and know it’s Allie, so my focus immediately goes to the other door. I catch a flash of dark blue Converse before she jumps down from the truck that’s way too big for her and shuts the door. My eyes drink in the sight of her—skinny jeans that cling to her petite frame, a black V-neck shirt that’s almost as snug as her jeans, dark hair that blows in the wind, and a pair of grey eyes that I quickly look away from before she can spot me.
How the hell am I going to get through this trip without touching her? This whole thing was a stupid idea, and I’m two seconds away from telling Ev we need to call it quits and go back home when they all walk over to join us.
“Damien!” Misha says with a laugh and not-so-gentle shoulder nudge. He grins and does the same to Ev before pointing a finger at us. “You guys ready to have some fun? I mean, not now, obviously because we have the whole family dinner thing, but we have plans for the two of you.”
“Plans?” Ev asks, and I can tell he’s really hoping they don’t involve water.
“Fuck yeah, we do,” Misha says, butting in with a grin that looks more unhinged than friendly. “Biking, clubbing, surfing, we’re doing it all.”
“The dirt bikes sound good,” Ev says, trying his damnedest to keep things on land. “We heard you’ve got some new trails.”
“We can hit them later,” Misha says, “but the real fun will be Friday night, so don’t make plans.”
The others laugh at our confusion but don’t do anything to alleviate it. I remind myself that Sasha has rules. I’m not so sure these guys have any.
“Let’s get some food,” Tyoma says. “I’m starving.”
