Page 47 of Mafia Daddy

We drag dining chairs over to anchor the structure and drape blankets across them until we’ve built a surprisingly impressive den in the corner of the living room near the big windows. Fairy lights from one of the new deliveries get strung up inside, casting a soft, magical glow. We pile in all the squishies, Zoop, and a mountain of pillows.

Then comes the feast.

We raid the kitchen together… popcorn popped in the fancy machine, bowls of candy from the delivery, fancy Italian cookies, and juice boxes with the cute little straws that came with the new snacks.

We crawl into the den with our loot and settle in cross-legged, surrounded by colorful squishies and soft lighting.

For the next hour we munch happily, telling silly stories and playing with the squishies like they’re having their own little adventures. I feel small and safe and completely free to be myself in a way I haven’t in ages.

Yuri gets it completely, he even pulls out his own small stuffie from his bag, a well-loved fox named Finn, and introduces him to Zoop like they’re old friends.

We laugh until our sides hurt, sharing candy and sipping juice from the silly straws. The city lights twinkle outside the den’s blanket entrance like distant stars.

For a little while, the underworld, the truce, the danger… all of it feels very far away.

I lean back against a pile of pillows, Zoop in my lap and a half-eaten cookie in my hand, and feel a deep, contented sigh leave my body.

Maxim might be out there doing dangerous Pakhan things right now.

But here, in this blanket fort with Yuri and our squishies and our midnight feast, I feel more at home than I have in a very long time.

And maybe, just maybe, there’s room for both sides of me in this strange new life.

The soft glow of the fairy lights inside our blanket den is the first thing I notice when my eyes flutter open. My body feels heavy and warm, cocooned in a nest of pillows and blankets. Zoop is still tucked securely under my arm, his worn fur soft against my cheek. For a second I forget where I am and what time it is… until the low murmur of voices drifts through the blanket walls.

It’s Maxim.

He’s back.

I sit up carefully, rubbing my eyes. Yuri is already up and standing outside the den, yawning as he checks his phone.

It’s well beyond 01:00am.

Maxim’s deep voice carries clearly now. “The driver is waiting downstairs. He’ll take you home, Yuri. Thank you for staying with Milo.”

“No problem at all, Uncle Maxim,” Yuri replies, his voice still sleepy but warm. I hear him gathering his things: the soft rustle of his jacket, the quiet clink of his keys. “He was a perfect host. We had a great time. And, yes, I still have my phone.”

A moment later the front door clicks shut.

Footsteps approach the den.

The blanket flap lifts, and Maxim’s broad frame fills the entrance. He’s still in his shirt and trousers, though the sleeves are rolled up and his hair is slightly tousled from whatever business took him out tonight. Even in the soft fairy light he looks powerful, controlled… and incredibly handsome.

Maxim’s eyes scan the den—the pile of squishies, the empty popcorn bowl, the juice boxes with their silly straws—before landing on me. Something in his expression softens.

“You built quite the fortress,” Maxim says, voice low and rough with exhaustion.

I bite my lip, suddenly shy. “We did. It was fun.”

He nods once, then extends a hand toward me. “Come on. Let’s get you to bed.”

My heart does a little panicked flip…

I don’t want to leave the den. Not yet.

This safe, cozy little world we built feels too precious to abandon. I crawl forward on my knees and take his hand, but instead of letting him pull me out, I tug him gently toward me.

“Can we sleep in here tonight?” I ask softly, looking up at him through my lashes. “Please? It’s really comfortable. And… I don’t want to move right now.”