Page 150 of Inked in Devotion

“Not doubting that.”

Kolya tugged me along his side as we went to welcome the visitors.

Well, not really visitors.

We opened the door to Ivan and Irina. They had Sebastian with them.

“He’s such a good boy.” Ivan was holding Sebastian in the crook of his right arm. But when my boy saw his father, he gave an excited giggle and reached for Kolya. As the two men walked inside, Irina smiled at me. “This is gorgeous. I told Ivan we should move out of the city.”

“Let me see how I like it first. I might get cabin fever.” I hollered after Kolya, “Are we expecting anyone else?”

It was Irina who answered, “Kirill and Lucy are picking up Aralina and Gage.”

The undertone in her words gave me pause. Her disapproval. A sadness. Couldn’t say I didn’t understand her. Theo needed to remember that he had a family. He’d been gone more than he’d been around his bride. If he didn’t pull his head out of his ass, I was going to give him a talking-to. Although I had a feeling the guys would get dibs on him first.

“Well, go on inside. We can have wine, and Kolya is giving us the house tour.” I winked at Irina.

Before I closed the door, an anchor lifted from my heart, and I stared briefly at the trees again, tall like sentinels guarding the house, their leaves rustling delicately and blanketing the air with the invigorating tranquility of evergreens and woodsy spice. Today was full of new beginnings. My thoughts went to Amber and Sasha. Strangers before today, but in them I saw a familiar past. That little girl waiting for Papa Ivan to come home was gone. That little girl had grown up and found so much more.

A family and a home.

Kolya

“I can go to Dubai,” I told Kirill. “Put Theo on a plane and remind him he has a wife waiting for him.”

I was showing Kirill the room I was going to turn into a home office for bratva meetings. Home office sounded hilarious and several one-eighties from my torture room.

“Lower your voice,” my pakhan hissed. “Maks said he’s taking care of it.”

“Maks? He has his own shit with Ophelia to fix.”

Kirill sighed, but there was an amused slant to his mouth. “Since when did we become experts in relationships?”

I shot him a smug smile. “Love of a good woman.” And I was pretty damn smug. And lucky. Chloe was mine. Every day I woke up and watched her sleep, admiring her long lashes, knowing she was the only woman who could bring me peace and not think of bloodshed by just that calming effect in her eyes.

“I sure hope you two are talking about us,” Lucy said, walking in with Chloe.

“Of course, Lusenka.” Kirill dragged Lucy into his arms. “I have eyes only for you.”

In another life, I would have snorted and laughed my head off, but wrapping my arms around Chloe, I couldn’t agree more. “How’s Sebastian?”

“Asleep in the stroller.”

“Beautiful house, guys,” Lucy told us before turning to Kirill. “Aralina and Gage are ready to go.”

“It’s only nine, and it’s the weekend,” I said. Chloe had another week before she started her classes, but grade school began mid-August. That much I knew, given I’d researched and planned Sebastian’s educational development. I didn’t graduate from college. I didn’t last past the second year. Everything I learned was through reading and practical application, but education was important to Chloe, and I was finding out, everything my wife wanted, I made sure she fucking got.

Lucy rolled her lips, trying to control a grin. “Apparently Aralina and Gage are trying to make friends with a crow, and they wanted to be up early.”

“A crow?” Kirill repeated in bafflement.

Aralina and Gage appeared at the door. She pointed to her wrist.

“All right, we’re coming,” Kirill muttered and glanced at Chloe. “Your brother better pull his act together. I’m tired of acting as a chauffeur for family gatherings.”

Because I hadn’t installed security around the property yet, I limited the people who knew about it and put a ban on King employees, including their drivers and bodyguards.

“She just wants her big brother,” Lucy answered.