14. Vitya
Chapter 14
Vitya
S veta is gripping my hand like she’s never going to let me go, and I can’t take my eyes off her. I feel like it was only seconds ago that I was lunging in front of her, shielding her with my body and hoping like hell it was enough, but it’s been an entire week. Seven days of her worrying and scared, and I hate that I’ve put her through that.
When Tony starts feeling around my chest, I bite back the urge to smack his arm away as pain shoots through me, so intense it makes me lightheaded.
“I’ll give you another dose of morphine,” he promises. “I just need to check a few things first.”
I have no choice but to let him do what he needs to do. I lack the strength to even sit up, let alone make a run for the door.
“Can I get some water?” I ask, feeling like I’ve been eating sand. I’m hooked up to various things, including an IV, but my throat is so dry it aches.
Tony nods and Sveta quickly grabs a cup and fills it with water. Angling the straw to my lips, I give her an I hate being this helpless look, but she just smiles and says, “Better get used to it. Now suck. ”
I use what little strength I have to arch a brow at her while Tony stifles a laugh and she shoves the straw between my parched lips. I’m too thirsty to argue, so I don’t bother. My pcholka is determined to get her way. I’m not going to forget about her sugar strike, though. I’m holding her to that one, and thinking about it has me grinning around the straw.
She smiles back at me, her whole face lighting up with it, and even though it feels like no time has passed at all for me, I’ve missed her so goddamn much. I finish the glass of water and when she puts it on the tray next to the bed, I squeeze her hand, unable to take my eyes off her.
“I’m sorry he got you,” I tell her, but she’s already shaking her head at me.
“It’s not your fault. He climbed up the trellis.” She sighs, clearly pissed that he used her means of escape against her. “I’m gonna tear that damn thing down.”
“Beat you to it,” I tell her, making her smile again. “I ripped it down when I realized that’s how he’d gotten in. I was so fucking scared when I realized he’d taken the two of you.”
“I knew you would be, and I hated that for you.”
“Did he hurt you?”
I search her face, fearing the worst, and I don’t release the breath I’m holding until she says, “No. We were okay. He wasn’t interested in hurting us.”
I raise a brow and lightly drag my finger along the yellow, faded bruise on her cheek, the one she’s tried very hard to cover up.
“I tried to make a run for it with Samantha and failed,” she says, giving me a half-smile that I don’t return because I’m too busy feeling sick at the idea of someone hitting her.
She leans over and kisses me. “I’m fine, Vitya. I promise.”
“I’m so sorry, Sveta.”
She kisses my hand and says, “He just wanted money. I can’t believe he was going to sell his own daughter.”
“Our daughter,” I correct. “She’s our daughter, Sveta. ”
She gives me one of her sweet smiles and kisses me softly. “She is, and I know she’s missing you like crazy.”
“I miss her too. She better not have grown too much in one week.”
“You won’t even recognize her.” Sveta smiles and strokes my face like she can’t believe I’m really awake. “She’s already walking and eating solid food.”
“That’s not funny,” I tell her. “It would break my heart if I missed all that.”
“Such a softie,” she teases me.
“You made me that way,” I tell her.
Tony is still hovering around, oblivious to what we’ve been saying since it’s all been in Russian. I know the second he gives me another dose of painkiller, because a heavy warmth spreads all through me, and I grow so tired I can barely keep my eyes open. I’m not ready to leave Sveta yet, so I fight it as best I can, but when it’s clear I’m going to lose this battle, she leans over me and gives me the sweetest kiss before whispering, “I love you so much. Rest and get better, Vitya, so we can go home.”
I mumble that I love her, and then I’m pulled under and into a deep, dreamless sleep. When I wake, instead of Svetlana’s beautiful face, I’m greeted with the sight of her dad looking down at me. He doesn’t look quite as angry as he had the last time I’d seen him, but he’s also not giving me the sweet smile his daughter likes to give me either. My brain is still fuzzy, but when I look around the room, I see that we’re not alone. His four brothers have decided to join the party.
“Well, this can only mean good things for me,” I say, and then I give a soft laugh because evidently the painkiller cocktail I’m on right now is a good one.
Vitaly lifts a brow, clearly not amused, while Lev gives a soft laugh and smacks Vitaly’s shoulder. “You can’t kill him,” he reminds his brother. “If I can’t kill my son-in-law, then neither can you.”
“He’s not my son-in-law,” Vitaly says.
“Not yet, he’s not,” Danil says, “but he will be soon enough. ”
Vitaly looks over at him. “My daughter still has time to come to her senses.”
Matvey laughs. “Sveta’s made up her mind, and you know better than anyone how stubborn that girl can be.”
“She takes after her mom,” Vitaly says, making his brothers laugh.
“Yeah, that’s who she takes after,” Roman says.
Vitaly ignores his brothers and looks down at me. “I made you a promise, Vitya. You remember that? When you asked if you could guard Sveta, I told you that if you ever touched my daughter inappropriately or put any part of your body inside hers, I’d cut your dick off with a very dull knife. You broke the rules,” he tells me.
“Fuck yeah I did,” I say, giving another laugh when I think about how many times I’ve fucked his sweet daughter. If my brain weren’t so damn foggy, I’d have a greater sense of self-preservation, but I can’t stop smiling when I think about how goddamn good she feels wrapped around me.
“Don’t fucking test me, Vitya,” Vitaly says, stepping closer and pointing a finger at my crotch. “I can still saw that goddamn thing off.”
“If you cut off Sveta’s favorite toy, she’ll never forgive you,” I warn him, and then give an unmanly giggle as his brothers groan and Lev puts a hand on Vitaly’s shoulder to stop him from making good on his threat.
“Jesus Christ, kid,” Matvey says. “I don’t know what in the hell you’re packing, but I’m guessing it would take Vitaly a while to saw through it.”
“True enough,” Danil says. He turns to Vitaly and laughs. “It wouldn’t be worth the carpal tunnel you’d get.”
Roman chokes back a laugh while Vitaly tries very hard to not separate my most favorite appendage from my body. I may be doped up and feeling no pain, but I do have enough sense to meet his eyes and say, “I love her, Vitaly. I fucking love the hell out of that girl, and I want to marry her.” I smile up at him. “Can I marry your daughter?”
He scrubs a hand through his hair and shakes his head at me. “You’re fucking high on painkillers right now. ”
“Yeah, which means my brain is too fuzzy to lie. Ask me whatever you want.”
“Did you touch my daughter before you took her to the farmhouse?”
“No, but I sure as hell wanted to,” I tell him.
“Don’t add anything,” Roman advises while Danil just gives me a what the hell are you thinking look.
“How long have you loved her?” Vitaly asks.
“Since the night she saved my life.”
Vitaly raises a brow at me. “Oh yeah? How many other women have you fucked since being in love with my daughter?”
“None,” I say, not even having to think about it. “I haven’t been able to even look at another woman since that night.”
“You’ve been celibate for two years?” Matvey asks, and I can hear the respect in his voice.
“The only woman I wanted was Sveta. Even if I couldn’t have her, I wasn’t about to disrespect her by being with someone else. I only wanted her.”
Lev breaks the silence. “Well, he has my vote. Welcome to the family, kid.”
“I haven’t agreed to this yet,” Vitaly reminds them.
Roman laughs. “It’s so funny that you think they’re going to wait for your approval. They’re getting married, and we all know you’re already attached to Samantha.”
“And he saved Sveta’s life,” Danil reminds him.
I look up at Vitaly and give him a big, drug-induced smile. “You’re attached to our daughter?”
No matter how violent of a man Sveta’s dad can be, he’s a giant softie for his family, just like I am, so I’m not at all surprised when he meets my eyes and says, “She’s my first granddaughter. Of course I’m attached to her.”
Before I can smile too big, he points his finger at me, “But if you ever hurt my daughter, I will kill you, Vitya.”
I hold up my hands in surrender. “I won’t even try and defend myself. You can hack off my giant penis and let me bleed out from the gaping wound.”
His brothers laugh while Vitaly just shakes his head, giving me a what the fuck am I going to do with you look.
Roman pats my leg and says, “I’m going to have so much fun reminding you of this conversation once the drugs are out of your system.”
“Already got you covered, brother,” Lev says, holding up his phone with a big grin on his face. “I recorded the whole thing. Sveta’s going to love this, especially the part where you say your dick is her favorite toy.”
Vitaly groans. “Let’s never fucking speak of this again.”
“I may have already sent it to the family group chat,” Lev admits with a laugh.
“Fucking awesome,” Matvey says, grinning over at his brother.
“Yelena’s getting older,” Vitaly reminds him, but Matvey just shakes his head.
“My daughter is way too sweet to fuck a bodyguard. Besides, she’s more than happy to stay at home with her family. She’s a daddy’s girl through and through,” he says, and I’m grateful that I at least have enough sense left in my brain to keep my mouth shut. The last thing I want to do is tell Val’s secret.
Lev quickly distracts everyone by saying, “My daughter isn’t too sweet to fuck a bodyguard. That’s why I’m only assigning older, happily married men to watch over her.” He laughs and shrugs his shoulders. “I love her more than life itself, but she’s a wild little thing, and I’m not blind to it.” He looks around at his brothers. “Did you see the cut she gave Dario?”
I can hear the pride in his voice when he talks about her, and it makes me wonder what Samantha is going to be like, if she’ll be sweet and quiet like Yelena or wild and fearless like Mia, or maybe she’ll just always be slightly prone to trouble like Sveta. There’s no way to know, but I do know that I’ll love her unconditionally no matter what.
“Can you ask Sveta to come down and bring Samantha with her?” I ask Vitaly, because just thinking about her has my chest aching with the need to see the two of them.
“I will, but I want you to know something first. My daughter lived down here for a week just so she could be close to you. Her mom and I had to bring her food and then force her to eat it, and then we had to promise to watch over you while she got cleaned up. I didn’t even know she was capable of showering that damn fast.”
He steps closer and looks down at me, running his eyes over my bandaged chest. “She loves you, Vitya, and I would never do anything to hurt her. You saved her life, and I won’t ever forget that. I’m still pissed you disobeyed me and went behind my back, but I’m not going to stand in the way of you marrying her.” He gives me a faint smile. “I think we both know it wouldn’t do any good anyway.”
“She is stubborn,” I say.
He nods. “Just like her mom.”
I laugh because his refusing to admit that she gets it from him is just further proof that she absolutely gets it from him.
I’m surprised when he reaches out and gives my arm an affectionate squeeze. “I’ll send her down.”
“Thanks, Vitaly,” I tell him, not bothering with the Mr. Melnikov since he’s about to be my father-in-law.
“We’ll have to assign someone else to watch over her, but we can figure that out later. Just rest and heal up.”
He gives my arm another pat before turning around and walking off with his brothers. While I wait, the drugs start to wear off, and with the pain in my chest comes the realization of everything I just said to her dad. I groan at the favorite toy comment and hope I was just hallucinating when Lev said he’d filmed it all.
Sveta bursts that bubble when she walks in with a smiling Samantha and says, “I can’t believe you told my dad your dick was my favorite toy, Vitya.”
I’m so happy to see them both that all I can do is smile and say, “It’s the truth, though, isn’t it?”
“My entire family is watching that video right now. ”
I’d laugh if it didn’t hurt my chest so much, so I just grin and say, “I’m really sorry. I don’t know what Tony gave me, but it was strong.”
When she gets closer, Samantha’s eyes find mine, and the big, gummy smile she gives me has my throat feeling tight. God, I’ve missed her.
“Hey, little one,” I tell her, kissing her cheek when Sveta brings her face to mine. “Don’t ever disappear like that again. Your daddy can’t take it.”
It’s the first time I’ve ever called myself her dad out loud, but once the words are out, it feels like the most natural thing in the world. Samantha smiles and reaches for my face, laughing when she feels the light beard that’s grown in over the week. I cup the back of her head and kiss her face until she’s squealing with laughter.
“Hey, you’re supposed to take it easy,” Sveta warns me.
“Mommy’s going to be unbearably bossy now, isn’t she, Sam?”
“I’m never bossy.” Sveta raises a brow, daring me to contradict her.
I give her a wink and say, “Of course not, pcholka. You’re always sweet as honey and submissive to a fault.”
Sveta smiles. “That’s what my family’s always telling me.”
Letting out a soft laugh that makes me wince, I lean back against my pillow, not wanting to admit how exhausted I am but also too tired to keep my head lifted.
“You need to rest.” Scooting a chair closer, she sits down with Samantha and then threads her fingers through mine. “Tony said it’s going to take weeks, maybe even months before you’re back to where you should be.”
I groan, remembering the long recovery after I’d been stabbed and not looking forward to having to do it all over again. At least I won’t be alone this time. I’ll have a sexy little nurse looking after me.
“What are you smiling about?”
I look over at her and give a soft laugh. “I was just thinking about you nursing me back to health.”
“Oh yeah? And how are you imagining that exactly?”
I smile even bigger. “It involves you in a tiny uniform bending over a lot . Also, you on your knees. I think that kind of care would have me feeling better in no time.”
“Really?” She gives me the wicked grin that always means she’s picturing me naked. “I might need to put that to the test.”
“Please do.”
She laughs at the almost begging tone of my voice. “Take a nap and get better, Vitya. I’m not so sure you’d even know what to do with me if I bent over right now.”
“That wounds my pride, sweetheart,” I say, but my eyes are already drifting closed.
She must lean closer, because the next time she speaks, I feel her breath against my lips. “You can prove your manhood to me when you’re feeling better.” She gives my bottom lip a teasing nip. “I love you.”
Even though I’m still too weak to open my eyes, I smile and kiss her back. “I love you too,” I tell her right before I drift off to sleep again.
I’m forced to stay at Dominic’s for another week before Tony and Dr. Bianchi give me the all clear to leave. They only do it after I’ve given them my word that I’ll take it easy. Basically, I’ve agreed to be transferred from one bed to another, but at least this one is my own.
Sveta has been with me the entire time, and Samantha is brought down for visits several times a day. It’s clear to see that she’s thriving with her new family, and I couldn’t be happier about it. Sveta told me how Samantha’s birth father had treated her, how he hadn’t given a shit about his child except for how much money he could get for her, and I wish I could bring him back to life just so I could give him the slow death he deserves. Sveta’s family had no choice but to shoot him when he’d fired his gun at her, so he’d ended up dying much quicker than any of us wanted. He’s dead, though, and that’s really all that matters. Max had taken out the man who’d come to buy her before he could get away, and they’re keeping a close eye on his wife, but so far they see no reason to go after her. She’s in no position to retaliate, and she has no reason to. There’s no way for her to know we were behind it, and even if she did, I’m guessing she’s smart enough to know that it would only end in her death.
The danger to Samantha is gone, and that’s all I care about.
“I hate being helpless,” I tell Sveta when she has to pull my shirt over my head because I can’t get it on myself. She smiles and kisses my chest, right above the line of stitches.
“You’re not helpless. You just know how pissed I’d be if you tear your stitches.” She keeps kissing me, working a line up my neck. Her soft, warm lips are enough to have me stiffening in my pants.
“You’re such a tease,” I tell her, because she knows damn good and well that I can’t do anything right now. I’m still on enough painkillers to ensure that I can’t get fully hard, and even if I could, it wouldn’t last long. She doesn’t know it, but I already told Tony to switch me to something milder. I’d rather deal with the pain and have my cock fully functioning. Tony had agreed, but not before I gave him my word that I would take it easy and stop if I felt any pain. At this point, I don’t really give a fuck how much it hurts. It’s been too goddamn long since I’ve been inside her, and I’m fixing that the first chance I get.
Before she pulls back, she gives my earlobe a soft bite. “I’m not a tease,” she corrects while a smile plays at her lips. “You can have me as soon as you feel well enough. Until then, consider it as me providing you with some motivation.” She kisses me again and says, “Sweet as honey, just like you said. What kind of nurse would I be if I didn’t offer some inspiration to help you on your healing journey?”
I laugh and wrap an arm around her, sliding it down so I can cup her ass, filling my palm with her round cheek.
“You definitely inspire me to get better, pcholka .”
“What the hell is taking so long?”
The sound of her dad’s voice has me letting out a groan while she gives another laugh.
I hear Lev say, “I think we all know what’s taking them so long.”
“Lev, don’t fucking start,” Vitaly growls at his brother.
Lev just laughs and says, “Payback is way more fun than I imagined. ”
“He’s still too sick to do whatever the hell it is that you’re thinking,” Vitaly says.
Sveta’s eyes widen when Lev says, “I can think of a few things they could be doing that wouldn’t require Vitya to move.”
I laugh and give her a wink, because Lev and I are obviously thinking the same damn thing.
Vitaly ignores his brother and yells, “Sveta, I’m coming down. Vitya, I better not see anything that I won’t like.”
“Your dad is so dramatic,” I whisper, giving her another kiss before she pulls back and scoots out of reach so I’m no longer cupping her ass when her dad walks in.
“I had to help him get ready,” Sveta says, giving her dad an innocent look that I don’t think he’s buying for a second.
He turns and offers me an arm to hold as I get out of bed and stand up. It would be sweet if I didn’t know he was doing it just to keep his daughter’s hands off me.
“You need me to carry you up the stairs, or you think you can manage it?”
I can’t help but laugh at his tone. He may love Samantha as a granddaughter, and he may not be fighting my relationship with his daughter, but he’s still not thrilled about it. Now that I have a daughter, I can understand his position a little better.
“I can manage,” I tell him, and when I’m steady on my feet, I add, “You’re going to learn to love me, Vitaly.”
“Yeah, I really doubt that,” he mutters while Sveta bites back a laugh and steps closer so she can wrap an arm around my waist.
As much as I’d love to be able to take the stairs two at a time like I’d normally do, I’m forced to take it slow, one step at a time with one hand on the railing and the other using Sveta for support.
“It won’t be like this for long,” she reminds me.
I kiss the top of her head, refusing to admit how much a single flight of stairs has winded me. When we turn the corner, Sveta’s family is waiting for us. Katya has Samantha, and as soon as she sees us, she squeals and kicks her feet. Katya laughs and kisses her head. Sveta’s mom is just as taken with her as Vitaly is, and it means the world to me that they’ve accepted her so easily into the family. I shouldn’t be surprised, though. The Melnikov brothers chose to be a family. They understand better than anyone that sharing DNA doesn’t really mean shit. Family is everything, but that doesn’t mean you’re required to be related by blood. Family can also be a choice, and we’ve all made that choice with Samantha. The sweet little girl in front of me will never want for anything. She’s always going to be surrounded by the love of her family.
“Good to see you up,” Matvey says while Alina gives me a gentle hug.
I nod at Yelena and Evgeny before hugging the other wives. Sveta stays next to me, secretly helping to support my weak ass until she finally says, “Okay, I’m taking him home now. He needs to rest.”
Dominic is holding Isabella, and she gives me a cute wave while I shake her dad’s hand, thanking him once again for everything he’s done.
“Anytime, Vitya, you know that. Come back for supper when you’re feeling better. Lucia made you enough food to last several weeks. Your freezer is stocked with the best Italian food in the city,” he says with a laugh.
Natalya gives me a hug and whispers, “I knew you were in love with her this whole time.”
“I tried my best to hide it, but you know how persuasive she can be.”
She pulls back with a laugh. “Oh, I definitely know.”
Isabella points to Samantha, so Dominic lets her down, smiling when she runs over and gives her new cousin a kiss on the forehead. I swear Roma gets jealous, and when he lets out a squeal, Isabella quickly runs over and kisses his head too.
“She’s going to be such a good big sister,” Dominic says, wrapping his arms around Natalya and pulling her back against him so he can rest his hand on her growing belly.
I look down at Svetlana, already imagining her pregnant. As if sensing my thoughts, she looks up at me and gives me her sweet smile, the one that always makes my chest feel too tight.
“Come on, let’s get you home.”
I smile at her bossy tone and kiss her head. I love seeing her protective side come out, and Sveta is fiercely protective of the people she loves. It’s one of my favorite things about her.
She turns to everyone else and says, “I’m taking him home now. Feel free to come by and visit.”
Katya and Vitaly get Samantha into her car seat, and then Val grabs it to follow us out. It feels like it’s been weeks since I’ve been outside, and as soon as the brisk air hits me, I breathe in a deep lungful and then grab Sveta’s pink, knit cap from where it’s hanging out of her pocket, pulling it onto her head before she can fight me on it.
I’ve been watching over Sveta for two years, and now it’s just second nature. It’s ingrained in me so deeply that there’s no way it’s ever going to go away, so even though I know we’re safe on Dominic’s property, I can’t help but give the area around us a quick scan. Once we’re at the SUV, Val buckles Samantha in and then gives his sister a hug.
“Text me when you’re ready for a visit,” he tells her.
“I will. I’m going to make him eat something and take a nap, but I’ll text soon.”
“You’re going to make me, huh?” I can’t help but ask. Val laughs and surprises me by giving me a hug too. It’s been a long time since I’ve had a brother, and I can’t think of anyone else I’d rather step into that role than Val.
“I am,” Sveta says. “I’m the one giving orders now.”
Val laughs and takes a step back. “I’m going to let you two figure this one out on your own.”
Vitaly tosses the keys to Aleksandr and then gives me a pointed look. “You’re no longer her bodyguard.”
I don’t like the idea of another man being in charge of Sveta’s safety, but we both know I’m in no position to keep her safe right now.
“Fine,” I agree, “but we’ll call him when we need him. We don’t need someone sitting around in the apartment with us.” I look over at Aleksandr and say, “No offense, man.” He’s actually a really good bodyguard, and I’ve never had a problem with him, but I don’t want him hovering over us.
“None taken,” he tells me. “I’ll drop you off, and then just text me when you need me.”
“Fine,” Vitaly agrees, “but don’t you dare take my daughter out without him.”
“I would never put her in danger,” I remind him, “and I know she’ll need to be assigned someone new.”
“I’m already looking into it,” he tells me, and then he extends an olive branch by saying, “When you’re feeling better, we can go over the options.”
Sveta gives me a holy shit look and then gently nudges me to get in, clearly wanting to end this visit on a high note. I thank him and let my pushy girl get me situated. When I’m sitting in the back next to Samantha’s car seat, she raises a brow and says, “Seat belt, Vitya.”
I laugh as she buckles me in. “Yes, ma’am,” I tell her, making her smile before she shuts the door and walks around to the other side.
Samantha grabs my finger when I rest my hand on her stomach. She babbles the whole way to our apartment building, but I can’t make out any actual words yet. Aleksandr helps us get everything hauled up to my apartment and then leaves with the reminder to call him whenever we need him, no matter the time.
As soon as Sveta shuts the door, she lets out a relieved sigh and unbuckles Samantha. I look around the apartment, feeling like it’s been ages since we were last here. It’s not the wreck we left it as, though. In fact, there are a few things that are definitely different from when I was last standing here. All the baby supplies have been put away somewhere, and there are a few additions to the place.
Walking into the living room, I smile and look back at Sveta when I see a few framed photos on the shelves. I grab the one that she’d taken of me holding Samantha at the farmhouse. There’s another one of all three of us smiling at the camera, and a few more of Samantha’s smiling face. I set the last frame back on the shelf and then run my fingers over the books she’s added.
“I can change everything back if you don’t like it.”
I turn my head to look at her. I’ve never seen her looking so unsure of herself before, and it’s cute as hell.
“I love it,” I tell her. “I want you here with me, Sveta. I want you both here with me.” I spread my arms out, indicating the space around us. It’s a gorgeous apartment, but it’s not the penthouse, and it’s not what she’s used to. “Will you be happy here?”
“Why wouldn’t I be?” She gets a worried look on her face right before she asks, “You were telling the truth, right? You’ve never brought anyone here?”
“I told you I would never lie to you,” I remind her with an arched brow. “No woman has been here but you.”
“Then, yes, I’ll be happy here.” She gives me an excited smile and nods towards the hall. “Come on, you haven’t seen what else I’ve done.”
Even though, I’m still feeling a bit dead on my feet, her enthusiasm draws me to her. I grab her hand and let her lead me down the hall. Samantha is nestled in her other arm, happily sucking on her pacifier and excited to come along for the ride.
We walk past the home gym and the hall bathroom before stopping in front of the room that’s closest to the bedroom, the one that’s always been empty because I can’t think of anything to do with it. Sveta lets go of my hand so she can reach for the doorknob, but before she opens it, she looks up at me.
“I really hope I wasn’t too presumptuous. I’ve been told I can be that way.”
I smile down at her. “I don’t believe that for a second.”
“Stop teasing me. I’m being serious.”
Kissing the tip of her nose, I say, “Open the damn door, Sveta, and let me see what your presumptuous ass has been up to.”
She grins and pushes the door open, and I step into the nursery that she’s put together in record time. I turn around, taking it all in, amazed yet again at the woman I’ve fallen so hard for. A white crib with pink bedding sits in the corner, and next to it is a comfortable-looking rocking chair and ottoman that’s going to make nighttime feedings so much more comfortable. The walls are a soft shade of pink, and she’s painted little bunnies and other woodland creatures all around the room. There’s even a large unicorn by the window.
“This is incredible,” I tell her, still looking around at all the hard work she’s put into this. “I shouldn’t be surprised that you managed it, because I learned long ago how amazing you are, but, truly, Sveta, this is beautiful.”
A pretty pink blush heats up her cheeks at my praise, and she tries to hide it by kissing Samantha and then setting her in her new crib so she can kick at her piano and watch the mobile of colorful little dogs circle around overhead.
“My family helped me with everything. My dad and Val put the crib together, and my mom helped me with the walls.” She gives a soft laugh. “You should’ve seen my dad. He went on and on about putting together Luka’s crib and how we were all supposed to buy the same kind and how the companies make them impossible to put together on purpose just to try and make you go crazy. Val and I got a good laugh out of it. We eventually had to call my uncles to come help.”
“I’m truly sorry I missed that.”
She smiles up at me. “I took videos.”
“I can’t wait to see them.” I smile at knowing I’ll have some fun entertainment to watch later and run my eyes over the stuffed toys and changing table.
“You did an amazing job, Sveta. Samantha is so lucky to have you.”
Her immediate reply is, “She’s lucky to have you. We both are.”
“You break my heart in the best way possible when you say things like that.” Stepping behind her, I kiss her head and wrap my arms around her stomach as we both watch Samantha. She looks happy, truly happy and loved, and that’s all I ever want for her. Nuzzling my face against Sveta’s neck, I breathe in her scent and kiss her soft skin.
“She needs a sibling,” I tell her.
“You think so? ”
I smile and nip at her ear. “I do, as soon as possible, too. I mean, we already have a nursery. There’s plenty of room in here for another crib.”
“It might be worth it just to see the look on my dad’s face when I say I need him to help put together another one.”
I don’t let her detract me with her jokes. I kiss her skin, nipping and sucking, and when she feels me growing hard, she pats my hand and tries to wiggle away.
“Not so fast. Those stitches haven’t healed yet.”
“I came up with a plan for that.”
She gives a soft laugh. “I bet you did. Let me guess, it involves me on top and you lying perfectly still?”
“It’s like you can read my mind, pcholka .”
When I start to unbutton her jeans and pull her away from the crib, she shakes her head and scoots out of reach. “It’s time for you to take a nap.”
I laugh and hook a finger into the pocket of her jeans, bringing her up against me again.
“Don’t strain yourself, Vitya!”
“You worry too much.”
“I’m being serious.”
“I know you are. That’s why it’s so cute. Come on. I’ll lay down, and I promise I won’t move.”
She narrows her eyes at me. “What’s the catch?”
“No catch. I just need you to hover your sweet pussy over my face.”
She has the nerve to laugh and swat my hand away. “Get your ass in bed, Vitya. You’re under my care now, remember? Take a nap and I’ll heat up the lasagna Lucia made.”
“You were already a handful, but now that you’ve been given this bit of power, I can tell you’re going to be unbearable.”
She laughs and gives my ass a smack, a hard one, and then gently nudges me across the hall to our bedroom.
“Rest up, Vitya. I promise I’ll make it worth your while later.”
When she sees how much her words have perked me up, she laughs and gives me one last gentle shove. I think about fighting it, but the truth is I’m fucking exhausted. I step into the room that’s now become our bedroom, grinning like an idiot when I see the improvements she’s made. She’s added a few colorful blankets to the bed and another picture of the two of us. She’s put it right next to the photo of my brother and me.
Kicking my shoes off, I don’t even bother undressing. I just collapse onto the bed and quickly fall asleep.