19. Svetlana
Chapter 19
Svetlana
S miling, I put my phone away and step out of the dressing room. Natalya and Yelena are waiting for me.
“Did you send him a pic?” Natalya asks with a grin.
“I did,” I say with a laugh.
Lara walks over from the rack she’d been looking at. She holds up a pink nightie with a matching thong. It’s partially see-through, enough to give tantalizing hints of what’s beneath, and I can already picture Vitya’s face when he sees it on me.
“You’ve got to get this,” she tells me, handing over the hangar.
“It’s gorgeous,” I tell her, taking it and holding it up.
“Vitya’s gonna have a stroke,” Yelena says with a grin.
“You all have to buy something too,” I tell them. “I’m not the only one walking out of here with a bag full of smutty lingerie.”
“Yeah, let’s hurry before our moms get here,” Natalya says.
Lara laughs. “Yeah, the last thing I want is for Luka’s mom to see what I’m going to wear for her son.”
“Well, you need to get something,” I tell her. “So hurry up and start shopping.” Spotting a nightie that’s the exact shade of blue as her eyes, I hold it up and say, “This would look great on you. ”
“That is pretty, but do they have it in a larger size?” she asks, stepping closer. “This would fit your tiny butt, Sveta, but no way in hell is it containing mine.”
“Your ass is amazing, Lara, and every time my cousin sees it, I swear he drools a little bit,” I tell her.
She laughs and finds one in the size she needs. “He does love my ass,” she admits with a grin, taking the nightie to one of the dressing rooms to try it on.
“Think there’s a maternity section?” Natalya asks. “The last thing I feel is sexy right now, but Dominic loves me pregnant, so I figure a sexy, maternity nightie might make his head explode.”
“Oh, it’ll definitely explode,” I say, making her roll her eyes at me.
“Remember when you said you wanted a gorgeous man who was hung like a horse?”
Yelena overhears us and starts laughing while she looks through one of the racks.
“The universe delivered big time on that one,” I tell them.
Natalya raises her hand for a high five. “Here’s to gorgeous men with giant dicks.”
I laugh and smack her hand. Yelena shakes her head at us, but she smacks Nat’s hand when she holds it out to her as well.
Yelena looks at me and says, “I know he’s your twin, but I’m high-fiving to that one.”
We’re all laughing when Lara steps out and proudly declares, “I’m definitely buying that one.” She looks at us and asks, “What’d I miss?”
Nat holds up a hand to her. “We’re just celebrating well-hung, beautiful men.”
“Oh, hell yeah,” Lara says, smacking Nat’s hand.
Mia walks in and looks around at all the feminine, lacy material and gives a visible shudder. She’d been waiting outside with the bodyguards, and when she sees what we’ve loaded up our arms with, she just sighs and says, “Gross.”
I laugh and put my arm around her. “Just you wait, Mia. You’re going to be wearing all this one day. ”
“I will not,” she says, tucking a loose strand of pink hair behind her ear, revealing all the piercings she has. “I like boy shorts. They’re comfortable, and any man I end up with is going to be strong enough to rip them off or he doesn’t deserve to get inside.”
I laugh and pull her closer. “You better not ever change, cuz.”
“I’m not planning on it. You guys ready? I’m starving, and you all have been shopping for hours,” she groans.
I’m still laughing when we bring our stuff to the counter to pay for everything. The bodyguards assigned to us are waiting outside the store, trying not to draw too much attention to the fact they’re there. The other men are with our moms, who’ve gone to get us a table at the restaurant on the corner.
When we get there, I’m not at all surprised to see that they’re taking full advantage of the bottomless margarita deal that’s going on. I snap a few photos of my mom and aunts raising their glasses in a toast and then quickly send them to my dad and uncles in a group chat with the message: Prepare yourselves. There’s bottomless margaritas at this restaurant.
I laugh when the responses quickly come in.
Uncle Danil:
Thanks for the heads-up, Sveta. Is there karaoke there? For your sake, I hope not.
Uncle Roman:
I’m not surprised by this at all. Anyone else shocked?
Uncle Lev:
Not at all, brother. Be sure and take embarrassing photos, Sveta.
I’m not at all surprised to read my Uncle Matvey’s response.
Uncle Matvey:
Are our men close enough? Do you need more?
Me:
No, Uncle Matvey, we’re surrounded and Aunt Alina is perfectly safe. Promise. :)
Uncle Matvey:
Thanks, kiddo.
Dad:
Tell your mom her drunk ass is mine when she gets home.
Me:
I really don’t want to deliver that message, Dad.
Dad:
LOL. I just texted her. Have fun, honey.
I look up in time to see my mom staring at her phone. Her eyes are already glassy, and the laugh she gives is a little louder than it would usually be. I really don’t like thinking about my parents’ sex life, but I am happy for them, and I know that Vitya and I will be embarrassing our kids one day soon enough.
Me:
Well, I’m not waist deep in margaritas, but I’m still having a blast. How’s Vitya and Samantha?
Dad:
Perfect in every way.
Uncle Lev:
Awww, see? He’s warming up to his son-in-law already.
Dad:
Very funny. I was talking about my granddaughter.
Uncle Lev:
Sure thing, brother.
Dad:
At least my son-in-law is Russian.
Uncle Lev:
Well, that just stings.
I laugh and send Vitya a text, telling him I love him. His response is immediate.
Husband:
I love you too, pcholka, so goddamn much.
I smile at his text and at seeing the word husband. I’d changed his contact info on my phone earlier, and I love seeing it. I still can’t believe the man I’ve been obsessed with for the last two years is finally mine.
My phone buzzes again when he sends me several photos. Apparently, my family has just been taking turns holding our daughter, and she seems to be loving every second of the attention. She took a nap in Uncle Matvey’s arms and then spent time laughing at the funny faces my brother was making while my dad held her. Another photo is of Dario holding her while Isabella smiles and waves at the camera, and the last one is of Luka, Dominic, and Vitya, each of them holding their kids and everyone is smiling at the camera. I quickly make it my lock screen photo.
Me:
Thanks for the photos. I love them! Here’s some of us.
I take one of everyone looking and smiling at me. I also get several unplanned shots before my mom grabs my phone and takes a bunch of me with Nat, Yelena, Mia, and Lara. I’m surprised they aren’t all fuzzy, but modern technology is pretty amazing and the pictures are all clear and no one’s head is chopped off, even though my mom’s hands are anything but steady at the moment.
After I send them to Vitya, I take a few of just Yelena and then send them to my brother.
Val:
Thanks, sis. God, she’s so fucking beautiful.
Me:
She is, and you’re welcome. You’re also welcome for what she bought earlier, but we’re never speaking of it again because you’re my twin and that’s gross.
Val:
Interesting. I won’t ask, but thank you.
Husband:
Glad you’re having fun, baby. Let me know when you leave the restaurant. I love you.
Me:
I love you too and I will.
I put my phone away when the food arrives, and I’m not at all surprised when the guys show up before we’ve even had a chance to look at the dessert menu. Vitya walks through the doors with a smiling Samantha, immediately followed by every guy in our family. He laughs and as soon as he’s next to me, he bends down to give me a kiss.
“Sorry for crashing, baby. We all decided we were tired of being away from our wives.”
I laugh and stand so he can take my seat while I grab Samantha. As soon as he’s sitting, he pulls me into his lap so he’s holding both of us.
My dad gives a loud whistle, getting the waiter’s attention and proving yet again that my family will never be able to just blend in anywhere. Everywhere we go, we make a scene. Everyone in the restaurant is already looking at us because a bunch of very well-built, tattooed men just walked in, three of them carrying kids. Women openly stare with interest while the men’s looks are much more wary.
“We need a bigger table or a lot more chairs,” my dad tells the confused waiter. When he hesitates, my dad adds, “Just think about the tip, kid. We’re very generous.”
That does the trick, because the young man nods and quickly figures out a way to connect another table and add a bunch of chairs. All the married guys just do what we’re doing and put their wives on their laps, but everyone else needs their own chair. I know it’s killing my brother to not pull Yelena into his lap, but he does slide a chair up next to hers on the pretext that he wants to hold Samantha. I hand her over. They can use her as a cover all they want. She smiles up at Val, a happy, willing accomplice to her uncle’s plans.
Since everyone has already eaten supper, the waiter starts passing out dessert menus. While everyone starts reading through it, Lara looks over at Damien and says, “You’ve got to try the turtle cheesecake, Damien. I’ve heard it’s really good here.”
Damien gives her a grateful smile and hands the menu back to the waiter. “I’ll have a slice of the turtle cheesecake,” he tells him.
Lara’s still sitting in Luka’s lap, and he kisses her as soon as she turns her head. No one would ever suspect that Damien is dyslexic and Lara just smoothly helped him out, but Luka knows what she’s done, and I swear he falls even more in love with her for protecting his younger brother.
We all order something so it ends up being an enormous dessert order. The waiter takes it all down and then asks my mom and aunts, “Are you done with the margaritas?”
My Aunt Emily laughs while my mom shakes her head. “Not even close.”
My dad smiles at my mom and kisses her before saying, “Better keep ‘em coming, kid.”
“You’re going to regret that bottomless thing,” my Uncle Danil warns him. “These ladies can put it back.”
My Aunt Jolene snorts out a laugh that has my Uncle Lev shaking his head at her with a smile playing at his lips. “They can put it back, but can they hold it?”
“‘Course we can,” my Aunt Simona says, and then she asks the waiter, “Do you have karaoke here?”
“No, ma’am,” he quickly says while all my uncles let out exaggerated sighs of relief.
My aunts laugh and order another round. This place is at least a restaurant and bar mix, so we’re not too out of place. We’re still sticking out and everyone’s stealing looks at us, but it’s not like everyone around us is in formal wear with classical music playing in the background.
“Sorry you can’t join in and have a margarita,” Vitya whispers in my ear.
I turn my head and kiss him. “I don’t want one. I still can’t stomach the thought of alcohol,” I tell him, making him give a soft smile at the memory of me being drunk off my ass while I threw myself at him and then got violently ill. “Besides, I’d rather be pregnant with your baby,” I whisper against his ear.
The soft, masculine groan he gives makes my heart speed up, and I’m not at all surprised when I feel him start to grow hard beneath my ass.
“Better not stand up,” he whispers with a laugh.
“I’ll stay in your lap as long as you want me to,” I tell him.
He wraps his arms around me and kisses my neck. “Such a good little wife,” he murmurs against my ear. “Thanks for teasing the hell out of me with that photo, by the way. Did you end up buying more?”
“I bought a lot,” I tell him. “Maybe if you’re nice, I’ll show it to you later.”
He laughs and gives my earlobe a soft bite. “I’m always nice, and I want a full show later. You can model everything for me, and then I’ll fuck you in my favorite one.”
His words send a shiver down my spine and a warmth between my legs. If it weren’t for the fact that we’re surrounded by my entire family, I’d already be straddling him.
“A toast! ”
We all look over to where my dad is standing. While I was busy whispering to Vitya, he and my uncles have been joining in on the margarita fun. They’re all holding one in the air as everyone looks down the table at us.
“To my beautiful, insanely talented, and somewhat stubborn daughter,” he says, making everyone laugh. “Your mom and I love you and are so proud of you. We’re also not thrilled you lied to us, but we are happy that you at least chose a Russian to disobey us with.”
I laugh while Vitya and I hold up my glass of water together.
“We wish you the same happiness that your mom and I have,” he says before kissing my mom as everyone raises their glasses even higher before taking a big drink. Samantha squeals at all the excitement while Roma smiles and looks around at everyone. Isabella is grinning from her Uncle Sasha’s lap as he feeds her a small piece of chocolate cake.
My family may be loud and rambunctious and never able to blend in, but they’re perfect just as they are, and I love them. Everyone makes a toast to us, and by the end of it, my mom and aunts are laughing and swaying on their feet. Their husbands are giving it their all to catch up.
“Sweet Jesus,” I hear Sasha groan when his mom proudly holds up her phone and declares they don’t need karaoke. She puts on an old Bon Jovi song and starts loudly singing along to “Livin’ on a Prayer” as all my aunts join in.
“Wow,” Val says from beside me while I look over and see Evgeny sink a bit lower in his seat. Niki just shakes his head and keeps looking at something on his phone. My dad laughs and takes a video before standing up and joining in. Everyone around us is staring, and I’m laughing so hard I can barely see anything through my tears.
“Your family is crazy,” Vitya says, taking a video of my aunts and uncles, making sure to capture the moment when my Aunt Jolene stands up on a chair and sings directly to my Uncle Lev while using a breadstick as a microphone.
“They’re the best,” I say, looking at all their smiling faces.
“They are,” he agrees. “Crazy as fuck, but they’re pretty great.”
I smile and turn my face to his. “I’ve changed my mind. ”
“About?”
“I don’t want a big celebration. This already feels like one, and it’s perfect. I want to wear the cute dress I bought today, and I want to go somewhere with just you. I want a night with just the two of us.”
He smiles and kisses me. “Sounds perfect.”
I lean back against my husband and watch my family sing along to Bon Jovi. When they move onto “You Really Got Me” by The Kinks, I think the entire restaurant staff just decides to give up. Our waiter takes a seat at the bar and enjoys the show, waiting for the next hand to raise to let him know they need a refill. He’s going to be getting one hell of a tip when this is all over. My family is a lot of things, but a cheap tipper isn’t one of them.
With all the attention we’re getting, I’m not at all surprised when a few single ladies start eyeing up my cousins. Val and Luka don’t pay them any attention, Max is too busy setting up a playlist for our parents, Niki doesn’t look up long enough from his screen to notice them, Evgeny’s cheeks heat up, and when Sasha laughs and nudges him with his elbow, Evgeny just smiles and shakes his head. One of the bolder young women walks over with a glass of wine in hand and plants herself behind Sasha. He tilts his head back to look up at her.
“Yeah?” he asks, not sounding even slightly interested.
His tone doesn’t phase the woman. She giggles and gives him a smile. “Can I buy you a drink?”
Sasha just gestures around the full table in front of him. Not bothering to inform her that he’s only eighteen, he says, “If I wanted a drink, I’d get one.”
Vitya laughs in my ear. “Goddamn, this is brutal to watch. If she knew what he was capable of, she’d be running in the opposite direction.”
The woman hesitates before taking another long drink of wine and then smiling even bigger, but Sasha doesn’t see it because he’s already turned his attention back to his family. He says something to Mia that makes her laugh, and when I see the woman put her hand on her hip, I whisper an “Uh-oh,” because I know what’s coming .
“You’re being rude,” she tells Sasha. “I just came over to say hi and to offer to buy you a drink, and now you’re ignoring me.”
It’s her snotty tone that does it. If she’d just walked away when it was obvious he wasn’t interested, everything would’ve been fine, but it’s her entitled tone mixing with the courage-giving alcohol that’s going to land her ass in trouble. Vitya tightens his arm around my waist, even though we both know I’m perfectly safe in his lap. Samantha’s defying all logic and sleeping through all the noise in Dario’s arms, and when I look over, he gives me a soft nod, letting me know he’s paying attention and our daughter is safe with him. His dark eyes are locked on the woman who’s standing behind Mia and Sasha. She’s looking more pissed off by the second. Her fingers tighten around the stem of her glass, and when she still doesn’t leave, Mia looks up and says, “Jesus, lady, take the hint and walk away.”
The woman glares at Mia, but I know my cousin will never back down, and I also know that should the need arise, she’s well-trained enough to kick this woman’s ass without breaking a sweat. Before the woman answers, I look over at our parents. They’re still drinking and my Uncles Lev, Roman, and Danil are singing their hearts out to “American Girl” by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, but my dad and his brothers keep glancing over, making sure the situation doesn’t escalate and that no one else joins in. Right now it’s just a drunk woman who wants to fuck my cousin, but there are also a few groups of guys around the place who may decide to butt in. If they have any sense at all, they won’t, but I’ve learned long ago to never underestimate a man’s ability to get his ass in trouble.
Wanting to move things along, Sasha tips his head back again. Instead of giving her a flirty smile or, hell, even a somewhat friendly smile, he gives her his dead stare. When she sees it, she takes a step back, because even though her protective instincts are dulled from the wine, there’s enough still working to put her on high alert.
“Go away,” Sasha tells her, speaking the words slowly in his deep voice.
He doesn’t have to repeat himself. She backs up and gets the hell away from our table with a quickness. Once she’s back at her table, she waves away her friends’ curious questions and nods to the waiter, letting him know she’d like the check.
“Damn,” Max says, giving a laugh. “That was harsh, man.”
Sasha grins and reaches for a slice of cheesecake. “I wasn’t interested.”
“Maybe you could’ve just told her that nicely,” Natalya suggests, giving her brother a smile.
He furrows his brow at her. “I did.”
Vitya laughs while Val says, “No, I think you made her shit her pants as she ran away.”
Sasha just shrugs and lifts his fork to his mouth. “That was me being nice.”
Mia laughs and nudges her brother’s shoulder before grabbing a fork and taking a big slice of the cheesecake for herself. He raises a brow at her, but she just smiles and shoves the fork in her mouth. Mia isn’t scared of anyone or anything, least of all her big brother.
I lean back against Vitya when Alessandro stands up and says, “Clearly, I’m going to have to show them how this is done.” Walking over to my Aunt Jolene, he smiles and grabs the breadstick she’s still singing into and says, “Put it on ‘Love is a Battlefield.’”
My aunt laughs and searches for the song, and I’ve never laughed so hard in my life while watching Alessandro dance and sing along with Pat Benatar. By the time he’s done, the entire restaurant is clapping along and he’s getting several catcalls and shouts for an encore.
We stay until the place closes before saying our goodbyes. After several minutes of hugs and more congratulations for Vitya and me, everyone gets safely loaded up into the waiting SUVs. The bodyguards try not to laugh at our drunken parents, but it’s hard not to.
“Okay, malishka , let’s get you home,” my Uncle Matvey says before picking my Aunt Alina up and putting her on his lap in one of the backseats. She laughs and kisses him when he puts the seat belt around both of them .
“Make sure they drink water,” I tell Evgeny. “And take some aspirin.”
He laughs and gets in with them. “I will. Don’t worry.” Before he shuts the door, he looks back at his sister. “You coming?”
Yelena smiles at him and pulls the hood of her jacket up. “I’ll be back later. I left my book at Aunt Katya’s.”
My Uncle Matvey hollers, “Be careful, honey. Don’t stay out too late.” Leaning forward so he can see my brother, he adds, “Val, make sure she’s safe, yeah?”
“Will do, Uncle Matvey,” Val tells him before giving Yelena a quick smile, more than happy to be told to guard the woman he secretly loves.
“Come on, baby,” Vitya says, grabbing my waist and carrying Samantha’s car seat as we get into the other SUV. He gets her buckled in as I look out the window, watching Sasha take off on his motorcycle with Max and Damien following right behind. They rev their engines as they speed by, raising their hands in a quick wave before they weave into traffic and disappear around the corner.
By the time we finally get home and put Samantha to bed, I’m so tried I can barely keep my eyes open.
Vitya picks me up and carries me to bed. “You owe me a lingerie show, pcholka ,” he reminds me as he gets me into bed and then pulls me close against him.
“Tomorrow,” I promise, not even bothering to open my eyes.
He gives a soft laugh and kisses my head. I fall asleep to the feel of him stroking my hair, and I wake up to the feel of him parting my thighs and sliding into me from behind.
“Vitya!” I gasp, my sleepy brain trying like hell to catch up to what’s going on.
“Morning, sweetheart,” he growls in my ear, rocking his hips so he slides in deeper. Grabbing onto my inner thigh, he spreads me wider and lazily drags his fingers between my legs, teasing me with featherlight touches as he fucks me in a slow, intoxicating rhythm.
Reaching my arm up, I fist his hair and moan his name when he kisses a line down my neck while he gently rubs my clit. I’m still in that dreamlike state between wakefulness and sleep, and it’s heightening every sensation. Vitya takes his time, slowly working my body, easing me into the orgasm so that when it hits me, it’s the most natural thing in the world to just let go. I fall into it, embracing the ecstasy as he grips my hip and speeds up, chasing after his own release until he’s growling my name and coming hard.
“Damn,” I whisper, breathless and shaky.
He lets out a soft laugh and kisses the crook of my neck. “I behaved myself so well last night, but I woke up to your perfect ass against my dick, and I couldn’t resist sliding into you.”
I smile and turn my head to kiss his stubbled cheek. “I’m glad you did.”
“Plus,” he says with a grin, “Samantha got to bed so late last night, and I knew I had to take advantage of her sleeping in. She should be waking up any minute, though, so we need to hurry.”
“Hurry for what?” I ask, laughing when he scoops me into his arms and starts to carry me to the bathroom. Setting me down, he pulls open a drawer and hands me the box that we’ve both been ignoring for the last couple of weeks.
“It’s time,”’ he tells me. “I can’t wait any longer.”
I take the box and usher him out of the bathroom, shutting the door in his face. I know he’s anxious, but I can’t pee while he’s staring at me. When I’m done, I holler to let him know and then start to brush my teeth, too antsy to sit still.
“I don’t know why I’m nervous,” he says, giving a soft laugh and scrubbing a hand through his hair. “I already know you’re pregnant.”
“It’s possible I’m not,” I say, but I know in my heart that’s not true. I know I’m pregnant. I can just feel it.
Vitya smiles and steps closer, lifting me up so I’m sitting on the counter. Nudging my knees open with his thigh, he steps between my legs and plants his hands on either side of me. Leaning down so we’re face to face, he says, “You’re pregnant with my baby, pcholka. We both know it’s true.” Reaching one hand up, he cups one of my breasts, filling his palm with a soft groan. With a smirk, he says, “Your tits are a dead giveaway.”
“That would be the thing you’d notice,” I say with a laugh.
“I notice everything about you, Sveta. I have your body memorized, and I see every change, no matter how big or small.”
“Well, that’s lovely,” I tell him. “Try not to notice the unattractive changes.”
He lifts a brow at me. “Such as?”
“Stretch marks, cellulite, swollen ankles and legs, wrinkles when I get them, greying hair, all that good stuff.”
He laughs. “I’ll love every change your body makes, Sveta, because it’s you, and I love you.” Cupping my face, he kisses me softly and then glances over at the test. I know what it says by the way his entire face lights up.
“Positive?” I ask, just because I want to hear him say it.
“Positive,” he whispers before kissing me again. He picks me up and hugs me as I wrap my arms and legs around him. “I’m so fucking happy,” he murmurs against my lips.
“Me too, Vitya. I love you so much.”
“I love you too, baby.” He gives me one of his huge smiles, and I clasp my hands behind his neck, memorizing every detail of my husband’s gorgeous face in this moment. We both laugh when we hear Samantha’s cry coming from the baby monitor in our room.
“Ready to tell her she’s about to be a big sister?” he asks.
“Yeah, she’s not going to understand that at all,” I say with a laugh.
“We’ve got nine months, or maybe more like eight at this point. Plenty of time for her to understand.”
He carries me out of the bathroom, stopping so I can grab the purple bathrobe that he loves so much before we go to get our daughter and tell her the big news that she won’t understand until after the baby’s born.
With my husband’s arms around me, our daughter yelling for us to come get her, and a new life growing inside me, I couldn’t be happier. I never could’ve imagined this future for myself. It’s so much better than I could’ve ever dreamt up, and I wouldn’t change a single detail of it.
It’s a perfect, chaotic mess, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.