Chapter 20 - Katerina
I’m still on an emotional high from our secret escape and a wedding that was nothing like I might have dreamed of, but everything I could have wished for.
It was so perfect. So beautiful. And I’m still glowing from the few days I got to spend with him in Hawaii afterwards.
I can’t wait to go back, after we have our public wedding, but for now, everything is perfect. My heart is happy.
When I arrive at the studio, my assistant is already there. Belle grins and rushes towards me, throwing her arms around me. “Congratulations, Mrs. Andreev.”
My heart somersaults. It’s the first time I’ve heard someone besides Yulian call me that. “Thank you, Belle. Did Yulian tell you?” I ask, curious how she found out.
“He sent you a bunch of flowers. They arrived while you were at the fabric shop; they’re on your desk.
The envelope said, ‘to my beautiful wife,’ and I ended up arguing with the delivery guy, thinking they had the wrong place,” she giggles.
“But then Yulian came in, not knowing you had an errand to run this morning and hoping he could catch you on his way to his meeting—anyways, he’s so excited and proud. ”
I knit my brows, trying to keep up with the way she tells stories. “So, he told you?” I ask, confused.
“Oh, yes, he heard me arguing with the flower guy, and he came over to set me straight. But I can see him practically glowing with pride. He kept calling you ‘my wife’ over and over again. He wanted to stay and have a coffee with you, but he had to get to the meeting.”
“Thanks, Belle,” I grin. “Did you set up my meetings for this week? I wanted to see Mrs. Thompson about her daughter’s graduation dress.”
“She’s coming here on Wednesday.”
“Excellent.”
I make my way to the back of the studio, and the seamstress, Lacey, stands up to hug me, too. “Congratulations, Mrs. Andreev. We are so happy for you,” she says professionally. She’s so sweet, but she likes to maintain a business atmosphere at all times, which I appreciate.
Being called Mrs. Andreev has me up on a higher high than before.
I’m glowing with pride.
Just after lunch, my sister calls me at the studio.
“Kat, Yulian told me. I can’t believe it, I’m so excited for you.” She’s whispering into the phone.
“Why are you talking so softly?” I laugh.
“Well, obviously it’s all a bit secret at the moment, isn’t it? I’m hiding in my room with the door closed, sneakily calling you to congratulate you without our dumbass brothers hearing me,” she giggles.
“Right, so Yulian told you? I did tell him that you and I were super close. I told him that you knew about us.” Secretly, I’m thrilled he told her. I was still weighing up the risks, but he made the choice for me because he’s too excited to keep it quiet.
It makes me laugh when I think about it—him going around telling everyone he can.
Marie asks me all about the wedding and our time in Hawaii, and I tell her every detail I can recall. “I’ll send you some photos that we had taken during the ceremony and afterwards. It was so beautiful, Mar. I wish you had been there. But you’ll definitely be at the next one. The big one.”
“Not only will I be there, but I’ll be the maid of honor, right?” she laughs.
“Of course,” I agree immediately.
This moment is bittersweet for me.
I love sharing it with her, but I wish I could share my happiness with my whole family.
It’s horrible to think that if I told my brothers, they would have nothing good to say to me, only bitterness and accusations of betrayal.
I hope that one day soon we can work our way through this misunderstanding.
I want my family back. I don’t want to lose them.
And I don’t want to put Marie at risk because she’s still in contact with me.
If my brothers ultimately shun me, I’ll have to keep her safe by keeping my distance from her until she’s old enough to escape their smothering protection.
“I don’t want to get you in trouble, Marie. You better get off the phone,” I say reluctantly.
“Pfft,” she scoffs. “They can only try to keep me away from you. I don’t care what they want.
You’re my sister. Sisters stick together no matter what.
Let’s meet up soon. They don’t have to know about it.
I’ll make arrangements to go shopping, and we can meet at the mall for lunch.
They never bother me when I go to the mall,” she suggests.
“That’s perfect. I can’t wait to see you!”
Usually, I’m in the studio until after five. Lacey and Belle leave before me, and I lock up after laying out my tasks for the next morning. I like this time alone, as it’s my way of clearing my thoughts to start the next day fresh. But today, Yulian arrives at the studio before four o’clock.
He walks through the door and scoops me into his arms.
“Hi, kitten. Did you like your flowers?”
“I love them. Are you having fun telling everyone we’re married?” I grin.
“Did Marie call you? She was so excited for you,” he kisses my cheek.
“She did. I’m going to meet her for lunch soon. In secret. I wish all of this didn’t have to be so hush-hush,” I sigh, chewing at my lip. “I’m so happy, I want my family to be happy for me, too.”
Yulian holds me tighter and kisses my forehead.
“Well, in the meantime, you can celebrate with your new family. My brother has arranged a dinner for us so that we can announce our news to the whole family at once. Arkady knows, but only because I couldn’t keep my mouth shut and I spoiled the surprise.
But no one else knows, so he’s agreed to host, considering our mansion isn’t ready for the big reveal yet. ”
“When is this dinner?” I ask, already knowing the answer by the grin on his face.
“Tonight,” he smirks. “If we don’t do it tonight, I’m going to have already told everyone by the time we have it.”
He is the sweetest, most beautiful man I could ever have dreamed of marrying. I pull him close to me, grabbing the collar of his shirt as I press my lips over his.
“I love you,” I whisper.
***
That night, at quarter past six, Yulian leads me proudly into his brother’s home.
Everyone is there. Luka, Rose-Ann, and their little girl, Niko and Sera, Jade and Radmir, Arkady and Tania, and, of course, Aliyah.
I thought Yulian was going to give a speech at dinner, but instead, the moment we walked through the door, he shouted, “She said yes, and we got married in Hawaii!”
I crack up laughing at his outburst. This man is too excited for words, and it’s making me happier by the second. I can’t believe someone is this excited to be married to me.
My heart could never be fuller.
“Welcome to the family!” Aliyah shouts, ecstatic.
But as his family surrounds us, hugging and congratulating us and asking a bunch of questions, I realize my heart could definitely be fuller.
If only my family were here, too. Everything would be perfect.
My heart throbs with what feels like loss, but it’s really just yearning, a wish that maybe my brother will come around soon.
That the next time we celebrate, it will be with them as well.
Yulian pulls his phone out to show off our photographs, and I stand with my arms wrapped around his waist, holding on to him, because I really need him right now.
He’s my rock in all of this. I fall silent in all the happiness, just soaking in his warmth and the reassurance that no matter what, I can rely on him.
As though he senses my emotions becoming too much for me, he tucks his phone away and says, “Let me get my beautiful wife a drink, then we can tell you, guys, more over dinner.” Then he pulls me away from everyone and leads me to the bar.
“Hey, kitten. Are you doing okay?” he asks gently, brushing his fingers over my cheek. I lean my face into his hand. “I am, I just wish Artur could be celebrating with us.”
Yulian nods, taking both of my hands in his.
“Sweet, beautiful girl. Everything is going to turn out okay in the end. It might be a bit messy now, but we are meant to be together, and for that reason, everything else will fall in place around that truth. It will all be okay, just watch and see. And every step of the way, even if it gets more challenging before it gets better, I am going to be there with you.”
I sigh. “Your family accepted me so easily. They already treat me like a part of their family, like I’m one of them. They didn’t hold grudges or treat me like an enemy, which they easily could have. Why can’t my brothers do the same?”
“Your brothers have had the bad guidance of your uncle. Boris was not a good man. In time, Artur might even learn that through other people. He’s working out a lot for himself now. I’m sure he’s overwhelmed with his new role. Give him time. He’ll come around.”
I step close to Yulian and snuggle against him. “As long as I have you,” I whisper.
“You’ll always have me, kitten. Always.”
At the dinner table, Yulian keeps me close, a reassuring hand on my leg or around my side at all times. He is supportive and goes out of his way to make me smile whenever the chance arises.
Every single one of his brothers teases me about being another sister in the family. Aliyah is over the moon. She’s the loudest in expressing her happiness at having another girl in the family.
“We outnumber you now, you know,” she warns Arkady. “Girls against boys. On poker night, you’re going to be outnumbered.”
“Poker isn’t a team game, Ali,” he teases.
“Fine, then charades. Or that board game where we have to take over your continents,” she waves her hand enthusiastically through the air.
Arkady laughs. “Risk. Okay, well, the challenge is accepted. Boys versus girls in the Andreev family.”
My heart warms when Yulian glances at me, smiling.
He leans close and whispers, “See, everything is going to be just fine.”