Chapter 23
Chapter Twenty-Three
Rayna
One month later
“Thanks so much for inviting us over!” Jade sings happily, waltzing into the apartment, a baby on each hip.
Inviting over is a bit of a strong statement.
It was more like after weeks of being in this area, and staying home almost all of the time, my concerned brother insisted I start texting with the youngest Moretti girl.
She’d apparently been giving me space to settle in, but was dying to reach out to develop a friendship.
I can’t deny that I was beginning to get lonely.
Elio’s visits were starting to become few and far between.
He spent most of his time checking in on Sienna.
Leon visited once and awhile throughout the month, but mostly to do his driving lessons with Yordan.
Most of the time, my non-family human interactions came from Apollo.
But I’d developed a bit of a habit of feeling burdensome. I tried to stay out of the way. Most of my days consisted of binge watching TV, reading the occasional thriller novel, and baking. I was bored.
And Jade? Jade was anything but boring.
She lived a busy day to day life, raising twins while surrounded by countless brothers. From her texts alone, I could tell that she was full of energy. It was almost infectious, even through the phone. So when she suggested I come visit her mansion of chaos, I countered with a visit here.
The apartment had become my safe zone. I was used to it. Comfortable in it. I’d even decorated the space more since moving in. Mostly at the insistence of Armani, who did still stop in occasionally.
“Hello,” Dmitri Morozov greets, tone soft with his Russian accent.
Jade warned me that her husband would be tagging along, but not to worry, he would keep to himself. The man had no interest in inserting himself into girl time, he was merely here to assure his wife’s safety, and to help care for his children.
From everything Jade has told me, Dmitri is the kind of man that little girls dream of marrying.
He’s strong and protective, but he’s a soft father and a gentle husband.
Apollo has told me that Dmitri, like Adrian, is someone he would call a friend.
So with his trust in him, and Jade’s obvious adoration for her husband, I don’t find the huge Russian man frightening.
“Oh my gosh,” Jade gushes, spinning around as we walk further into the space. “This place is so cute! I love your throw pillows, they look like puffy little clouds of fluff.”
“Cesar will try to eat them,” Dmitri says, chuckling.
“Oh yes, we should keep him away from anything that you don’t want slobber on. He’s an enthusiastic chewer these days.” Jade nods, her big blue eyes wide and sparkling.
“Yordan was like that,” I admit, a soft smile finding my lips. “They’re one, aren’t they?”
“One and some months in change,” Jade reports happily. “The weeks and months thing for babies confuses me, if I’m honest. Math is not my strong suit. I forgot their birthday once and cried for two days over it.”
“Postpartum brain fog is very common, I hear,” I reply sympathetically. “You have twins, I’m sure you didn’t actually forget. You were just distracted keeping them happy and healthy.”
“Mom guilt is always common,” she replies glumly before shaking it off. “But I wouldn’t trade it for the world. Mind if we sit? Last chance to hide anything that you don’t want drenched in baby drool.”
I chuckle, gesturing to the couch. “Have at it, I don’t mind if he touches anything. Nothing is sacred, I promise.”
“Thank goodness,” she cheers, rounding the back of the sofa to plop down. “We brought some toys for them, and they’ve eaten lunch already so they should be perfect little angels in theory.”
“I don’t mind if they aren’t.” I shrug, pointing a thumb over my shoulder toward the kitchen. “Do any of you want a drink or something?”
“We’re good for now, I think, thank you.” Jade beams as she sets Cesar on the floor, pulling a bundle of toys from the diaper bag Dmitri carried in.
“Um, I made the twins a treat but I didn’t want to bring them out unless you thought they’d enjoy it.
And you know, you were fine with it.” I wring my hands, feeling awkward.
“They’re just little cake pop balls without the sticks and they’re made with apple sauce instead of sugar so they’re not overly sweet for their age. ”
“Stop,” Jade says, hand clutching her heart. “You made them special for them? I’m going to cry.” She sniffs, shaking off the emotion that has built up quickly. “They won’t be hungry yet, but before we leave they’ll go crazy for them. Thank you.”
“It was no trouble,” I reply quietly, face heating.
“Don’t sell yourself short,” she says with a tsk. “Yordan and Apollo have brought some of your pastries over before. You definitely put effort into them, they’re all super tasty.”
“Oh, well…” I trail off, finally taking a seat in the cozy chair nearby. Dmitri has positioned himself on the far end of the couch, in reach of his children while also creating an illusion of privacy for me and his wife. “I’m glad you like them.”
Jade sighs happily. “I wish I had the patience to do pastries. I’m much more of a cooking girl, than baking. Something about waiting for something in the oven makes me restless.”
Walking wobbly in his tiny white shoes, Cesar bumbles over to me, waving a firetruck around. Lights blinking on the toy, he presents it to me like a prized possession.
“Fire-fuck,” he blurts proudly.
My eyes widen and I smother a laugh.
“Oh god,” Jade groans. “Cesar Ivan, we’ve been here for two minutes and you’re already showing off your new favorite word?”
“Fire-fuck,” he repeats, head bobbing.
“He learned that from one of my truckhead brothers,” Jade explains, looking mortified. “I promise I’ve been trying to stop him.”
“Truckhead?” I ask, amused.
“I’m hoping he picks it up if I say it more. That’s his favorite toy and he refuses to call it a truck.”
The little boy giggles like he can understand our conversation. “Fuck.”
“Cesar,” Dmitri quietly reprimands.
His tiny eyes go round, and his little lips part in an O. “Uh-oh,” he says, turning up to me like I might help him.
“Firetruck?” I ask, emphasizing the T.
He contemplates it for a minute. Until he babbles, “Fire-tuck.”
Much closer, I grin, reaching down to ruffle his soft hair. “Very good.”
“Ugh,” Jade grunts, but she’s smiling. “Of course he would say it for you. His love for pretty girls knows no end. He’ll eat his peas for Ana, but not for me, Dmitri, or Ivan.”
“He wants to gauge interactions with new people,” I suggest, smiling sympathetically. “Social babies learn quickly from how we react to them. He already knows you love him no matter what he does. I think he’s just learning my personality, in his own way.”
She hums thoughtfully. “Too smart for his own good.” Nodding down to her daughter in her lap, Jade presses a soft kiss into the crown of her head. “Miss Isobella here is still quite shy, but she’s so smart as well. She’s very sweet when she warms up too. She loves Cassio and Matteo a lot.”
“Yordan was a shy baby too,” I tell her, offering a small wave to her Isobella. “She’s absolutely adorable though. I would never keep headbands on as a baby, I’d throw my socks off too.”
At least, that’s what my father used to tell me. And who knows if anything he’s ever said was truthful.
“Oh she adores being dressed up. Loves her dresses and her shoes. I can’t stop doing her hair, either.
Baby hair is so soft and silky.” She sighs with a light laugh.
“Enough about the little ones though, because I could gush about them all day. I wanted to get to know you better. How have you been finding the new area? Have you warmed up to it?”
“Slowly,” I admit. “I’ve become a bit of a homebody, honestly. Yordan leaves nearly everyday with Apollo, and they always tell me that I can come along but I never do. I wasn’t very social in Chicago, either. But I guess, it feels different this time. I don’t feel like I really fit in.”
More like Apollo has forced my way in, so I fit by association.
Yordan fits in because he’s eager to learn and he likes all of the same things as the men surrounding him.
And maybe I haven’t really tried to make connections here, but it’s not as easy as it sounds.
The Morettis are an intimidatingly big group, and I insulted them all last month.
I haven’t exactly set myself up for success in integrating into the community they share.
My somewhat distant but safe friendships with Elio and Leon have been enough to keep me from going crazy.
“I felt the same way when I moved in,” Jade replies sympathetically.
“You did?” I ask, surprised.
“Of course.” She nods rapidly. “This family is huge and filled with huge personalities. I was overwhelmed a lot in the beginning. Matteo made things easier, I think. He essentially latched onto me like a puppy, pulling me around and making it feel natural. Maybe you could say yes one of the times Apollo offers for you to tag along? He’d do the same for you. ”
My nose twitches. “I don’t think Apollo wants me around as much as Matteo wanted to bond with you. He only invites me to make Yordan feel welcome.”
“You don’t really think that’s true, do you?” Jade frowns. “Apollo likes you, Rayna. He wouldn’t invite you along if he didn’t. Trust me, he avoids people like the plague unless he likes them at least a little bit.”
I give her a disbelieving look, but her tone is insistent.
“The fact that you stand up to him?” she continues.
“It’s got to be like a breath of fresh air to him.
No one talks to him like you do, not even my brothers.
I’ve heard tales of the names you’ve called him.
” Chuckling, she shakes her head. “Armani heard you guys fighting outside of the club and he couldn’t stop giggling about it for weeks. ”
“Not my finest moment,” I admit, wincing. “Yordan says I swear like a truck driver but I think your brother brings out the worst of it.”
Her head dips in a dramatic, bouncing nod. “He definitely knows how to get under people’s skin. I love him to death but he’s a grumpy grump a lot of the time. Ignores people, doesn’t socialize, pretends not to smile when he’s happy, hides his laughs—ugh. He’s a complicated one, that Apollo.”
“He doesn’t seem that grumpy to me,” I mention, thinking about it. “He seems too cocky and assertive to be grumpy. When I think grumpy, I think lumberjacks or cowboys who grunt as responses and scowl at daisies.”
“He doesn’t grunt his responses at you, does he?” Jade asks, smirking. “You should see him when waitresses try to flirt with him or guards bother him about mundane shit. He’s all glares and grunts then.”
“Really?” The back of my neck feels hot, and I clear my throat. “Well, you’d know him better anyway.”
“Would I?” She raises a brow, looking pleased.
“You look identical to him when you do that, you know,” I mutter, huffing out a small laugh.
“Are you saying I look handsome?” she asks, wiggling her brows. “I’ve been told by Ana that all of my brothers are gorgeous. It’s nauseating to imagine, but I suppose it’s complimentary since a lot of people think Apollo and I look alike.”
“You’re meddling,” Dmitri says softly, holding his arms out for his daughter who’s crawling across the couch to him.
“Shush,” Jade whispers.
“You told me to stop you if you began meddling, krasotka.”
“I’m not the same woman I was twenty minutes ago, love,” she says, giving him a teasing smile. “I changed my mind.”
“Martha also asked me if I think he’s handsome,” I tell her with a shake of my head. “You two have the same brand of subtlety. But I’m not sure why the attempts to gauge my perception of Apollo’s appearance are happening. Even if I thought he was attractive, it wouldn’t matter.”
Jade’s nose scrunches up. “Why would you say that?”
“Apollo isn’t interested in me, and he certainly doesn’t find me attractive.” She gives me a doubtful look. “Trust me, he only cares about mentoring Yordan. He tolerates me by association.”
“Well, I don’t believe it,” she replies stubbornly. “You’re an absolute knock out and last I checked, his eyes work perfectly well.”
“That’s sweet of you to say,” I reply hesitantly. “But I still don’t think he sees me that way. It’s kind of nice to see that you care so much about finding him a match, though. You clearly care a lot about him and his happiness.”
“I do,” she confirms, lips tipping up on both sides. “Which is why I’m not going to stop meddling. I apologize in advance.”
“Knock yourself out.” I shrug. “I’m sorry to say your efforts will be for nothing.”
“We’ll see.”
I chuckle at her confidence. “How about those cake balls? We can talk about Yordan’s party happening tomorrow. You still want to come, don’t you?”
“Absolutely!” She claps her hands together. “We got him a few gifts and they’re already wrapped. Don’t worry, we didn’t go nearly as extravagant as Apollo did.”
Thank God.
I couldn’t handle another car surprise.
Her phone makes a light ding and she checks it quickly.
“Oh! Ana and Cassio are in the area, is it okay if they come by? Ana was hoping to meet you too.”
A small rush of anxiety sinks in, but not enough to scare me.
“If they want.” I shrug. “It’s not all that exciting here, they may get bored.”
“Bored? With me here?” Jade waves me off. “Not possible.”
Dmitri chuckles, low and husky. “Your Matteo is showing, baby.”
My eyebrows raise up. “Your what is what?”
His wife rolls her eyes. “It’s something he says whenever I’m acting a little too much like my youngest brother. When I’m being cocky in a playful way, mostly. That’s Matteo’s MO to a T.”
“Ahh, I see.” I hum. “Yordan’s a bit like that sometimes. He’s got this attitude and sass but not in a mean way, you know?”
“Oh, I know.” Jade chuckles. “We’ve all mentioned how Apollo gets along so well with Yordan but bickers so much with Matteo even though they’re quite similar. Matteo doesn’t find it amusing.”
“I bet.” I smile.
“Cake ball time?” she asks, changing the subject. “Please tell me there’s enough for me to snag one.”
“There’s plenty,” I confirm.
“Ana’s here,” Dmitri says, looking down at his phone. “I’ll let them in, if that is okay.”
“That’s great, thank you.”
Getting up, I make my way to the kitchen and take a deep breath. This is going to be fine—good for me, even. Ana is Jade’s best friend—her sister now. I don’t expect her to be anything other than as lovely as Jade has been.
I can handle this.