Chapter 43 - Daniil
Now I was really pissed. What the hell was she doing, putting herself in danger like that?
Did she still not trust me? Was she trying to be a hero?
That was my job, not hers. I gave her a pointed look as she got onto the plane and turned around, her arms crossed over her chest. I nodded toward the leather seats.
An unnecessary command to sit down and get comfortable.
She did, scowling up at me the whole time, but with nothing but worry in her eyes. I sat beside her and sighed. She didn’t trust me, and why should she when I had been keeping so many secrets from her?
“I’ve got a lot to tell you,” I said. “Just listen and don’t interrupt.”
“But—” She immediately tried to interrupt. I made a noise that made her lean back in her seat and press her lips together. “You don’t understand,” she tried again.
“No, it’s you who doesn’t understand, but I’m about to explain. And then you can talk all you want,” I assured her, hoping she would still speak to me once I told her everything.
“I know you think you’re in trouble, and that some big bad organization is hunting you,” I began, first wanting to put her fears to rest before I pulled the rug out from under her.
“And you think I’m not?” she asked sarcastically.
“No, you are, but remember I told you that I was worse than anyone at your old job? I wasn’t just saying that. It’s true.”
Her brows shot together but she stayed silent.
I explained about my holdings in Moscow, how my cousins had been basically running most of California since their father emigrated when he was young.
What we did, and had been doing since my grandfather’s day.
And what we would continue to do. Organized crime.
“It’s part of my heritage,” I said. “I’m not a good guy, but I protect my own.”
She had slowly gone pale as I explained about the Bratva and how deeply entrenched my family was in so many aspects of her everyday life that she’d never know about. Now color rose in her cheeks at the implication that she was mine. She had to know it sooner or later.
“No one’s going to touch you again, Paisley,” I said.
She had so much to say before but now she was silent, putting her face in her hands. “I thought I was putting you in danger,” she said.
“We can handle it,” I told her. “It was an unlucky coincidence. No, I take that back. It was lucky you ended up with us because I doubt a regular family could have handled it.”
“I’d be dead right now,” she whispered, lurching forward.
I put a steadying hand on her shoulder. “I was meant to find you,” I said. “I think I knew it the second I laid eyes on you in that bar.”
She looked at me askance and made a tortured sound between a laugh and a groan. She was taking this fairly well, but also seemed to be in shock. “Out of the frying pan and into the fire,” she muttered, shaking her head.
“Things do tend to get pretty hot between us,” I teased, hoping to shake her out of her daze. She lapsed into silence and I left her to her thoughts until we were at the lodge.
Everything there was completely back to normal, with a second, smaller Christmas tree hiding the scorched wall.
The main tree was fully decorated and lit up, its branches drooping under all the tinsel and sparkling ornaments.
It had piles of new presents underneath it, and stacked in rows under the smaller tree.
My cousins must have gone into overdrive ordering replacements, paying triple for lightning fast delivery so the kids wouldn’t be disappointed.
I scanned the piles and noticed a large, unwieldy package at the back, haphazardly wrapped in red and white snowflake paper.
I smiled, glad that the plan I put into motion had been successfully carried out.
Barely a minute after we were inside, the kids surrounded us, nearly knocking Paisley over in the frenzy to hug her and ask where she went. As tired as she looked, she crouched down, giving everyone a hug and kiss and carefully dodging all their questions.
“We were on a top secret mission back in LA,” I said to keep them from hounding her.
She was as patient as an angel and just as beautiful and Katie nudged me hard in the side, tearing my gaze away to see her giving me a knowing look.
“You’re besotted,” she said.
“I am,” I told her. “I’m not keeping it secret anymore. If you want to fire her, I’ll find her a position at one of my companies.”
“Well, since she’s an accountant, I doubt she wants to be a babysitter much longer anyway,” Katie answered. “But it looks like the kids want to keep her as long as they can.”
So did I.
When Paisley noticed Katie, she jumped up, apologizing profusely even though she had nothing to be sorry for.
Her eyes welled up as she nearly broke down, once again blaming herself for the bomb.
More of my cousins realized we were back and gathered around to greet her and make sure she was all right.
Rurik raised his eyes in question. “You look different,” he said. Mat slapped both of us on the shoulders.
“He is different,” he said, acting like he knew everything because he was older and had found the woman of his dreams.
He was right, though, and I only nodded, unable to take my eyes off Paisley, who was clearly getting overwhelmed by all the attention.
“Come with me,” I said, pulling her away and leading her outside where a fire blazed in the firepit. “I don’t want to hear the word sorry out of your mouth again,” I told her.
She forced a smile. “Never? That’s handy.”
“Maybe not never, but how about not when you have nothing to apologize for. I already told you we’ve been fighting with those assholes for a while now.”
Lilia came out with a tray of hot cocoa and some sandwiches. “I’m so glad you’re okay,” she said, squeezing Paisley’s shoulder. “You too,” she told me as an after thought.
“Lilia knows I’ve been through worse,” I explained to Paisley. Lilia sucked in a breath, but I told her that Paisley knew everything there was to know about us now.
“Really?” my cousin asked, a slow smile transforming her face to one of barely concealed glee. “Everything? Even the time you lost that shipment of vodka and—”
“Enough,” I said, cutting her off before she listed every embarrassing thing I ever did and destroyed my image.
Lilia grinned, beaming at both of us before she ran back in the house. Everyone was genuinely fond of Paisley and I swelled with pride. She still looked dazed and her hand shook as she reached for a sandwich.
“Stop being so jumpy,” I said, handing her one.
“Stop being so bossy,” she countered.
“Probably not going to happen.” Her smile was more relaxed but her shoulders were still tense. I reached for her hand, which lay cold and still in mine. Something was still bothering her. “We only kill people who mess with us,” I said, trying for a joke.
It fell flat. “I’m okay with what you do,” she said.
“You are?”
She looked at me, as surprised as I was. “Before you showed up at the warehouse, I wanted Pierce dead. I was picturing it so vividly. I guess everyone has that in them somewhere if they’re pushed far enough.”
“I won’t let you have to feel that way again,” I said.
She smiled wistfully, as if she believed me but it still didn’t matter for some reason. She jolted again when Masha stuck her head out the door. “We were all planning on going into town to ice skate,” she said. “And more last minute shopping of course. You want to join us?”
I didn’t have to look at Paisley to know the answer. “No,” I called back. “Good to know nobody was worrying about us enough to ruin your plans.”
Masha made a face. “We just made the plans this morning, dickhead. After you told us everything was fine. I can assure you we were all pacing and sobbing up until that point.” She turned and flounced back into the house.
I was glad we could act normal around each other again now that I was over my aversion to her husband. He shouldn’t have had to prove himself and Masha’s word should have been enough. I really probably owed her an apology, but there was time for that.
Paisley looked like she would burst into tears all over again, her sandwich forgotten on the plate on her lap.
“She was joking about the pacing and sobbing, but everyone really was worried,” I told her. “Nobody blames you. You’re one of us now.”
She huffed, slamming her plate back onto the table beside us. “No I’m not. I can’t be,” she said, staring into the dancing flames as if she wished she could crawl into them and disappear.
I was stunned. Here I thought I was being completely obvious about how I felt about her. But she still didn’t get it. I took her by the shoulders and turned her to face me. One look at her eyes had me pulling her closer.
“Yes, you are,” I said. “Because you’re mine. We’re together now. You and me.”
She jerked away, laughing bitterly, refusing to look at me again. “You won’t be so quick to want me when I tell you what’s really been making me sick.”
Ice filled my veins. I knew from the moment I saw her in that examination room that she was holding something back. If she hadn’t been injured during her abduction, something had to be really wrong. An incurable sickness. I was going to lose her.
My hands felt like they weren’t my own as I reached for her. I wasn’t going to sit back and accept this. Whatever it was, I would find a way to eradicate it, make her better, so we could live together until we were old and gray.
“Don’t you remember how rich I am?” I said, trying to keep my tone light even though it felt like I had been filled with lead. “We’ll go to the best specialists. Whatever it is, we’ll get through this.”
She was silent for a moment, then looked up at me, puzzlement replacing the sorrow in her eyes from a moment before. “What?”
“Whatever you have, we’ll find a cure,” I said.
Then she laughed for real, but bit it back, her face turning stony again. “You think I'm sick? With a disease?” She shook her head. “Dan, I’m pregnant.”
The lead feeling holding me down evaporated and I breathed out a huge gust, leaning over to grab my knees in my relief. Pregnant. Not dying. The relief turned to joy as soon as it really hit me. A baby. My baby. Our baby.
“I don’t expect anything from you,” she said stiffly when I remained silent, lost in happy visions of the future.
“What the hell?” I asked, gripping her shoulders. Her words pissed me off but it couldn’t outweigh my happiness. I pulled her close, wrapping my arms around her and lifting her off her feet. “Oh my God, Paisley, this is so damn great.”
“It is?” she asked, muffled against my shoulder.
I put her down, picked her up again and whirled her around. “It is.”
I had never been more delighted in my life.
Nothing could compare to what I was feeling.
Like I had been given the whole world but even better.
Being around my family the last few weeks made me realize I was growing bored with constant partying and an endless stream of one night stands.
Paisley ruined me for any other woman because no one could compare. I was more than ready to settle down.
I laughed, kissing her startled mouth. “Now we don’t have to wait,” I said, laughing with utter joy.
“Wait for what?” she asked. “Are you really saying you’re okay with this?”
“Did you honestly think I wouldn’t be?” When she shrugged, I gave her a tiny shake, then kissed her again. “This is the best news anyone’s ever given me. Well, you can give me even better news right now.”
She sank back onto the bench, looking at me like I was crazy.
Only crazy for her. I dropped down to one knee in front of her.
“You just gave me an amazing excuse to not wait to do this. Paisley, I love you so damn much. Say you’ll marry me, little girl.
” I held out my empty hands, promising to buy her whatever ring she wanted.
“I don’t care about that,” she said, sniffling and searching my eyes.
“You know you’re going to say yes,” I told her, taking her hand and pressing it to my lips. “Just like you’re going to have a ring. You’re already mine, so tell me you know it.”
A smile lit up her face, all the worry and sadness gone. She finally believed me. “I love you, too,” she said. “So much. Yes, of course I’m yours.”
The fire crackled behind me, not nearly as warm as the love that radiated from Paisley’s eyes as she flung herself at me and wrapped her arms around my neck. I held on tight, keeping her close, right where she belonged.