Chapter 15
Evie
I’ve never been so damn nervous in my life.
The entire morning I’ve been surrounded by women primping and pampering me, and as much as I appreciate it, it’s all so foreign to me that it’s left me even more anxious than usual.
I look at the huge security fence that was installed right after we moved in as Nina turns onto our driveway and stops in front of the gate.
The armed guards do a good job of remaining as invisible as possible, but when Nina rolls down the window and waves one of them over, there’s no mistaking the man for what he is—a trained killer who’s been ordered to take down anyone he deems is a threat.
“Morning, Mrs. Medvedev,” he says, giving her a quick nod, but he doesn’t relax, and his dark eyes never lose their alert focus.
“You’re on duty all day?” she asks him.
“Yes, ma’am.”
“I’ll make sure someone brings you some food and cake later.”
He starts to tell her that’s not necessary, but she waves off his hesitancy. “It’s only a plate of food. You can balance it on your lap and still shoot any intruders.”
He looks like he wants to crack a smile, but all we get is a slight upturn at the corner of his mouth. God, this guy could give Volodya a run for his money.
“Thank you,” he tells her in Russian, one of the few words I’ve managed to learn, and then waves us through.
“The armed guards take some getting used to,” she says with laugh.
I smile and try not to let the nerves get to me when we pass through the gate and the house comes into view.
I pull down the vanity mirror so I can check that everything still looks okay.
The dress is gorgeous, the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen, and when I look down at it, I can’t help but run my hands over the delicate lace and beadwork, needing to convince myself that this exquisite gown is actually mine—not used, not off the discount rack, but full price and brand new and only for me.
“You look so beautiful,” Nina says once she’s parked in the driveway.
“Valeri’s going to have a heart attack when he sees you,” Maddie says from the backseat. Misha and Dmitri laugh and smile at the excitement, not having any real idea what’s going on but loving it all the same.
“Thanks,” I tell them. I know I’ve gotten damn lucky with these two. They’re sweet and laidback, and they’ve welcomed me into their families with a warmth that I hadn’t been expecting.
Looking back at Maddie, I say, “I never got a chance to thank you for what you said at Inferno. Valeri told me that you really let Lisa have it.”
Maddie laughs. “Heck yeah I did. That woman is a b-i-t-c-h,” she says, spelling it out so Dmitri won’t repeat it. “Erase her from your memory, Evie. She’s not worth a second of your time.” She gives my shoulder a soft squeeze. “I’m not going to lie. All three Medvedev brothers were manwhores.”
“Maddie!” Nina laughs.
“Sorry, I should’ve spelled that one too, but it’s the truth.
They’ve been with more women than I want to think about, but I will say this.
They are loyal to the end. When they make a commitment, they stand by it, and I can say with absolute certainty that not a one of them would ever cheat.
When they fall in love, that’s it. Game over. ”
“Agreed,” Nina says. “They may do some shady stuff, and they’re obviously capable of you know what,” she says, giving her son a quick wink, “but they’re good men, the very best.”
I remember the story Vasily told me about rescuing Nina from the brothel, and I couldn’t agree with her more. They’re good men, and family is everything to them.
“I know how lucky I am to have him,” I tell them.
“Maddie and I both feel the same way,” Nina says. She looks up at our house, knowing her husband is in there somewhere. “I can’t imagine my life without him.”
“Okay, before we all start crying in the dang car, let’s also remember that they’re darn lucky to have us,” Maddie says with a laugh.
They laugh while I nod and take a deep breath before opening the car door and stepping out.
I’d had to have the dress hemmed because I knew there was no way in hell I’d be able to manage heels.
The woman at the bridal store had been less than thrilled, but I’d refused to budge.
I know myself, and I know what I can handle, and heels for the first time in my life on the most important day of my life was never going to happen.
I straighten the veil that’s trailing down the back of my head and pull it forward so it’s covering my face.
I may not have had many wedding fantasies, since I assumed it was never going to happen, but when I would allow myself to daydream, I always imagined a veil over my face that my husband would lift up before he kissed me.
It might be silly, but I wanted to live out that daydream.
Nina checks her phone and smiles at me. “They’re ready and Valeri is so excited he can barely stand still.”
They both run a hand over their red dresses, making sure everything is smoothed out and not rumpled from the drive. There’s no hiding Nina’s baby bump in this dress, and I swear she’s glowing even more than usual.
“You two look amazing,” I tell them. “Thanks for agreeing to stand up there with me.”
“We’re thrilled to do it,” Maddie says. “We’ve been waiting for this day for a long time, and we’re so freaking excited to have you in the family.”
I give them each a hug, willing the tears to go away because I know how hard they worked on my makeup. Maddie grabs Misha, gushing over his little tux, while Nina reaches for Dmitri’s hand.
“You ready to carry the rings for Uncle Valeri and Aunt Evie?” she asks him.
He smiles up at me and says, “Da.”
I laugh at how cute he is and then follow them around the side of the house.
Our backyard has been completely transformed.
The caterers have set up tables and chairs all over the back deck and into the yard, and down by the beach are lines of chairs, all of them filled with black tuxes and more neck tattoos than I’ve ever seen in one place.
The entire Bratva isn’t here, but a lot of them are.
I’d thought about inviting Jerry and Gale, but didn’t want it to lead to any awkward questions about who all these men are.
I did tell them that I came into an inheritance from an uncle that I never knew I had and that I wanted to give them some of the money.
After a ton of begging, they both finally accepted.
Last I heard, Jerry and his wife are working their way through the Canadian Rockies, and Gale is recently retired and loving it.
I smile at the thought and scan the crowd.
I spot Maddie’s mom and Boris, Andrei and Svetlana, and her mom Katya.
None of them have noticed me yet, and when I take a step closer, Nina grabs my arm and gives me a smile.
“You’re supposed to wait here.”
“I am?”
She squeezes my hand before letting me go and then hands me my bouquet of roses and lilies.
“I’ll see you down there.” She gives me another big smile before walking off with Dmitri.
I look around, wondering what in the hell I’m supposed to do.
After a few seconds, I start shifting my weight from foot to foot and worrying my bottom lip.
A noise to my right has me turning my head, and when I see Valeri step out of the house, my heart stops in my chest. His black tux fits him like a glove, and when his green eyes meet mine, mine immediately start to water no matter how hard I try to fight it.
He gives me the sweetest smile I’ve ever seen and slowly walks towards me. He takes in every inch of me, his dimple never once disappearing, and when he’s close enough, he whispers my name with such reverence that he makes it sound almost like a prayer.
“Am I in the wrong spot? Aren’t you supposed to be down there?” I ask, worried that I’ve already embarrassed myself and got it all wrong.
He grabs my hand and kisses the back of it. “You’re absolutely stunning, lapochka, so beautiful it makes it hard to breathe when I look at you.”
“I’m trying really hard not to cry,” I tell him, and he smiles at how shaky my voice sounds. “You look gorgeous, Valeri, so perfect it doesn’t seem real. Why are you up here?”
“Did you think I’d make you walk down there all on your own?”
My throat tightens when I realize what he’s done. He knows how nervous I’ve been about this and how uncomfortable it made me to think about not having anyone to walk me down the aisle and give me away, so he decided we’d walk it together.
“Thank you,” I whisper.
“I will never leave you to face anything alone, baby. I will always be here for you, no matter what.”
I nod, not trusting myself to speak and run my hand over his freshly shaved cheek. His green eyes are filled with love, and I can’t look away. He slips his hand under my veil and runs a finger along my cheek.
“Ready to become my wife, lapochka?”
“Yes,” I answer, and there’s not a shred of doubt inside me. All I feel is love and excitement and a gratefulness that makes me appreciate every second of this all the more. I will never take him or our life together for granted.
When he takes my hand, I squeeze it and smile before he leads me down the path to the waiting guests.
As soon as everyone sees us, the music starts and Volodya holds his arm out for his wife.
His other arm is busy holding their son, and their matching tuxedos look so damn cute.
Vasily and Nina are the next to go down and right behind them is Dmitri, carrying our rings, his face fixed in concentration because he’s convinced that everything hangs on his ability to keep our wedding bands safe and secure.