Chapter 21
LYDIA
“I’ll go back to Mom’s. Keep an eye on her and Polina,” Lev says. “I’ll be there, too.”
Nikko nods. “Vera and I can stay with you, too, Viktor, if it’s alright with you.”
“That would be perfect,” I say with a smile. I want to catch up with my sister. “We have a wedding to plan. How long can you stay?”
We’re in the parking lot outside the vet’s. “I’ve got a week,” Vera says. “I wish I could stay longer. But it’s alright, Mom is almost home, and she will come, too. You aren’t far from her now, either.”
We situate the sleeping Nikita in the back seat between us. Nikko’s driving, Viktor in the passenger seat.
“What details do you still need to finalize for the wedding?”
I catch her up to speed. “Polina and Ekaterina are mostly handling all the details. It’s not like I really know anyone who’s coming.”
I’d rather it be like this. Small. Close family, no more, no less.
I’m listening in on Viktor and Nikko’s conversation.
“Obviously, security is the main concern,” Viktor says, his voice low and intense. He’s pissed. “I don’t trust the Ledyanoye Bratstvo to stay quiet for long. We need to ensure everyone’s safe. He’s doing exactly what we hoped he would do,” he admits. “But I’m pissed we haven’t gotten him yet.”
Nikko nods. “I’ve already got men scouting the location. We’ll set up a perimeter and have checkpoints. We’ll make sure security’s locked down in all places. No one gets in without clearance.”
Viktor glances back at me, then continues, “I want Lydia to feel safe on our wedding day. No surprises. This is her day, and nothing should ruin it.”
Vera smiles at me. My heart warms at his words.
“We’ll also consider a decoy route so we can keep our movements unpredictable.”
Vera chimes in. “What about the guest list? Are we sure everyone invited is trustworthy?”
Viktor answers, “We’ve vetted everyone, and it’s a small guest list.”
Nikko looks thoughtful. “And the caterers? Staff? Anyone working the event?”
“Polina and Ekaterina are handling the vendors. They’ve been given strict instructions to hire only from trusted sources,” Vera responds.
I’m thankful they’re so on top of things. “And the venue itself?”
“We’ve chosen a secluded location,” Viktor says. “It’s easier to control and monitor. Fewer entry points.”
Nikko smirks. “Like a fortress. Just how you like it, brother.”
Viktor’s lips twitch into a rare smile. “Exactly.”
I lean into the conversation, feeling a mix of excitement and nervousness. “And what about after the wedding?”
Viktor’s eyes soften as he looks at me. “I was thinking somewhere remote. Just the two of us. A place where we can relax and not worry about threats.”
Vera squeezes my hand. “You deserve this, Lydia. A fresh start, away from all the chaos.” She leans closer to me, her voice lowering. “Someone to watch over you, to make sure you’re safe. You deserve that, too.”
I squeeze her hand back. “Thank you.”
The drive continues in a comfortable silence, each of us lost in our thoughts. As we near Viktor’s place, Nikita stirs slightly, her head resting on my lap. I gently stroke her fur, reassured by her steady breathing.
Viktor reaches back, placing his hand over mine. “She’ll be okay, Lydia. We’ll make sure of it.”
I nod. I want her to be alright.
We arrive at Viktor’s place—our place, and everyone moves with practiced efficiency. Nikita is carefully carried inside, and Vera immediately sets to work checking her vitals again and making sure she’s secure.
It feels good to be with my sister, even though we don't really know each other that well. I want to, though. And it's the first time I realize that being around the Romanov family, seeing how their sisters and brothers interact, makes me long for something more.
“Do you want to have a drink?” I ask tentatively. And I have to admit, I am feeling at home here. I like being in Viktor's place… our place. I’m hosting Vera.
My sister looks tired, but she smiles at me. “I would love a glass of wine,” she says with a smile. “Although I prefer beer if you have that.”
“We absolutely have beer,” I say, laughing. “We have a lot to catch up on.”
I pop open a couple of beers, and Vera and I sit in the large, expansive room next to our bedroom. Nikko and Viktor walk downstairs, planning. “I’m going to sit with Nikita for a while,” Viktor says.
“The poor guy,” I say softly when they’ve gone downstairs. “He loves that dog so much.”
“Of course. Those two are the closest, you know,” she says. “It's almost fitting that sisters are marrying brothers, isn't it?” She takes a thoughtful sip of her beer. “Kind of surprised it doesn't happen more often.”
“Right?” I smile. “Viktor told me they like to lift. That’s, uh… obvious about both of them.”
Vera's eyes perk up, and she wiggles her eyebrows at me. “Indeed.”
We giggle into our beer. I bring out a large platter of chocolates and some cookies. “Hungry?”
She nods eagerly. She's always had a sweet tooth, though she’s never been as devoted to chocolate as I am.
“Viktor ordered from some kind of bakery earlier,” she says. “Something about the Rossi family expanding in New York.”
I shake my head. “I don’t know who they are, and I didn’t know anything about ordering from New York. The only thing I know is that I ordered a bunch of different cakes for the wedding. We’re doing cake shooters.”
She laughs. “Of course you are. Cake was always your favorite.”
“Mhm.” I take another sip. “So tell me how you and Nikko met. I barely know the story.”
She shakes her head and sighs. “You know these brothers. They don’t operate by anybody else's rules. Nikko came with me as my bodyguard to that program I did in Moscow.”
I nod. This much I knew.
“Apparently, he was on a mission. I’d rather not get into the details of that mission because you might want to kill him, but his mission was unsuccessful. Instead of enacting the retribution he had planned, he ended up with me.”
“Really, whatever he was planning, being with you was definitely a better option,” I say with a smile.
Vera nods. “You can say that things worked out.”
She continues, “So, um… I sort of lied and said that he was my husband because I didn’t want anybody to know that I brought a bodyguard with me to Moscow, especially anybody in the program I was studying. You know.”
“Of course not. I wouldn’t want that either.”
“So we ended up in this room that was supposed to be for a couple. One bed…” She giggles. I laugh out loud.
“Two more beers, and I want all the details, sister.”
She winks at me. “He was protective. He really knew me. You know, not just the persona I put on, but the real me. It was… It was hot. And I fell,” she says with a sigh.
“I fell really fucking hard.” She shakes her head.
“And then, once the Romanovs found out, they made a deal. Father actually made a deal with them before he passed away that they would have my hand in marriage.”
“How did that work into the equation?”
“Our families have done terrible things, Lydia. In our world, bargaining a woman’s hand in marriage is the best form of retribution you can make. They didn’t want money; they have plenty of that. They wanted stability. Vows. Children.”
I think about that. Stability. Children. Is this what I bring to Viktor? I don’t know. Part of me hopes so. And another part of me is honestly terrified of being anything more than who I am now—Lydia Ivanova. Snarky, curvy, and mischievous. Who am I as Viktor Romanov’s wife?
“It's so disconcerting, being here,” I admit, feeling the weight of my emotions starting to surface.
“I know,” Vera says, her voice gentle. “But it's not like we grew up in suburbia with a regular old white picket fence and all that.” She sighs, a hint of sadness in her eyes. “Especially you, Lydia. You dealt with so much shit from Father. I'm sorry.”
A lump forms in my throat, and I feel a strange wave of emotion I hadn't expected. My throat tightens, and my nose starts to tingle. I don't want to break down in front of her, but I know the only way forward is through this.
“It wasn't your fault,” I continue, my voice wavering. “You are not to blame.”
I look away, sitting on a little step stool in our bedroom. For the first time, I notice a small door barely visible behind the open closet door. It's a strange place to have a door. I just shake my head and look away. I want to have this conversation.
“It's not like I grew up with a parent who actually liked me. But I tried.” I sigh deeply. “You can only blame your shitty parents for so much, you know? And you just have to decide, this is my life now. And I can take it and make it my own.”
It feels like an odd thing to say, considering I'm being forced into marriage.
Vera bites her lip, lost in thought or perhaps trying to find the right words. “You know, parents can be so complicated,” she says softly. “They expect so much from us.”
I nod. “Yeah, it's like they're always pushing and pulling, never really seeing us for who we are.”
She smiles hesitantly. “Let's just say, you're definitely better off here. I don't know what it would take to convince you, but I can show you that Viktor… he's a good man. Out of all these guys, he's the best one. He doesn't have an agenda. He just wants you.”
I sit back, mulling over her words. “Listen,” Vera says, leaning in to capture my gaze. “Being married to Viktor is not going to be easy. Being married to any of these men isn't. It takes someone who is strong to do it. Have you met Harper and Aria yet?”
I nod. “Yup.”
“So the Romanov brothers have chosen women who have something to offer their family. Have you considered that?”
“What? No. What are you talking about?”