21. Evgeny #2
The elevator stops, giving a soft ding before the doors open, and I take the few seconds to step back into the corner so the first thing everyone sees is Sasha and Cindy.
I know the second they’re spotted, because there’s a loud cheer, and then it’s pure chaos as he steps into the penthouse and everyone swarms him.
“Daddy!” I hear from all four of his daughters, even if I can’t see them through the circle of bodies surrounding my cousin.
When I’m able to, I step out of the elevator and head down the hall, hoping to have a few quiet minutes in the kitchen before everyone else makes their way in here.
The large island is covered in food because my mom and aunts have been cooking nonstop, hoping to make up for the month of jail food in one night.
All of Sasha’s favorites are here, and if I wasn’t so distraught over Harper, I’d be filling a plate for myself.
As it is, I can barely stomach the thought of food.
I grab a glass of water instead and rest back against the counter while I drink it, ignoring the excited voices and laughter coming from the other room.
Closing my eyes, I think about this morning, about the hurt look on Harper’s face as she walked out of my house.
The cut is too fresh for it to feel like a lifetime ago, but it’s hard to believe it was only this morning.
I haven’t decided if I’m going back to my place, but if I do, I know it’s going to smell like her, that soft, floral scent that’s so feminine and so utterly her.
I swear I smelled it when I walked in, but I’m guessing I’ll be thinking things like that for the rest of my life.
“Ev.”
Her voice has my eyes darting open and my hand clutching the glass I’m still holding.
For a split second I think I’ve completely lost my grip on sanity, because standing on the other side of the island is Harper, looking so beautiful I know I must have conjured the image up to make myself feel better.
“Ev,” she says again, stepping around the island and giving me a hesitant smile that doesn’t quite meet her eyes. “I hope you’re not mad that I came here.”
“What are you doing here?” I ask, wishing my words didn’t sound so harsh when really all I want to do is drop to my knees in front of her, so fucking grateful that she’s here and I haven’t lost her yet.
“Yel brought me,” she says, and I huff out a breath, because of course my sister butted in and did what I should’ve done from the very beginning.
“I can leave if you want,” Harper quickly says, darting her eyes around the room and looking everywhere but at me.
“Did you write your article?” I ask.
“About Sasha, yeah. I did it this morning.” She briefly meets my eyes. “My boss was very happy.”
“And your other article?” I ask.
She shrugs and takes another tentative step towards me.
“Well, it turns out the article I thought would make my career is one that I have no desire to write.” Her blue eyes stay locked on mine when she takes another step closer.
“I’m not so sure I need that article anyway.
I’m doing pretty well for myself without it. ”
Stopping in front of me, I look down at her, too stunned to do anything other than set my glass down and reach for her. Pulling her flush against me, I use my other hand to brush back her short hair, hooking it behind her ear so I can see her face.
“Are you sure about this, Harper?” I can’t resist dragging a finger along the curve of her jaw. “It will make your life a lie. You will have to lie about so many things. Are you sure that’s the kind of life you want, that you can live with that?”
“My life won’t be a lie. The way I feel about you isn’t a lie, and the way you feel about me better not be,” she says, making me grin.
“It’s not a lie. I love you, Harper.”
Her eyes soften at my words as she grabs onto my shirt, clutching it in her hands and tugging me down to her level.
“I love you too,” she says, and when she sees how happy those words make me, she grins and says it again. “Why didn’t you tell me that I was your first?”
I groan and say, “You and my sister talked about a lot, I see.”
“She was very vague,” Harper says, trying to protect Yel, and I find that so sweet that I can’t even get irritated about them discussing such intimate details about me behind my back.
“I told her I didn’t think I meant anything to you, that maybe you were only acting like this with me so I wouldn’t write the article.
She told me I was wrong, but I didn’t believe her until I realized the truth.
” She looks so sad when she cups my face and grazes her thumb along my cheek. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I was embarrassed,” I say. “I didn’t want to disappoint you, I guess. I don’t know. It’s not an easy thing for a man to admit. I know you’ve been with other men, a detail that drives me insane, by the way, and I didn’t want to fall short in comparison to them.”
“You didn’t fall short,” she says, the corner of her mouth tipping up into what I think of as her sexy grin.
“You were so good I was convinced you’d had countless lovers before me, and I hated thinking about you with anyone else.
I’m sorry I have a past, even if it is a tiny one, but I can promise you that you’re hands down the best lover I’ve ever had. ”
When I grin, she presses her body harder against mine and tilts her face up even more. “In fact, you’re so good that you’ve made me a little addicted.”
“I have?”
“You have,” she murmurs as I bring my mouth close to hers. “And I think I’m due for another hit.”
“Well, I’d hate to have you going through withdrawals.”
I press my lips to hers before she can curl her pretty mouth into a full smile The kiss turns hungry fast. All the fear and pain I’d felt at losing her, all the love I feel for her, and the need I have to be inside her all come rushing into it, and if it wasn’t for the sound of laughter, I’m not sure I would’ve been able to stop myself from taking her right her on my Uncle Lev and Aunt Jolene’s kitchen island.
Harper and I break apart. She ducks her head into my chest, letting out a horrified groan while I lift my head to face my family, all of which have crowded into the kitchen.
They’re watching us with very amused grins on their faces.
My mom looks close to happy tears, and my Uncle Vitaly is grinning like a devil as he grabs another handful of chips so he can watch the fallout and have a snack at the same time.
“Glad you came to your senses,” he says. “Harper, when you want to do that feature on Get the Scoop, just let me know.”
“Okay,” Harper says, still tucked against my chest and too embarrassed to face the entire Melnikov family at once.
“This is the woman who thought I’d killed Rosalie?”
Harper stiffens at the sound of Sasha’s voice.
I keep my hand on her lower back, but she doesn’t stay hidden.
A rush of pride hits me when I feel my girl square her shoulders before she turns around to face my cousin.
There’s no way in hell I’d ever allow anything to happen to her, but it’s still gutsy of her to confront Sasha.
No one outside our family has the balls to do it, but Harper sticks her ground, looking across the room and meeting Sasha’s light blue eyes.
“I did, yeah,” she tells him. “Everyone did. I didn’t believe Ev when he said you didn’t do it.”
Sasha keeps one arm around Cindy, and when Reese runs into the room, he scoops her up in his free arm. She laughs and clings to him, obviously not wanting her dad out of her sight ever again. When he looks over at Harper, he asks, “And now?”
Harper stays quiet, taking a second to choose her words before she says, “Now, I know the truth.”
It’s a vague as shit answer, and it makes Sasha smirk. “And you’re okay with the truth?”
“I am now,” Harper tells him. She reaches a hand back to squeeze mine. “I’m not quitting my job,” she says, scanning the room so that she can address everyone at once and be done with it. Mia raises a brow at Harper’s tone, but I can see respect in her eyes as well.
“I know you all are worried,” Harper continues, making sure to not say anything that the kids can’t hear, “but you don’t need to be.
” She gives my hand another squeeze when she says, “I love Ev, and I would never say anything that could hurt him or any of you. I had my chance to do that today if I’d wanted to, and I didn’t.
I know it’ll take a while for you all to believe it, but you can trust me. ”
“Of course we can,” my mom says, giving Harper a smile. “We know you’d never hurt our son.”
There’s a loud crunch before my Uncle Vitaly chimes in with, “Well, I don’t know about everyone else, but I’d sure feel a lot better about all this if it was a little more permanent.” He stops to eat another chip before adding, “You know, like a marriage.”
“Ignore him,” my Aunt Katya says while giving her husband a behave yourself look.
He just gives her a wink and smacks her ass before saying, “You are planning on getting married, right?”
“Vitaly,” my dad starts to say, but I step in before he can finish.
Wrapping my arm around Harper, I tell my family, “I trust Harper. I would never put this family at risk. We still have things we need to figure out, but there’s nothing any of you need to be worrying about.”
Harper surprises the hell out of me by jumping in and saying, “And we are getting married.” She laughs and tilts her head up to see me better. “I mean, as soon as he asks me, that is.”
My family laughs as I lean down to kiss her. “Soon,” I whisper against her lips.
When I look back up, I get a glimpse of Watson chasing after Veya, who’s laughing and stopping every couple of feet so she can give him a pat on the head.
“I’m really glad I’m also getting a dog out of this deal,” I tell her as we scoot back so the others can start filling their plates before Uncle Vitaly eats it all.