Chapter 3 #3
“I’m sure you’re anxious to get to Max’s, so we won’t keep you,” Nina says while we make our way to the front door. Before we step out to the waiting SUV, she adds, “I hope you don’t mind, but we wanted to have a big family dinner tomorrow to welcome you both. Everyone will be here for it.”
My mind immediately goes to Sitka. Looks like I won’t have to wait for us to randomly run into each other after all.
“That sounds great,” I tell her.
“Looking forward to it,” Ev agrees.
We say a quick goodbye and then get back in the SUV. In less than fifteen minutes, we’re being let out in front of Max’s house, and as soon as the vehicle disappears around the bend, I say, “What the fuck was that about?”
Ev shakes his head and starts grabbing his bags. “I don’t know, man, but he’s going to be so pissed when he finds out what’s going on.”
“Nothing is going on,” I remind him while I sling my own bags over my shoulder.
Ev straightens up and looks at me. “Nothing? So you wanna go hit one of those strip clubs tonight?” When I don’t answer, he smirks and keeps going. “How about Inferno? You wanna go pick up some random piece of ass?”
When I still don’t say anything, he laughs and says, “Come on, Pop-Tart, Max is waiting for us.”
I debate the pros and cons of punching my cousin in the driveway.
The decision is made for me when the door opens and Talia steps out with a squirming Lyra in her arms. I can’t punch Ev in front of a baby, so I ignore the smirk he’s still wearing and walk over to give Talia a hug while Wallace races out to greet us.
I take a second to pet the sweet border collie who’s always a happy ball of energy until he decides he’d rather go for a run and darts into the woods with an excited bark.
Max steps out and hugs Ev while I kiss Lyra’s head.
She smiles up at me. She’s close in age to Mira, and they’re both at the teething and drooling all over the place stage of things.
“I’ll warn you now,” Talia says, “she’s been kind of grumpy lately.”
Max grabs their daughter when she lunges for him and kisses her chubby cheeks. “Our sweet little angel could never be grumpy,” he says. “She just likes to serenade us at three in the morning.”
Talia laughs as we head inside. “Is that what she’s doing? That explains all the high notes, I guess.”
Ev and I follow Talia as she leads us through their gorgeous home.
Vasily had it built for them, and it’s a lot like his place—stunning views, a cozy, lived-in feel, and family photos everywhere.
We head downstairs to where they have a guest apartment of sorts.
It’s not separate from the house, but it feels like it is.
There’s a small kitchen, several bedrooms with their own bathrooms, a living room, and an entrance out onto the veranda.
I can see the hot tub and pool out the French doors, and it looks a whole hell of a lot more enticing than the rugged surf that’s currently bashing against the shoreline.
“This is perfect, Talia. Thanks,” Ev says when she shows us the two rooms we can use.
“Yeah, we really appreciate you letting us stay here for so long,” I say.
“You’re family,” is her quick response. “You stay as long as you want, and you can come and go as you please. Niki added everyone’s fingerprints to the scanner for the door down here, so you’re all set. Also, the fridge is stocked, but if you need anything else, just look upstairs.”
Max kisses his wife and daughter before Talia takes her upstairs for a feeding. Our cousin’s eyes stay on his wife’s retreating form until she’s out of sight before he turns to look at us.
“So how’s everything in New York?” he asks.
“Still quiet,” I tell him.
Ev sinks into a chair by the bed I’ll be using and says, “Hell if I know. I’m a college boy now.”
I grin because I know he’s joking and start to unpack while Max takes the other chair and asks, “Did Vasya give you the rules?”
Ev chimes in with a, “You mean the ones where we’re not allowed to fuck a Medvedev for any reason whatsoever?” He takes the time to laugh before saying, “That won’t be a problem for me.”
Both sets of eyes turn to me, and I do an Academy-Award-winning job of ignoring both their asses.
While I stuff enough pairs of boxer briefs into my dresser to appease even my mom, I hear them whispering behind me.
I catch the name Sitka, and when I look over my shoulder, Ev whispers a hurried, “Your father-in-law is going to kill us. Probably soon.”
Max laughs and raises his hands in a what are you going to do kind of way. “I’ve got no room to talk here, so I won’t lecture. I’ll just give you a very friendly warning that Vasya isn’t the one you need to watch out for. It’s Volodya and his sons.”
“Uncle Vitaly would be so proud of you two,” I tell them. With the mention of our uncle, I can’t help but warn, “Don’t you dare text anyone about this. If we break a rule, it’s going to be one of the other ones.”
Ev shrugs. “I really don’t plan on butting into their business. I’m on vacation,” he reminds me. “I’m here to relax on the beach and stare at the ocean that no one bothered to tell me would try to kill me as soon as I step into it.”
“Ain’t that the truth,” Max says. “Talia’s brothers insisted I learn to surf, and even with a wetsuit, I froze my ass off. Fair warning, they’re already talking about taking you two out.”
He laughs at the looks we give him.
“Fuck no,” Ev says, and for once I’m in complete agreement with him, because fuck no is right.
Max grins like he knows something we don’t know. “Yeah, good luck getting out of that one.” Before I can tell him it’s never going to happen, he says, “Did I mention Sitka loves to surf? She’s always going out with them in the mornings. They like to do it early, too, like sunrise early.”
Ev and I groan and I quickly decide there’s no way in hell I’m getting my ass in that water at the crack of dawn. Nina’s vision of bonfires and s’mores is starting to sound like a really solid plan.
Max stands back up and says, “Well, they probably won’t drag you out your first morning here, so you can relax tonight. We’ll see everyone at the big dinner tomorrow. That’s when they’ll spring it on you.”
He leaves us to our unpacking, but before Ev walks across the hall to his room, he says exactly what I’m thinking. “That ocean will eat me alive if I step foot in it. Solidarity, cousin, we bow out of this thing together.”
“I couldn’t agree more.”
“Damien, I’m serious,” he says. “Not even if Sitka asks. We keep our asses on shore.”
“Ev, I’m not looking to embarrass myself any further. There’s no way in hell I’m gonna just grab a board and then nearly drown in front of every Medvedev.” I cringe at the mere thought and add, “Not going to fucking happen.”
Relieved, he nods and goes to unpack.
When I’m finished, I step out onto the veranda, immediately getting hit with a strong, cool wind that makes me grateful I packed a lot of hoodies.
I walk past the large pool and rest my hands on the iron fence that surrounds it.
The ocean stretches out in front of me as I watch the sun set.
The view is so different from what I’m used to, and I think if I lived here, I’d spend all my time outside.
I’m not sure anyone could ever get tired of looking at this place.
I turn my head at the sound of an engine revving.
I’ve ridden enough dirt bikes to immediately recognize the distinct, high-pitched sound of one.
It’s off in the distance, and when I turn and put my focus on the forest to the side of the house, I catch quick glimpses of a headlight through the fir trees.
There are trails all through the property, and someone is clearly having fun tonight.
My whole body itches to be out there, and when Ev is ready to go upstairs, I join him, already planning to ask Max if there’s one I can borrow.