Page 58 of Echoes of Sin

“I am not here just for Ilya. I am here for you.”

I blinked. “For me? Why?”

She smiled again, and this time it was a little brighter. “I was once in your exact position. Well, not exactly, since I didn’t have my child until after the wedding. No judgment, things are done differently nowadays,” she added quickly. “Anyway, I was in the position you are now, and my mother-in-law, Nikolai’s mother and Ilya’s grandmother, she was no help at all.” Elena seemed to be lost in her memories, and I sat quietly until her gaze cleared and refocused on me. “She didn’t like me, of course. Thought I was too soft for her son, when I was his backbone.”

The depth of the emotion in her words held me captive, so I simply listened.

“Good afternoon, ladies. Can I start you off with a drink?”

Elena rolled her eyes and sighed heavily. “Martinis. Vodka, very dirty and ice cold. And keep them coming,” she ordered. “We are going to need them.”

“We are?”

Elena flashed another smile that was both welcoming and ice cold. “It is terribly clichéd, isn’t it? But both vodka and martinis are classics for a reason.”

I had nothing to say to that, so I just nodded. There was something about Ilya’s mother that turned me back into that insecure eighteen-year-old who never thought she was good enough.

His mother remained silent for a long time, even after the drinks arrived, so I took a long, fortifying sip and waited.

And waited.

Finally, she spoke. “You are a strong woman, Brooke, but I wonder if you even know that about yourself.” She took a long sip from the chilled cocktail glass. “Your life was turned upside down by a teen pregnancy. College put off, but not indefinitely. You work hard to make a life for your daughter, and you did it all on your own. Yes, you are strong, and you will be able to handle this life. You may even thrive.”

Now I was really confused. “I love Ilya, Mrs. Kuznetsova.”

“Elena, please. We are family, so no need for such formalities.”

“Elena,” I began again. “I love Ilya, but I’m not involved at all in his business. I have a job and soon I will have my degree and a better job. A career of my own.”

Her smile turned gentle, almost placating. “Ilya has not told you,” she guessed, arching her brow.

“Told me what?”

“That can wait, let us get to know one another first,” Elena said as she took another sip of her drink.

Chapter Thirty-Three

Ilya

My mind had been focused on the afternoon quickie, but the fantasies—and the hard-on—did not last long when the rest of her message resonated. My mother was not only here in the United States, but in New York, and specifically she was with Brooke, a woman she’d never met. “Shit.”

“Everything okay?” Dmitri’s brows raised at my muttered curse, and he got to his feet, ready for battle.

“Yes. No.” I turned my phone screen towards him and groaned. “Mama is here and she’s with Brooke.”

“Elena is here? I was unaware she planned a visit.”

“So was I,” I answered, and shot him a look that said I was not pleased with these developments. First Oleg came to the US without my knowledge, and now my mother. I know most men would be overjoyed at having their mother plan a spur of the moment visit, but nothing was ever simple with my mother. She was the mistress of ulterior motives, and I had my suspicions as to why she was here. “They are having lunch together,” I informed him while I texted the man I’d put on Brooke’s personal security detail. She hadn’t balked—too much—about it, only requesting that the man not intrude on her movements unless she or Karina were in real danger.

“What is the big deal?” Dmitri asked, his confusion clear. “Elena and Brooke will have to meet at some time.”

“Yes, but I haven’t explained everything to Brooke yet, and Mama will, if I don’t get to her first.” I snatched my keys from the desk that stood between us along with my suit jacket. “You can keep an eye on things while I’m gone.”

“If you’re sure you don’t need me.”

I stopped at the door and turned to my oldest friend. “I need you here more. Make sure no one is plotting behind my back—and check there are no more surprise visits by relatives planned.”

“I will be here,” he assured me.

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