Page 121 of Born into Chaos

Dominic shrugs. “That depends on whether or not you’re still planning on buying my daughter fake wine bottles.”

Vitaly laughs and holds up his hands. “Maybe two is a little young for that.”

“You think, Dad?” Val asks from across the room.

Vitaly laughs at his son’s tone. “I said I wasn’t going to buy it.”

“Not this year at least,” Danil mutters loud enough for everyone to hear.

“Well, the singing Italian teddy bear is something that can be ordered at anytime. Just remember that,” Dominic warns.

“I don’t suppose I get a say in this?” I ask. “I mean, she is my daughter.”

Dominic smiles over at me. “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure to have the bear sent to Vitaly’s apartment.” He waves a hand at the five Melnikov brothers and says, “In case you didn’t already know, they’re crazy, and they make very overbearing grandpas.”

“Hey,” Lev says. “I take offense to that. We make very good grandpas.” He turns to Vitaly and Roman. “Don’t we?”

Roman smiles. “The best.”

“I just became one, and I think I’m already banging it out of the park,” Vitaly says.

Dominic laughs. “I didn’t say you madebadgrandpas. I said you were overbearing.”

Vitaly grins. “Oh, well, that’s okay then.”

Roman laughs. “Yeah, that’s never going to change.”

“We just know the right way to parent,” Lev says. Turning to his son-in-law, he adds, “You’re welcome for all this amazing advice, by theway.” He points a finger at Isabella, who’s now happily delivering plastic plates that are loaded up with pretend food to all the men seated at the table. “I mean, look at how perfect she is.”

Dominic sighs. “And you think my daughter’s perfection is because of you?”

Lev and his brothers laugh, clearly believing it’s their family genes that are at work here.

Dario laughs and pulls the sleeve of his shirt up, revealing the angry wound on his arm that’s still healing. “Your daughter did that,” he tells Lev.

Lev grins and gives a soft laugh. “Fuck yeah she did.”

“Jesus,” Dominic groans, giving up on trying to talk sense to his crazy in-laws and instead focuses on fixing a plate for Isabella.

Samantha’s fallen asleep in Matvey’s arms, and when I try to take her, he tells me she’s fine and for me to fix my own plate. I laugh when Vitaly reaches over and starts to cut his brother’s steak so he can eat while he holds her.

Matvey grins. “You’re so sweet to me.”

Vitaly laughs, but he keeps cutting. I don’t bother arguing, because they’ve obviously got the situation under control and Samantha is happy and in a deep sleep. When I sit down to my own plate, I feel my phone vibrate. Taking it out, I read the text from Sveta.

Wife:

You like?

The picture that comes next is of her thigh. She’s in a dressing room, and she’s angled the camera so I can see the thigh high she’s wearing and a hint of the matching lacy panties.

Me:

Fuck yes I do.

Wife:

Good because I kind of went crazy and picked out a bunch of lingerie. I had no idea it would be so much fun.

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