My mom barks out a laugh while my dad smiles at her. He’s so full of shit. He’s obviously head over heels for my mom, always has been, and judging by the way they’re looking at one another, it’s always going to be that way.
Feeling very much like a third wheel, I start to get up to put my empty bowl in the sink. Before I leave the room, my dad says, “You can go to the farmhouse, but I want to talk to Vitya before you go.”
I smile over at him while my mind races to figure out how in the hell we’re going to manage that. “Thanks, Dad. I’ll let him know.”
Leaving my parents to finish their ice cream in peace, I head to my room so I can text Vitya. He’s not going to be happy about the change in plans.
Chapter 5
Vitya
“Fucking hell,” I mutter when Sveta’s text comes in, and then I quickly shoot a guilty look to the baby sitting next to me. She’s freshly bathed and looking ridiculously cute in a pink sleeper, this one with little unicorns all over it.
“Sorry, little one,” I tell her, and she lets out a soft grunt that makes me smile. She’s as talkative as I am. She sits in her reclining seat, watching the display of lights on the bar above her head that are blinking in time to the soft music playing. I may have gone overboard last night when I’d been shopping online, but I figured it’s better to have too much than not enough, and if anyone deserves a bit of spoiling, it’s her. It had cost a small fortune, especially when adding in overnight delivery, but it was worth it.
I lean back against the couch and start typing a reply to Sveta. She’s all I can fucking think about. Having her in my apartment all day has just intensified my obsession with her. This was the one place I didn’t have any memories of her, and now she’s everywhere.
Me:
How the hell am I supposed to meet with your dad?
She’s quiet for a few minutes, and I know she’s desperately trying to come up with a plan. I have no doubt she will. She’s the smartest person I’ve ever met.
Sveta:
I noticed you bought enough stuff to start your own daycare. Did you happen to buy a baby monitor? Lara has a really neat one that lets her see the camera on her phone. Please tell me you were super anal and you bought one of those.
I ignore the anal comment and walk over to a stack of boxes that I haven’t even had a chance to open yet. Grabbing a knife from my pocket, I slice through the boxes and dig around until I see the baby monitor that I had indeed been super anal enough to buy. A quick glance at the box lets me know that it does have an app that I can use on my phone.
Me:
I have one, yes.
Sveta:
LOL, I knew it. You can set it up so you can check on her, and I’ll make sure the talk with my dad doesn’t last long.
Me:
I don’t like leaving her alone.
Sveta:
I know, but there’s no other way. Think of it as her being downstairs and us being upstairs. If she starts crying, we can get to her in just a couple of minutes.
Me:
Fine. What time do you want me there?
Sveta:
Just text me in the morning after she’s eaten and taken her monstrous poo. She should be happy after that for a few minutes.
I give a soft laugh at her comment, knowing she’s not wrong.
Me:
Sounds good.