Page 70 of Born into Chaos

I rest my hands on his and smile back at him. “I know. I feel the same way. We’re not going back to how things were, Vitya. My dad is just going to have to accept us. I can’t go back to having distance between us.”

“Never,pcholka. I won’t fucking allow it.”

He kisses me again, but we both know we can’t stay in here all day, so he eventually pulls back with a pained groan.

“We should go check on Samantha.”

His thumb grazes my cheek. “Is it weird that I miss her already?”

I smile and kiss the palm of his hand. “No, it’s sweet as hell, and I miss her too.”

He pulls me in for another tight hug, and I bury my face in his chest, breathing in the scent I’ll never be able to get enough of.

“I really like this side of you. I had no idea you were such a cuddler, Vitya.”

He laughs and kisses my head. “You and me both, sweetheart.”

Holding my hand, we leave the room together and go in search of my brother and Yelena. We find them in the room we’d turned into a mini movie theater. My cousins and I have spent so many nights in here over the years. There’s a very colorful show playing on the large screen, the kind that’s so over-the-top cheerful that it ends up having the opposite effect if you’re over the age of five. When I meet my brother’s eyes and see the relief in them when he sees that we’re awake, I almost laugh. He’s clearly been watching this show for way too long, and he looks like he’s fighting a headache and the urge to shatter the screen and shoot out the speakers. His face immediately softens when Yelena looks at him, turning into a genuine smile, but she just laughs, knowing how miserable he is.

“I won’t make you watch any more,” she tells him. Looking back at us, she says, “I thought she might like the bright colors.”

Samantha is in her bouncy seat, staring at the screen with wide eyes, and as soon as she sees us, she squeals and starts kicking her legs, unable to contain her excitement. My heart melts at the sight of her, and I quickly walk over to pick her up while Vitya thanks them again for watching her.

“She was perfect,” Yelena assures him. “She woke up for a couple of bottles, and then went right back to sleep.”

I cover Samantha’s cheeks in kisses and then hand her over as soon as Vitya reaches for her, knowing he needs to feel her in his arms just as badly as I did. She rests her head on his shoulder and smiles as he kisses her cheek and whispers to her in Russian that he missed her and that he’s so proud of her for being so good last night.

It’s one of the sweetest things I’ve ever seen, and when I look over at Yelena, she’s looking at me like she’s about to start crying. I walk over and give her a hug.

“Thanks so much for watching her last night.”

She hugs me back and whispers, “God, he loves you so much, Sveta. I’m so happy for you.”

“I’m happy for you too, Yelena. There’s no one else I’d rather have for a sister-in-law.”

I hear her sniffle and know it’s time to rein it in because my brother will worry if he sees her crying. I give her one last squeeze before letting her go and turning to Val, whose focus is fully on Yelena. As soon as he sees her face, he steps closer and wraps an arm around her, whispering something into her ear that’s only for her.

Wanting to give them privacy, I walk back over to Vitya. He’s been watching me, and when he looks me over and realizes I’m okay, his shoulders visibly relax and he goes back to making funny faces at Samantha. When he tickles her tummy, she squirms and lets out the cutest laugh I’ve ever heard. His hand freezes as he looks over at me with wide, excited eyes.

“Did you hear that?”

“She just laughed!” I smile at Samantha and clap my hands, so proud of her for hitting this milestone and so happy that we were both here to witness it. I look over at Yelena and Val, and they’re both smiling at us while Yelena snaps a few quick photos. “Try to do it again,” she tells us. “I’ll take a video.”

Vitya tickles Samantha again, and she squeals and gives another boisterous laugh that’s just as adorable the second time around. My heart feels like it’s going to burst. Less than a week ago, she was starving and completely alone, and now she’s happy and safe and loved, just like she should be.

Yelena captures her laughter and smiles and the look of pure joy on Samantha’s face at this newfound ability, and when she’s done, she says, “I’ll send it to you, Sveta.”

We thank her and then take a giggling Samantha into the kitchenfor her bottle. As much as I missed feeding her, I can’t bring myself to ask Vitya to give me the bottle. She’s already sprawled out in his arms, watching him as he gets it ready, and I’m not about to break up that cute bonding moment.

He raises a brow in surprise when I start getting out all the sandwich supplies from the fridge.

“What? I do know how to make a sandwich, Vitya.”

Giving a soft laugh, he says, “I’ve just never seen you do it.”

“First time for everything,” Val says, coming up beside me and grabbing the cutting board. “You’re turning my sister into a housewife, Vitya.”

I laugh at the two of them. “That’ll be the day. Just because I’m slapping a piece of ham between two slices of bread doesn’t mean I’m going to start cleaning the house and ironing clothes.”

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