Page 71 of Born into Chaos

“I think we both know I’ll be the one cleaning the house,” Vitya says, and I give him a wink that he quickly returns.

I look at my brother. “See? He knows his place.”

Vitya laughs and smacks my ass when he walks by. “Careful,pcholka,or I’m going to start hiding all your boxed desserts.”

“You wouldn’t.”

He grins and kisses my cheek. “Try me, sweetheart. I’ll make sure the only snacks you can find are organic and vegan.”

“Don’t even joke like that,” I tell him. “And that reminds me, you still owe me a cupcake. You said you’d eat one with me yesterday.”

Vitya groans while Yelena tells him, “You will never break her sugar habit. She’s been addicted since we were little.” She looks at me and laughs. “Remember when you ate that entire bag of cotton candy and then puked all over the floor?”

Val laughs while Vitya gives me a horrified look. “An entire bag?”

“Don’t forget she also ate the last half of my bag,” Val says, and then laughs at the look I give him.

I shrug and keep my head held high. “It was delicious, and I stand by that decision.”

When they keep laughing at me, I get a loaf of bread and fourplates and start preparing lunch. I’ve never had a problem with being the butt of a friendly joke, so I laugh right along with them as my brother and Yelena spill some of my stories. I love that Vitya is enjoying it and that he wants to know all these details of my life.

We eat our lunch while Samantha swings next to us, and once everyone is done, my brother checks his phone and says, “We need to get going. I told Mom and Dad that you were fine and everything was okay, so it’ll be fun when that comes back to bite me in the ass.”

“I’ll text them and let them know we’ll be back after the weekend, and don’t worry. They’re going to be way too busy with me to even remember that you covered for me.”

Val raises a brow at me. “Yeah, that sounds like Dad. He’ll definitely forget that I kept all this from him.”

“He’s always saying that family comes first and that you should always do anything for them. I mean, you’re my twin. It’s not like you can turn against me. We shared a very small home for nine months. That creates one hell of a bond.”

He smiles at me. “It does. You were probably a real pain in the ass in there too. I can easily imagine you elbowing me out of the way and scarfing down all the good nutrients.”

I point my finger at him. “Some babies will eat their twin in the womb, you know?”

Val laughs. “Knowing you, you probably tried.”

I laugh with him, because he knows I’d walk through fire for him, and I know he’d do the same for me. When he walks over to say goodbye, I pull him in for a big hug.

“I love you, Val. Thanks for covering my ass yet again.”

He hugs me back and gives an exaggerated sigh. “It’s a full-time job, and I love you too.”

I’m smiling when I pull back and reach for Yelena. “Thank you again for last night.” Whispering, I add, “I’m sore as hell, but it was totally worth it.”

She laughs and hugs me tighter. “I’m so happy for you.”

When I pull back, my brother is watching us, but he’s smart enoughto not ask for details. He just kisses the top of Samantha’s head as he tells her bye and then smacks Vitya’s back on his way to grab the bag they’d brought with them while Yelena puts her jacket on.

“I’ll let you know what Niki finds,” he promises us on his way out.

We tell them bye and watch as my brother puts his arm around Yelena and leads her out to his car. I wave to them from the window, watching until my brother’s car disappears around the bend in the road. Vitya comes up and wraps his arms around me from behind, resting his chin on my head.

“You okay?”

I reach up and grab onto the forearm that’s resting on my upper chest. “I’m fine.” I tilt my head up. “We can’t ever live far away from my family, though. I have to be close to them.”

He kisses my forehead. “I know, baby. Don’t worry. We can live wherever you want.”

“How about your place?”

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