Page 126 of Born into Chaos

We all look over to where my dad is standing. While I was busy whispering to Vitya, he and my uncles have been joining in on the margarita fun. They’re all holding one in the air as everyone looks down the table at us.

“To my beautiful, insanely talented, and somewhat stubborn daughter,” he says, making everyone laugh. “Your mom and I love you and are so proud of you. We’re also not thrilled you lied to us, but we are happy that you at least chose a Russian to disobey us with.”

I laugh while Vitya and I hold up my glass of water together.

“We wish you the same happiness that your mom and I have,” he says before kissing my mom as everyone raises their glasses even higher before taking a big drink. Samantha squeals at all the excitement while Roma smiles and looks around at everyone. Isabella is grinning from her Uncle Sasha’s lap as he feeds her a small piece of chocolate cake.

My family may be loud and rambunctious and never able to blend in, but they’re perfect just as they are, and I love them. Everyone makes a toast to us, and by the end of it, my mom and aunts are laughing and swaying on their feet. Their husbands are giving it their all to catch up.

“Sweet Jesus,” I hear Sasha groan when his mom proudly holds up her phone and declares they don’t need karaoke. She puts on an old Bon Jovi song and starts loudly singing along to “Livin’ on a Prayer” as all my aunts join in.

“Wow,” Val says from beside me while I look over and see Evgeny sink a bit lower in his seat. Niki just shakes his head and keeps looking at something on his phone. My dad laughs and takes a video before standing up and joining in. Everyone around us is staring, and I’m laughing so hard I can barely see anything through my tears.

“Your family is crazy,” Vitya says, taking a video of my aunts and uncles, making sure to capture the moment when my Aunt Jolene stands up on a chair and sings directly to my Uncle Lev while using a breadstick as a microphone.

“They’re the best,” I say, looking at all their smiling faces.

“They are,” he agrees. “Crazy as fuck, but they’re pretty great.”

I smile and turn my face to his. “I’ve changed my mind.”

“About?”

“I don’t want a big celebration. This already feels like one, and it’s perfect. I want to wear the cute dress I bought today, and I want to go somewhere with just you. I want a night with just the two of us.”

He smiles and kisses me. “Sounds perfect.”

I lean back against my husband and watch my family sing along to Bon Jovi. When they move onto “You Really Got Me” by The Kinks, I think the entire restaurant staff just decides to give up. Our waiter takes a seat at the bar and enjoys the show, waiting for the next hand to raise to let him know they need a refill. He’s going to be getting one hell of a tip when this is all over. My family is a lot of things, but a cheap tipper isn’t one of them.

With all the attention we’re getting, I’m not at all surprised when a few single ladies start eyeing up my cousins. Val and Luka don’t pay them any attention, Max is too busy setting up a playlist for our parents, Niki doesn’t look up long enough from his screen to notice them, Evgeny’s cheeks heat up, and when Sasha laughs and nudges him with his elbow, Evgeny just smiles and shakes his head. One of the bolder young women walks over with a glass of wine in hand and plants herself behind Sasha. He tilts his head back to look up at her.

“Yeah?” he asks, not sounding even slightly interested.

His tone doesn’t phase the woman. She giggles and gives him a smile. “Can I buy you a drink?”

Sasha just gestures around the full table in front of him. Not bothering to inform her that he’s only eighteen, he says, “If I wanted a drink, I’d get one.”

Vitya laughs in my ear. “Goddamn, this is brutal to watch. If she knew what he was capable of, she’d be running in the opposite direction.”

The woman hesitates before taking another long drink of wine and then smiling even bigger, but Sasha doesn’t see it because he’s already turned his attention back to his family. He says something to Mia that makes her laugh, and when I see the woman put her hand on her hip, I whisper an “Uh-oh,” because I know what’s coming.

“You’re being rude,” she tells Sasha. “I just came over to say hi and to offer to buy you a drink, and now you’re ignoring me.”

It’s her snotty tone that does it. If she’d just walked away when it was obvious he wasn’t interested, everything would’ve been fine, but it’s her entitled tone mixing with the courage-giving alcohol that’s going to land her ass in trouble. Vitya tightens his arm around my waist, even though we both know I’m perfectly safe in his lap. Samantha’s defying all logic and sleeping through all the noise in Dario’s arms, and when I look over, he gives me a soft nod, letting me know he’s paying attention and our daughter is safe with him. His dark eyes are locked on the woman who’s standing behind Mia and Sasha. She’s looking more pissed off by the second. Her fingers tighten around the stem of her glass, and when she still doesn’t leave, Mia looks up and says, “Jesus, lady, take the hint and walk away.”

The woman glares at Mia, but I know my cousin will never back down, and I also know that should the need arise, she’s well-trained enough to kick this woman’s ass without breaking a sweat. Before the woman answers, I look over at our parents. They’re still drinking and my Uncles Lev, Roman, and Danil are singing their hearts out to “American Girl” by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, but my dad and his brothers keep glancing over, making sure the situation doesn’t escalate and that no one else joins in. Right now it’s just a drunk woman who wants to fuck my cousin, but there are also a few groups of guys around the place who may decide to butt in. If they have any sense at all, they won’t, but I’ve learned long ago to never underestimate a man’s ability to get his ass in trouble.

Wanting to move things along, Sasha tips his head back again. Instead of giving her a flirty smile or, hell, even a somewhat friendly smile, he gives her his dead stare. When she sees it, she takes a step back, because even though her protective instincts are dulled from the wine, there’s enough still working to put her on high alert.

“Go away,” Sasha tells her, speaking the words slowly in his deep voice.

He doesn’t have to repeat himself. She backs up and gets the hellaway from our table with a quickness. Once she’s back at her table, she waves away her friends’ curious questions and nods to the waiter, letting him know she’d like the check.

“Damn,” Max says, giving a laugh. “That was harsh, man.”

Sasha grins and reaches for a slice of cheesecake. “I wasn’t interested.”

“Maybe you could’ve just told her that nicely,” Natalya suggests, giving her brother a smile.

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