Page 106 of Fate and Family

Ian’s whole face changes, and he lights up.

I smile and throw him a casual wave. “Hi!”

And he throws his tiny arms around me.

Oh my god, I just got a better reaction than Amanda Chase.

“Hi. I have a million questions for you,” Ian says.

“And she’s going to answer you later,” Alana says sweetly. “Tonight is for them, okay?”

Ian nods and Dimitri steps forward. “Are you sure? You’ve had a rough day, and a lot happened. Are you sure you don’t want me to stay tonight?”

“No, we can hang out tomorrow, and you can feel guilty about it and take me to Target to buy stuff after the dentist.” He gazes at the ceiling and taps his chin a few times. “I’m feeling like four LEGO sets will help me recover.” This kid is a genius.

“Fine.” He rolls his eyes and puts his arm around Ian. My boyfriend winks and says, “I’ll see you later.”

Later.And this time it doesn’t mean six months or in a year, but later today. Our future is about to start.

Everyone files out of the room, and I’m left with Alana. “Shouldn’t I go downstairs and help with the cleanup?”

“Why? You don’t work for them anymore. You’re mine now, for all the good and bad that goes with it.” Her face returns to its natural resting face of scary as hell. “You’ve got a date in a few hours. There’s an appointment for nails and waxing of whatever regions you deem need it. I’ll have a few dresses and outfits sent over to the hotel, and you can pick what you want.” She wraps her arms around me in the best bear hug I’ve ever had, and whispers, “Welcome to the family.”

Chapter

Forty-Five

Dimitri

I drop Ian off at Shae’s house with five LEGO sets, a mouth full of cotton and Novocain, fresh clothes, and a bunch of pain meds. The dad guilt is high, so I threw in one of those round stuffed animal pillow things he swears is a dog but looks like a bear to me. Plus, I got one for Shae since, again, according to Ian, “This is the one she’s been looking for.” I felt like a dick for not getting one for Maria, Olivia, and Drew.

Dad guilt ended up being expensive.

I’m also worried about Uri. He hasn’t come home yet. Instead, I got a text from him saying he was going to his parents' house for the rest of the weekend. I guess his mom and dad are in hyper-protective mode. But I’m glad—he’s been craving love and support from his family, and it’s wonderful he finally has it.

I’m wearing the nicest shirt I own, and I’ve made sure my shoes are easy to kick off if I need a speedy escape. Fixing my sleeves and checking my hair in the elevator button panel, I’m so nervous I feel like my heart is about to jump out of my ribcage and do a little dance. My palms, neck, and back are sweaty, and I feel like my life is a constant loop. But this time it’s different.

The elevator opens and I take a deep breath. This hotel is much nicer than the other ones Katya and I had our romantic encounters in. Waverly’s done an incredible job with the redesign. Every detail has been perfectly planned, from the new trim to the paint. But I’m only noticing it to distract myself until I get to Katya’s door.

I knock once and hear the stamping of feet to the door. She appears like a goddess, wearing a mid-length form-fitting dress that hides nothing, her hair up in some sort of do, and a smile that electrifies my body, and my nether regions.

“Hi,” she says.

I stick out my hand. “Hi, my name is Dimitri. I’m a single dad, and, technically speaking, I’m an undocumented refugee from Russia.”

She laughs under her breath and shakes my hand. “Hi, for a long time I went by Katie, but I prefer the name Katya. I was once married and a spy for the U.S. Government, but now I’m single and a personal protection agent.”

“Cool,” I say. “How was your day?”

“Kind of a roller coaster. One of the worst days of my career but the best day in my personal life. You?” She leans on the doorframe.

“Top three worst days and possibly the best day, but I guess that all depends if you let me in.”

She steps to the side and makes a grand gesture to usher me into her room. Our room. As the door closes on the outside world, she wraps her arms around my neck, and my hands mold around her hips.

“So what’s next?”

“Well, I guess that’s up to you,” I say. “We could talk and figure out where we stand in our relationship, discuss goals, boundaries, and expectations…”

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