Page 56 of Conquer
She nods and turns back to Maxim. To the man’s credit, he meets her gaze with gentle acknowledgment, and something in my heart twists a little. These brothers...
It’s like they were designed to repel all assumptions of care, empathy, or compassion, only to reveal an uncanny knack for emoting all three when pushed to do so. At least by those they deemed worthy of such emotions.
Case and point, a tiny figure races from the house and snatches up Maxim’s other hand without an ounce of fear.
“Wait for me!” Surging ahead, Ainsley winds up pulling her two companions behind her, forging the way to the stable. “I can’t wait for you to see my pony,” she prattles to Magda. “You’ll love him!”
“Score one for super dad,” I murmur as Vadim rises to his feet, his expression constricted. I know that nothing in the world was probably harder for him to endure than this moment—save leaving Magda in the first place, of course. Regardless, his jaw is clenched with resignation as we exit the house and return to the car.
“She’ll be fine,” I insist as he glances back at the house at least ten times before finally climbing into the driver’s seat.
Without looking my way, he mutters under his breath, “She better be.”
