Page 57 of Secret Bratva Baby
“What’s so funny?” I ask, turning to frown at her.
“I doubt you had such an odd selection of foods until you had a three-year-old staying in your house,” she grins.
“I happen to like chicken nuggets,” I say, pulling the box from the freezer. “Chicken nuggets and Chinese food. That’s what we’re having for lunch.”
“I’m going to hop in the shower quickly while you throw those into the air fryer,” she says, sliding off the counter.
“I’ll bring them up to my room when they’re ready. We can relax for a bit and eat in bed.”
“Sounds perfect.” She hurries out of the kitchen.
I can’t seem to wipe this grin off my face.
I didn’t expect today to end up like this, but I couldn’t have wished for anything better.
While the nuggets are crisping in the air fryer, I take a quick shower downstairs and pull on a fresh pair of sweatpants.
When the food is ready, I set it all on a tray with some orange juice and cold water and carry it up to my room.
My heart flips when I walk inside to find Rose sprawled out on my bed, wearing pink sweatpants and a little white crop top. She’s flicking through the book that was on my bedside table.
“I didn’t know you were into trains,” she says, scrunching her nose.
“Open the front cover, read what’s written there,” I say, setting the tray on the bed and getting comfortable next to her.
She scans the page and reads out loud.
“Dear Grigoriy, the most annoying and awesome little brother. Love Luka.”
She closes the book and looks at the cover again.
“Train adventures across the globe.”
“Yeah, he wanted to go on every single train on earth. It was a dream of his.”
“Was? I didn’t know you had another brother. Is he away? On a train?” she giggles.
I take the book from her, gently brushing my fingers over the cover.
“He died,” I say quietly.
“Oh. Luka, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to make a joke—"
“No, no, it’s okay. Grig was full of jokes. He was amazing,” I smile, wrapping my arm around her and pulling her closer to me. I like how she feels against me.
She leans forward and moves the tray so that we can both reach it. I take a chicken nugget and chew thoughtfully for a moment.
“Grig died two years ago. It broke me. He got tangled up with the wrong people, and because of that, they didn’t care who he was or that he had a family who loved him—they killed him.” I sigh, deep pain throbbing in my chest.
She reaches out and brushes her hand over my heart.
“I’m so sorry you had to go through that. I can’t image how difficult that was. Um, what happened to the people—the ones who, um, hurt him.”
“The people who killed him?” I correct her. There is no downplaying what they did to my brother.
She nods, pulling her mouth to the side. “The ones who killed him,” she says sadly.
“We were planning revenge, but wanted to be careful not to lose anyone else we love. Grig’s best friend was also planning his own revenge. They got what they deserved in the end. The man who had my brother killed is dead. So are his associates. It doesn’t bring Grigoriy back, though.”
