Page 37 of The Bratva's Innocent Pregnant Bride
“You’re going to get your steak,” she said, her smile so wide it made a dent in my heart.
It felt good to see all the worry that I’d been fighting against melt out of her eyes. I lifted her off her feet and kissed her.
“I would have carried you out myself if that’s what it took,” I swore.
She laughed. “I believe you, but this way’s easier.”
And it was. We were back at the lodge in no time. Everyone rushed us, sick with worry after not hearing from us for so long. They only had our starting point at the ski lift to go on, and search parties had found it impossible to begin while the blizzard raged. The lodge itself looked peaceful and serene, the high drifts and evergreen boughs heavily laden with snow only making the place look like a winter wonderland out of a fairy tale book.
The children all rushed us as soon as we were through the door. Alina, who was normally such a tough little thing, burst into tears at the sight of us and clung to my legs, then transferred her hearty hug to Paisley. Artie and the smaller ones tumbled around her, patting her hair and telling her how much they missed her.
They’d already grown so attached to her, just as I had, and accepted her as one of us. as worried about her as they were about me. Katie brushed aside her own tears and tried to shoo them away, telling them we were probably starved.
“I’ve got steaks and burgers and chicken ready to go,” Rurik said, clapping me on the shoulder, relief flooding his eyes. Lilia stood next to him, wiping away her streaming tears as she patiently waited her turn to hug me.
In the kitchen as we were plied with bread and butter while the meat cooked, Paisley tore at her bread anxiously, finally finding a lull in the chatter to speak up.
“I’m so sorry,” she said. “I’ll do whatever I can to make up for the lost time.”
I was agog, as well as Katie, Jenna, Brooke, and Olivia. No one had been blaming her for the freak blizzard, but she was acting like she’d somehow ruined part of the family vacation on purpose.
“It was all my fault,” I said. “I was an idiot and went down a trail I had no business on. Paisley had no choice but to follow me.”
Her mouth fell open and her eyes flew wide, but she quickly composed herself and shot me a grateful look before finally enjoying her food. I made a big, dramatic story out of our journey through the woods, making Paisley the hero she was, because I would have tried to keep going down the mountain inthe raging storm, and they would have been hauling me out in a block of ice.
“He found the woodshed,” Paisley piped up. “We would have been frozen for sure if he didn’t. And when we finally got to it, the door was wedged shut with three feet of snow!”
Everyone gasped as Paisley made it seem like I used some kind of superhuman strength to get into the shed. I let everyone know how much money she owed me after our hundreds of hands of poker and when the laughter died down, Katie spoke up.
“Maybe we’ll just have to keep her after the vacation is over,” she said. The kids all seconded that suggestion while Paisley turned bright red.
“Um, well, maybe,” she stammered.
While they were trapped in the lodge, some of my cousins had kept themselves busy in the kitchen and when the steak and grilled chicken feast was finished, Brooke wheeled out a cart piled high with shortbread cookies, gingerbread men, Russian tea cakes, and even a heavy, rum-laced fruitcake garnished with a sprig of holly. We ate until we were bursting, the kids using our return as an excuse to get extra desserts.
We all stayed piled in the toasty kitchen, warming our hands over cups of cocoa and talking nonstop until Paisley couldn’t contain a massive yawn. “I should probably get to sleep so I can get up early tomorrow.”
I faked a yawn and stretched. “I’m beat, too. We didn’t get much sleep in that cabin.”
One of my cousins snickered, but I quickly assured everyone it was only because it was so cold. Paisley’s bright red face might have given us away.
“Sleep as long as you like,” Katie said. “You can resume your duties tomorrow afternoon.”
The kids began clamoring about sledding since the hill out front was significantly higher now, but their moms shushed them as I followed Paisley upstairs.
“Way to go, Captain Obvious,” she hissed, still blazing red.
I touched her cheek. “It’s this that gave it away,” I said. “Nobody thought anything until you turned the same color as a fire truck.” At her door, I gave her a long look, watching her eyes go dark even as she struggled to keep her scowl. “I’ll miss having you around to keep warm.”
Her eyes flared and I expected her to slam the door in my face. But she only shook her head and closed it softly on me. Progress.
Chapter 24 - Paisley
Exhaustion overtook me as soon as I was alone in my room. I sank onto my bed, so soft and warm, yet somehow not as heavenly as I thought it would be after days of sleeping on blankets piled on the floor. Was I actually anything less than ecstatic to be back in civilization, safe and full of delicious food? Yes, I was.
And it wasn’t because I was going to miss cuddling up with Dan at night, or sparring with him, or laughing with him. The fact I had to go back to being completely professional and not even give him a glance wasn’t what weighed so heavily on me, not at all. Now that I was out of the little bubble we shared in that cabin, reality was ready to crash back in on me.
My phone still rested where I left it on the bedside table and I was loath to turn it on. I stared at it like it was a spider, finally grabbing it and firing it up, hoping against hope that I wouldn’t have a single new message, and especially not one from Agent Pierce.
