Page 203 of Nine Months to Love
“Pardon? Didn’t catch that.” He cups an ear in my direction.
I swallow a mouthful of champagne. “I said, ‘I couldn’t have done any of this without you.’”
Taras instantly recoils with a horrified look on his face. “Jeez, dude, you don’t have to go vomiting your emotions all over me. Keep it manly, you know? It’s unbecoming.”
I roll my eyes for the second time and shove him hard enough to spill half the champagne glass in his hand. “Asshole. I was trying to be nice.”
He chuckles and, clapping me on the shoulder, says, “I get it. You love me. I love you, too, you miserable bastard.”
We stand there for a moment, watching the party unfold. Then he claps me on the shoulder once more and saunters away, probably to go terrorize one of the catering staff.
I scarcely get a minute to myself before I’m nearly tackled from behind. I look down to see familiar arms wrapped around my torso. It’s Camille, hugging me so tightly I can barely breathe.
“You better take care of her,” she warns as she releases me and walks around to point a warning finger in my face.
“I will.”
“I mean it. If you hurt her?—”
“I will not.”
She scowls at me through squinted eyes for a second, then nods, seemingly satisfied. “Good. I actually believe you. But I’ll be watching, Mister. I’llalwaysbe watching.”
I laugh and give her a playful push. “Go find Taras. He’s bothering the servers and they’re gonna charge me for the inconvenience of his ‘flirting’ if someone doesn’t intervene soon.”
Camille salutes. “Aye-aye,pakhan.Orders received. Off to war we go.”
“Don’t bother complaining,” I call after her as she leaves. “I see how you look at him!”
Chuckling, I go wandering off to find somewhere I can breathe for a moment unmolested. But as soon as I’ve identified a tempting patch of shadows near the fountain, a pair of silhouettes emerge from the path that leads up toward the manor. It’s Arielle and Iakov, hand in hand.
“Little brother,” I say as I approach.
He turns and smiles. “Big brother.”
We’ve been using those terms more and more lately. It still feels strange. But also right.
“Thank you for coming,” I say.
“Of course. I wouldn’t miss it.”
Arielle beams up at me, as bright-eyed and bushy-tailed as ever. “Congratulations, Stefan! The ceremony was gorgeous, and you two are perfect together. I may or may not have bawled hysterically the whole time. Spoiler: I absolutely did.”
Laughing, I point at a wet spot on Iakov’s jacket shoulder. “I can see that.”
I expect Iakov to join in the joking, but when I glance at his face, I notice that he looks almost pained. “Everything alright?” I ask.
He clears his throat. “I have some… news.”
“Oh?”
I’m braced for anything. FBI vengeance is incoming, some upstart mafia or another is infringing on our borders, my mother rose from the dead—at this point, nothing would surprise me.
Well, except for what he actually says.
“Arielle’s pregnant.”
I blink. “Seriously?”
