Lev spoke an amused, “I think so too. Thank you.”
A young woman with long dark brown hair and green eyes came out of nowhere. She wore an elegant and fitted wedding dress in off-white lace that showed off her small baby bump. “Ugh, sorry, guys.” She sighed tiredly, but looked ridiculously happy. “Stupid Max and his mighty sperm.”
Tina chuckled. “Helena, this is Lev and Mina. Lev is Max’s cousin.”
The bride turned to us. “Whoa, hey. We don’t know many from the other side of the family. It’s nice that you could be here.” She smiled kindly as Max put his arms around her and kissed her head. “Thank you so much for coming.”
Max explained, “My dad and Lev’s dad were brothers.” He grinned at Lev. “Remember the shit we used to get up to?”
Lev shook his head. “No. But I do remember the shit you used to get up to and blame on me.”
The group of people burst into laughter and Max shrugged. “That’s ‘cause you were an easy target, bro.”
Nik shook his head. “Nah. You were just an idiot.”
“Yeah.” Max puffed out his chest. “Idiotically awesome.”
I laughed to myself. These guys were a hoot.
After all the fuss, I wouldn’t admit it, but I was glad we came. It was nice to hear about Lev amongst family that obviously loved him.
Sasha and Nas strolled by, and Nas handed me a drink. I took it gratefully and Max jerked his chin to Sasha. “Lev’s gettin’ married. Nas has Viktor wrapped around her pinkie.” I was sure I was the only person who noticed Nas’ expression turn sour, but Max went on, “When are you gonna settle down, Sash?”
Sasha smiled slyly. “Who knows, man?” He paused before adding a rather cryptic, “You never know what’s written in the stars.”
Nik nudged Sasha. “Yeah. Who knows?” He grinned at his cousin. “Even Sasha might find a woman to put up with his broody ass.”
Tina scoffed. “Excuse me, mister, but I remember meeting you, and you were the broodiest son of a gun I’d ever met.” She looked around at us and uttered a sincere, “I almost wet myself. He was so cold. He scared me.”
Nik pulled his wife into him and squeezed her tight. “Yeah, well, it took meeting you to thaw me out, baby.”
Nawww.
They were stupidly cute. I kind of loved them.
Nastasia cleared her throat and forced a smile. “I don’t know about marriage. It’s so… final.” She tried to cringe, but I saw the haggard sadness on her face.
Goddamn Vik. What was he doing to her? I was going to wring his damn neck.
Nat sighed. “Wow. You sound like me.” She pulled Nas over and threaded her arm through hers, smiling all the while. “Come here. You just became my new best friend.”
The conversation flowed effortlessly throughout the night, and my cheeks started to hurt from how much I was smiling and laughing. I felt at ease with these people. They were a good sort, women who had met their matches and men who had learned to love.
I held onto Lev and imagined where I would be if I hadn’t met him. A hard shiver went down my spine and my stomach knotted uncomfortably.
The thought was far too painful to consider.
We arrived home from Max and Helena’s wedding just past one a.m., and the funny thing about it was I didn’t want to leave in the end. I had a blast hanging out with the girls, and Tina had invited me down to her boutique to do some dress shopping. She promised that ninety percent of her garments were reasonably priced, with the other 10 percent being exorbitant purely because they were shipped from Italy.
The girls were lovely, and I couldn’t remember the last time I connected with a group of people as quickly as I had them. I promised I would come down with Nas and check out Safira’s Boutique.
Was tomorrow too soon?
Chapter Forty-Seven
Mina
They say all good things must come to an end, and I was afraid our good thing was close to breaching the safety barrier.
It happened three days later when I had just walked into the house to hear Lev let out an animalistic roar from the kitchen. My heart pounded and I rushed over to him.
I found my him hunched over the kitchen table in his sweats and tank, looking about ready to break the table in half.
“Sweetie,” I asked cautiously. “What’s wrong?”
It was then that I noticed a piece of paper scrunched in his fisted palm. He breathed so hard that his chest heaved. I took another careful step forward, placing a hand on his back. “Baby?”
His eyes closed and he rumbled out, “Igor Alkaev wants custody of Lidiya.” He let out a long breath. “He’s taking me to court.”
My brow furrowed. “On what grounds?”
Lev barked out, “I don’t fucking know, Mina. Shit. When are they going to leave me the fuck alone already?”
I tried not to take his anger personally. I knew he wasn’t angry at me, after all. “Have you called your lawyer?”
He squeezed his eyes shut and muttered a cold, “No. I want to talk to Igor.”
“I’m coming with you,” I told him, and I was not asking.
Lev shook his head. “No. I’m going alone.”
I didn’t want to be the voice of reason, but if I didn’t take that role, who would? “Sweetie, you know how you get when you’re angry. You can go a little cuckoo,” I uttered quietly. “Let me come. I won’t say a word. Just let me be there for you.”
Yeah, okay, let’s be honest. I was worried that Lev might kill the asshole.
I came up behind him and placed my hands on his hips, leaning in to press my body to his, kissing the center of his spine. “Let me come, baby. Please. I’ll stay out of the way. I promise.”
He turned in my arms and looked down at me. “I don’t want you out of the way. I want you safe, here with Lidiya.”
I blinked up at him. “And if it were me, would you let me go alone?”
His brow furrowed. “Of course not.”
“And that’s why I’m coming with you,” I stated.
Although Lev didn’t like it, he conceded, and we made a quick stop to Nastasia’s where Lev called Sasha, and then we were on our way to the Alkaev residence.
I pitied the fool.
Igor Alkaev answered the door, and I had to admit he didn’t look at all as I pictured him. I imagined a short, rotund man with a bulging belly, dark hair, and maybe a beard. What I got was a tall, slim man with greying blond hair, a sharp nose, cold dark eyes, and a constant expression of distaste.
Igor showed us inside without a word and told his apparently voiceless wife, Vera, to bring in some coffee. She left without a word and Igor smirked. “So, you got the letter, I see.”
Lev was too tightly strung to sit. Instead, he stood by my side as I sat on the leather lounge. “I did. I want to know what the hell you’re thinking, Igor, because you’re not getting my daughter. I had two long years without her, and I’ll be damned if I give her up now.”
Igor watched Lev closely. “You’ve changed,” he stated. “Something is different about you. I can’t put my finger on it. You’re”—his brows rose—“poised or something.”
Lev grunted. “Tell me what you want.”
I watched both men carefully. I had pepper spray in my bag and I was not afraid to use it. I was no shrinking violet when my loved ones were involved.
Igor sniffed. “You have nothing I want, Leokov.” His face shuttered. “Not anymore.”
Lev gritted his teeth. “You’re not getting another dime from me, not ever again.”
The older man’s face blazed bright red. “My daughter is dead, you imbecile. You impregnated her then decided you didn’t want her. She loved you. Of course she became depressed. She dealt with your cruelty for years before she took her life.” He took a breath and let out an arctic, “And it is all your fault.” He sat up straight, adjusting his tie that did not need adjusting. “You’re toxic. Lidiya is better off with us. We love her.”