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Finally.
Yakov glances over at me from the driver seat, one hand balanced casually on the wheel. “You’re happy.”
“Can you tell?” I don’t bother to hide my smile. I couldn’t if I tried. “This is all I’ve wanted since the moment I left.”
He shifts the car into park. “Me, too.”
Suddenly, Mariya leans into the front seat. “Because I’m the nicest sister in the world, I’m going to lead the charge and give you all ten minutes of alone time. Fifteen if a fight doesn’t break out. Actually,” she reconsiders, her chin dimpling, “if a fight breaks out, I can guarantee twenty minutes.”
I frown. “What are you talking about?”
“When you figure it out, you can thank me later.” She slides out of the backseat, calling over her shoulder, “You’re welcome!”
I turn to Yakov. “Do you know what that’s about?”
“My mother.”
Oh. Right. I sit up a little taller like the woman herself might be looking at me this very second. “I almost forgot about her.”
“Continue to forget about her,” he recommends. “We’ll cross that bridge when we get there. For now, I’m going to take you inside and get you settled.”
“Settled?” I open the passenger door, but Yakov is there to help me out before I can put one foot on the ground. “Did you turn the bedroom into a yoga studio or something while I was gone? I didn’t take much with me when I left. I should still be pretty settled.”
“No yoga studio. I can pull off a lot of looks, but yoga pants aren't one of them.”
I scan him from head to toe and there isn’t a single item of clothing that wouldn’t look impeccable on him. “Agree to disagree.”
He smirks but continues on. “I had the staff move our bedroom downstairs.”
I blink at him. “But we just left the safehouse a little over an hour ago.”
“Correct.”
“So… in one hour, your staff moved our entire bedroom?”
“For the sake of their jobs, they’d better have. I don’t want you worrying about the stairs as the pregnancy goes on. Plus, you’re closer to Nik’s nursing staff this way.” He wraps an arm around my lower back and pulls me close. “I think you’ll like the room I picked.”
Yakov leads me through the front door and straight to the library. Hope is inside, straightening the comforter on the four-poster bed. When she sees me, she beams. “Sorry, finishing touches. There are still some clothes upstairs that need to be brought down, but I’ll take care of it once you’re settled.”
She tries to slip past me, but I pull her in for a hug. “It’s so good to see you.”
She squeezes me for a moment, then steps back, her eyes falling to my bump. “You, too, sweetheart. We all missed you.”
Hope pulls the sliding doors closed behind her, leaving us alone.
I spin in a circle, taking in the tall shelves and the windows overlooking the garden. I love our bedroom upstairs with the floor-to-ceiling windows and attached bathroom, but being surrounded by books isn’t a bad option by any means.
“Well?” Yakov asks in amusement. “Is it to your standards?”
I arch a brow. “I just spent the last few weeks in a windowless basement that reeked of apples, and now, you’re worried about my standards? This is a big upgrade.” Yakov’s face tightens and I step closer, pulling his hands against my chest. “I didn’t mean it like that.”
“You shouldn’t have needed to be there in the first place. He never should have gotten past my security.”
“It’s not your fault, Yakov. And I appreciate everything you’re doing for me. Everything you’ve already done. I know you’re only trying to keep me safe. I don’t blame you for any of it.”
“I’m the reason you’re in danger, Luna. If you’d had babies with some other man, you wouldn’t have spent the last couple months in a basement.” He grits his teeth. “I would’ve had to kill that man for laying a fucking finger on you, but other than, you would be safe.”
“I’m the one who walked up to your table that night at the restaurant,” I remind him. “Whatever happened after that, I chose you, Yakov. Even now, knowing everything I know, I’d do it again. No regrets.”
