“So do you,” Anja replied, but I noticed that her eyes slid away from me and locked on Stefan. Well, she could look all she wanted. He was still mine.
Meanwhile Konstantin was talking to Luka and Stefan, and completely ignoring me.
“Hello, Konstantin,” I said, trying to take the high road.
My father-in-law waved irritably in my direction, as if my greeting was a fly to shoo.
Anja shot me a sympathetic look and my heart softened toward her a little more. Who knew what she’d been through over the past years, with only Konstantin as her resource and a son to raise all on her own? That was a fate I wouldn’t wish on anyone.
With Konstantin’s arrival, the mood in the condo had gotten noticeably more tense, so I suggested that we all sit down and eat. We took our seats, chatting idly over the cheese plate until the staff cleared it away and brought out the real food.
Gretna and I had chosen a menu of impeccably prepared comfort food, hoping it would make the meal more harmonious than something overly complicated, so there was beautiful Kobe steak with garlic butter, grilled lobster tails sliced on the bias, potato gratin with truffles, and a light salad made with shaved autumn vegetables. I knew for a fact that everything was cooked to perfection—thanks to the taste test that Gretna had insisted I perform—yet despite the enjoyment our guests were getting out of the meal, an anxious mood had settled over the table. As if we were all waiting for a bomb to explode.
I glanced over at Stefan. He was watching his father.
Following his eye line, I watched Konstantin talk loudly at Anja about the benefits of boarding school for children, gesturing almost violently with his steak knife. She was giving him a polite smile as she delicately ate her truffled potatoes, clearly leaning away from him. Emzee seemed okay enough, but Luka had pushed his untouched plate away and was leaning back in his chair, brooding over what appeared to be his second glass of whiskey.
The whole scene was tense and awkward, but I had no idea what to do. Interrupting Konstantin wouldn’t earn me any brownie points, though I was dying to redirect the conversation to something less fraught, something we could all participate in. As I wracked my brain for safe topics, I felt Stefan’s warm hand squeeze my thigh under the table. And then—
Clink clink clink—he was tapping his knife against the side of his wine glass, signaling for quiet.
The room, already fairly subdued, went silent…except for Konstantin, who was still talking to Anja. Her gaze shifted between father and son, and then she cleared her throat.
“I believe Stefan would like to speak,” I said, flashing her a tiny smile.
Konstantin grumbled, but finally shut up. I was sure he’d heard the tapping, but was trying to maintain control over the situation. Just as I had expected.
“If you’ll just give me a moment to say something to everyone,” Stefan said, standing. His voice was strong and sure, and he took his time making eye contact with each person at the table. “I’d like to raise a toast to our family. The Zorics. To the empire we’ve built.”
Everyone raised their glasses, though Emzee and I exchanged slightly confused looks. This wasn’t what Stefan had told me he was going to say.
“I also wanted to share how grateful I am that Anja has returned safe and sound, and with our amazing son.”
“He’s a great kid,” Emzee murmured sweetly.
Anja brightened at their words, but then gave me a cautious look. I tried to keep my own expression neutral at this point, not knowing what was going to happen next.
Stefan nodded. “Her reappearance came as a great surprise to most of us,” he said, looking pointedly at his father, who sipped his drink with a smug little smile on his face. “But now that we’ve all had a chance to process the news of her return—and the arrival of Max—I trust that they will both be welcomed into the family with open arms.”
“Of course! They already have been,” Konstantin blustered, looking thrilled, but I could tell that Stefan wasn’t done yet.
“However,” my husband continued, “the reason I invited you all here was to make something very clear. Something I would have stated earlier had I known there would be any possibility of confusion.” He reached out and took my hand, pulling me up beside him. “Tori is my wife. I am devoted to her, and our marriage, first and foremost. I have never wavered in that.” He speared his father with a look. “And I will cut off anyone who tries to tear us apart.”
You could have heard a pin drop.
Everyone was staring at Stefan, myself included. I knew that he’d planned to set boundaries with his family once and for all, but I hadn’t imagined he would do it so forcefully or explicitly. He had chosen me, now and forever. And had made it abundantly clear, in no uncertain terms. To Anja and all the Zorics. Even—and maybe especially—Konstantin.
Emotions washed over me and I lifted my chin, forcing back the tears that threatened.
But it was no use. My vision blurred, my chest tightened, and I murmured an “excuse me” and fled the table. The last thing I wanted was to cry in front of Anja and my father-in-law. I went into the bedroom and closed the door, utterly choked up by Stefan’s announcement.
I heard footsteps in the hallway, and I turned to find Stefan rushing through the door, pulling me toward him, his face beautifully concerned at the tears spilling from my eyes.
“What did I do?” he asked. “Was that not okay? I didn’t mean to upset you, Tori.”
He was stroking the back of my neck, holding me tightly against his chest, and I nearly burst into fresh tears at how worried he sounded.
“I’m not upset,” I said, pulling back to look up at him. “That was perfect. You were perfect. I just got overwhelmed.”
