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Now I was thankful I hadn’t made them give up on me.
By the time my parents joined us, it was time to go in for dinner, but Zak’s family had yet to arrive. He waved it off, saying they were always late for everything, and we made our way inside.
Since the Vituccis owned the place, it had been closed down for the rehearsal dinner, but all the waitstaff were there to seat us and keep drinks and appetizers flowing. My dad sat at one end of the table, my mom to his right, while the other end had been reserved for Oleksandr and his wife. Zak and I sat in the middle of the long table, surrounded by everyone but his own four family members.
He didn’t seem to mind that they were running late, instead making conversation with my cousins and Lexa’s husband, Ben, who were the closest to us. But my mom,Tetka, and Zia Scarlett kept tossing me raised-browed looks, silently asking me what the delay was.
Their curiosity over the absence of my future in-laws only made me ten times more nervous to meet Oleksandr.
Finally, as the first course was being served, the group of four walked in. My mom, always the perfect hostess, rushed to greet them, and I tugged on Zak’s arm to follow her. Taking my hand, he lifted it to his lips to kiss my palm before getting to his feet to welcome his family.
Olena and Mom were just stepping back from a hug, but I noticed right away that Yulia seemed tense. When Mom went to embrace her, Yulia stuck her hand out instead of accepting the hug. Before I could really wonder about what was going on with her, I noted the tear streaks down Yulia’s cheeks and rushed forward to hug her myself.
“Is everything okay?” I murmured softly, so only she could hear me. I gently ran a finger down her cheek, and to my surprise, she leaned into my touch.
“E-everything is fine,” she answered a little unsteadily. “Sorry for our tardiness. Our call with my stepchildren ran later than we anticipated.”
“I’m sure they are missing you and your husband,” I told her with a smile, lifting my gaze to the man directly behind her. When I found him unsmiling, that knot of nervousness returned, and I blindly reached for Zak’s hand that I’d dropped to hug Yulia.
But he wasn’t there. Instead, I caught Mom’s hand and held on tight, needing her to center me. There was something about Volodymyr that unsettled me. I didn’t sense a threat, something I’d learned to be aware of since I was practically a baby. Yet something in his eyes made me want to hide behind my parents and not have to look at this man who was about to become family.
Mom squeezed my hand before releasing it, but only so she could place her arm around my waist. There was no mistaking that she was not my biological mother, but we were close, and she could sense my unease immediately. Then I felt Dad come up behind us, his strong hands landing on both our shoulders, and I could finally take a deep breath for the first time since looking at Volodymyr Yanukovych.
With my nerves somewhat calmed, I glanced around for Zak and found he had moved off to the side to speak in hushed tones to Oleksandr. The older man’s back was to me, but I could see part of Zak’s face, and his narrowed eyes told me he was displeased with his surrogate father.
Reaching up, I gave Dad’s hand a pat before walking over to Zak. Behind me, Mom and Dad struck up a conversation with Olena, while I vaguely noted that Yulia and her husband remained quiet. But I couldn’t focus on their oddly distant behaviors when I could see how pissed Zak was.
Wanting to distract him, I slipped my arm around his waist and cupped the side of his face, drawing his head down for a kiss. An annoyed grumble came from the old man in front of us, but I paid him no attention as I got lost in the taste of the man I loved.
When Zak lifted his head, his lids were at half-mast, and he looked down at me with nothing but passion shining from those golden eyes that never failed to enthrall me. “Hi,” I breathed.
“Hello,dragotsennyy.”
Reluctantly, I turned my head and looked at Oleksandr for the first time. For several long moments, we stared at each other, and I got the strangest feeling he was not only sizing me up, but was playing a game with me. Waiting to see who would give in first.
But that was childish, and I wasn’t that person any longer. Pasting a smile on my face, I extended my hand. “Hi, I’m Sofia.”
He glanced down at my hand for a short moment before finally shaking it. “Oleksandr, but you already knew that,” he said with a hard grin. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, girl.” Zak’s growl made him roll his eyes, but he amended his greeting. “It’s a pleasure, Sofia.”
