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“I tried to prevent this, but we all knew it would end in a fight the second they put their hands on you.” Nikolai looks at me. His face is still hard, but compared to how he used to look at me, this is a huge improvement. “Liam knew it, too. Don’t forget that.”
“Assholes,” Aleksei mutters. “I always knew they were dicks, but this was a new low even for them.”
“Yes, and it will not go unpunished, but enough fight talk.” Dima turns to Jamie and gives her a smile that immediately has me on edge. “I want to hear stories about Gina when she was young.”
I shoot Gina a warning look. “Don’t you dare.”
Jamie just laughs and sets her drink down before settling back into the couch like she’s about to tell us all a bedtime story. “Let’s see. I can’t go too deep because Lord knows she’s got a million stories on me that I’d rather stay locked and buried.”
“I’d really like to hear those at some point, Gina,” Aleksei says, giving me a conspiratorial wink.
I laugh but don’t say anything. No way in hell would I spill the beans on my best friend. She’ll tell him what she wants him to know and what he needs to know, and that’s up to her to decide, not me.
“How about the time we went trick-or-treating and you got scared and ran into that strange couples’ house screaming your head off, convinced that the boogeyman was after you?”
My eyes widen at the memory. “I stand by that decision. He totally was, and I’m pretty sure my quick thinking saved our lives, so you’re welcome.”
Dima laughs and kisses the top of my head, settling back into the couch with his arm around me. I relax into him and listen to my best friend entertain him with some of our lesser embarrassing adventures, silently thanking her for not mentioning in front of Aleksei and Nikolai how long I secretly obsessed over Dima. By the time she’s finished, we’re all laughing and the guys have finished off all the pizza.
“That reminds me of all the trouble we used to get up to in Russia, Nikolai.” Dima looks at his friend and laughs. “Remember how many times Sergei would get pissed at us for trying to follow him when he went on dates?”
The only thing betraying Nikolai’s shock at Dima talking about his brother is a slight widening of his eyes that he quickly gets under control. “Yeah, I remember,” he finally says. “He did not like having us tailing him, said it would ruin his chances of getting lucky.”
“I can see how that would put a damper on things,” I say with a laugh.
Dima gives a sad smile. “He didn’t want to hurt our feelings, and there was no way my mom could manage to keep us inside, so he’d always promise to bring us back something if we waited for him back at the apartment.” Dima laughs again. “He’d go on a date, and we’d get candy. Not a bad deal.”
Nikolai laughs. “Especially not when you go on as many dates as Sergei did. With our candy stash, we were the most popular kids in the building.”
We spend the next hour chatting and laughing, and I’m amazed at how comfortable it all feels. It’s like I’ve found a second family, not just with Dima but with his friends, like I’ve really become a part of his world. He smiles down at me when I snuggle in closer and kisses the top of my head.
The stress must be catching up to me, because I’m surprised by how tired I am. When Nikolai stands and says he needs to get going, I don’t even bother arguing. Aleksei and Jamie stand up and start gathering the empty plates, saying they need to head out too, although judging by the way those two are eyeing each other, I’m guessing they’re just dying to get some alone time.
“You don’t have to pick up,” I say, but they’re already stacking the empty plates in the sink and setting the empty pizza boxes in the recycling container, and I’m too tired to argue.
Dima and I walk with everyone to the door, and I give Jamie a big hug goodbye. “Thanks for coming. Be careful on the drive home.”
She laughs and releases me from our hug. “Okay, Mom.”
“Nobody likes a smartass,” I say, making Dima laugh.
“You are one to talk, Belova.”
“Ignore him,” I say with a laugh. “He’s confused. His English gets messed up sometimes.”
Dima says something in Russian that makes Aleksei and Nikolai laugh, and I shoot a look at Jamie. “We really need to learn Russian.”
“Definitely,” she agrees, grabbing Aleksei’s arm as they turn to leave. “I’ll see you tomorrow at the fight.” Walking down the stairs, she gives me a thumb’s up and a reassuring smile, shouting a “Don’t worry. Dima’s going to kick some Irish ass,” before they disappear from sight.
“Thanks, Jamie,” Dima yells from behind me. I hear her laugh echo up the stairwell before she lets out a squeal at something Aleksei does.
I’m still laughing at Jamie and barely have time to register my surprise when Nikolai bends down and pulls me into a big hug. With his mouth close to my ear, he whispers, “Thank you. I don’t remember the last time I saw Dima so happy, and he hasn’t mentioned his brother in years.”
I think about saying you’re welcome, but it makes me feel like a dumbass to take credit for his happiness, so instead I just say the truth. “I love him, and I’m glad I can make him happy.”
“He loves you too, Gina, very much.”
He releases me just as quickly, raises his hand to Dima, and is out the door without another word. I turn to Dima who smiles at my shocked expression.
