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Maxim rushes forward and lifts her hand, pressing her fingers against Pete’s fur.
“Pete.”
Hoarse and faint but her voice utters the single word.
Chelsea is going to be okay.
We’re all going to be okay.
Titan
Iglance at my phone. Six-thirty-seven. They’ve been in there for over an hour. I’m starving, and Mrs. Z is going to start bitching soon when no one shows up for dinner.
Pride pumps in my chest when I return my gaze back to Egan. He’s pulled himself up on the side of the sofa again, his knees bending and straightening as if he’s dancing. The kid’s only eight months, and he’s going to be walking before long. I can’t wait. “Come on. Let’s go find your mom and aunt.”
“Mama mama mama mama.”
I grin from him babbling her name. He loves her almost as much as I do. I grab his chubby body and hoist him into the air above my head. The squeals of delight are what I fucking live for now. That and his mother’s happiness.
I pump him up and down a few more times relishing his innocent laughter before I settle him to my chest. When he fists my shirt, I know he’s ready to roll.
Maneuvering around the toys scattered across the carpet, I hustle out of my office and down the hall to the workspace the girls created in one of the guest bedrooms.
Only Pete notices at first when we step inside. He springs up from his usual snoozing spot next to my wife’s desk and darts straight to us, sniffing Egan’s toes at my waist.
Our son’s shrieks from Pete tickling his squirming feet instantly break my wife’s attention away from the screen where Chelsea points to a graphic on the4-Petewebsite.
Addie’s gorgeous face explodes with a stunning smile at the sight of us, and she rushes forward, simultaneously kissing me and cuddling with Egan. The three of us together is nothing but absolute perfection.
“I missed you. Did you have fun in your guy time?”
Chels lights up too, and she spins back to the laptop. “Look Titan! See the glasses we put on him? He looks so studious.”
Who would have ever thought that of all her random ideas this would be the one to take off.Pete’s Perfect Posh Poseswent viral after she uploaded a few shots on a lark, and now they’ve donated almost three hundred grand to twenty-four rescue centers from the merchandise they sell.
Impatient for me to check out her picture, my sister taps the screen again, smudging the glass. Fine. I lean closer.
In the image, Pete sits in front of a small wooden stand propping open a children’s book. A row of stuffed animals, with Egan plopped in the middle, makes up an audience listening to him read.
“All the proceeds for this one goes to teachers for their classroom supplies.”
They’re diversifying, which is always prudent. I nod. “I like it. Good job.”
She claps from my approval. The jangling of her numerous bracelets catches Egan’s attention. He reaches for her, and she eagerly scoops him up.
“I don’t know who’s the bigger star—you or your brother. You’re both so insanely adorable. Yes you are. Yes you are. Yes you are.”
Egan takes her lunacy in stride and giggles as she rubs her face back and forth across his round stomach. She laughs too when he yanks her hair, tugging with joy from her antics. Pete involves himself in their fun, galloping around them and then nudging Egan’s butt with his snout.
They’re cute and all but the contentment on Addie’s face is what really makes the ruckus worthwhile. A family is all she ever wanted, and I’m one lucky motherfucker to make her dream come true.
“Butterfly.”
I force myself not to bristle from Maxim’s voice behind us. Him working in my home still grates on me but convincing him to replace Jace provides too many benefits to deny. He’s the only person I can truly trust as my number two since I know how much he loves my sister.
They’re over here all the time now which is annoying as hell. At least the arrangement allows me to keep an eye on them and ensure her safety in case something goes sideways. Plus, with the entire bratva under me I’m more powerful than ever.
Chelsea grins and scurries to her husband. He curls her to him, murmuring in Russian, and leads her into the corridor.
