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He’s gone to such great lengths to make me happy, and I’ve never had a man do that for me. He’s the first, and I know he’s going to be the last, but that’s all right with me… because I’ve never been happier.
Nazyr is the missing piece I’ve been searching for my entire life, and I’m not going to lose him.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Nazyr
Mona and I just arrived back in Grozny about an hour ago with the kids and our security team. We left the private airstrip and headed straight back to our house, but as I was helping Mona get the girls settled back home, I knew I needed to stop in and pay a visit to Ruslan.
Mona, the girls, and I had a glorious week in Sweden. We spent a few days in the coastal countryside before we went to Stockholm, where we ended our journey. I know Mona had a great time, but it was harder for me to understand if the girls were having fun. They tend to switch from speaking English to Portuguese out of nowhere, so sometimes, I have a hard time keeping up with their conversations. Mona had no problem keeping up with the two of them, but I’m not surprised in the least bit. Mona’s been around them for ages, and she knows their habits. All mothers know their children, and these two little girls are no exception. I only wish my own mother had been an ounce as much as caring as Mona is.
“Are you okay? You seem a little bit off,” Mona says out of nowhere as she’s getting Vanina in her bed.
“Yeah, it’s just been a long day, and I need to stop in to see Ruslan. He didn’t reach out to me once over the last week, and I know there are probably some things I need to touch base with him on.”
“Can’t it wait until the morning? We just got back, and I really, really want to snuggle up with you and get to bed early.”
I appreciate how much Mona wants to spend time with me, but this is something I need to do. When you’re in a family like mine, you can’t simply just be out of arm’s reach for a week and then not communicate the day you get back. There are certain situations I’m sure I need to be updated on, specifically about Xava. I told Ruslan about her the night I killed our mother, and he told me he was going to check into her story.
Our mother gave me this whole story about how she essentially adopted her out to distant cousins who reside in the Czech Republic. She said that’s where Xava lives and that Xava is in danger. I have no doubt my supposed sister is in danger, but I’m not certain the threat my mother was telling me about is real in the first place. If anything, I think my mother wanted to get to Xava, so she had her insurance policy as close as she could for when shit went down with us.
I shake my head and prepare myself to let Mona down. “No, I’m afraid not. There were some pressing matters I left behind when we left for our holiday. My brother was aware of what time our flight would be landing, so I’d better go over and check in. I promise I won’t be too long. Take a nice, long hot bath, and by the time you’re finished with that, I’ll be on my way back home.”
I’m doing my best to assure her. I think we’ve both really come to realize we love spending time with one another. Being in Sweden made me see that, and being away from her is difficult, even if it’s only for a few minutes. It’s crazy to me because I never thought I’d want to be around a woman this much. I used to be the kind of man who would kick women out of his bed the morning after, and now I can’t imagine living any part of my life without her.
“Okay, just go and get back to me,” Mona tells me as we walk out of the girls’ bedroom. They’re both in their respective crib and bed as she flicks off the light. On the flight back, they both kept falling asleep, so we knew they were exhausted from all the fun we had over the last week.
We head into the hallway and shut the door closed behind us. “I will. I’ll be back as soon as I can, all right?”
“Sounds good. Go and get back to me,” Mona says the last bit again, and I linger on her words. I’ve never been told to get back to anyone, but I really like it.
I pull Mona against me and press my lips against hers. Snaking a hand around her back, I hold onto her firmly as I deepen the kiss. She moans against my mouth and wraps her arms around my neck, pulling herself further against me. I want to keep kissing her, but if I do, I know I’ll never get out of here.
I tear myself away from her lips and smirk down at her. Mona’s slightly pouting, knowing sometimes she can get away with whatever it is she wants if she does this. I take a step back. “I need to go,Med. I’ll be back soon.” I kiss her once more on the forehead before I turn and head down the stairwell. I walk right out the front door, and Paulo’s standing next to my vehicle. We both get inside and head over to Ruslan’s condo.
As Paulo drives, I’m wondering what my brother was able to find out within this last week. Did he find Xava? Is what our mother said accurate? Does Xava know anything about us, or has she been completely in the dark all along as well? Every time I finish asking myself a question, another one pops up. Then, we’re in Ruslan’s parking garage. Once Paulo parks the vehicle, we both get out of the car and then head up to Ruslan’s condo.
I walk right into the condo, and Ruslan’s sitting on his couch while Karim is next to him. They’re intensely watching some sort of cartoon on the TV. “Brother, I didn’t expect to see you this late tonight. I thought you’d come by in the morning?”
Family life must have calmed my brother down. Before, he would’ve wanted me to be here the night I got back so he could go over everything I missed. I’m not going to lie. I like that my brother is calming down in some ways. It’s just showing me that I’ll eventually be able to do the same.
I release a soft chuckle. “No, I figured you’d want to see me tonight, so I got Mona and the girls settled. Did you have time to go over things with me now, or do you want me to come back in the morning?”
“We might as well discuss it now. It will save you a trip tomorrow, and I’m sure you want to take the day to get back into the swing of things after being away,” Ruslan states, rising from the couch.
Amelia walks into the living area and immediately heads over to sit next to Karim, who’s completely in awe of the cartoon playing in front of him. Ruslan and I head through his house until we’re in his office, and I shut the door behind us.
“I half expected you to call me sometime when you were away,” Ruslan admits as he takes a seat behind his desk.
I sit down in the armchair on the other side of his desk. “I told Mona I wouldn’t be working, so I didn’t want to break that promise. The trip was really for us to connect as a couple and to spend time with the girls.”
“And did it do that?”
“Yes, in a way I never thought possible. I’ve come to realize that being with Mona is everything I never knew I wanted. You know, I used to blow through women, but Mona changed my life. I don’t know if it was because of the situation she came from or what, but there was this deep desire within me to protect her. I think that desire led me down another path with her. One which opened me up to love.”
“You love her?”
This is my first time ever admitting this to my brother. I nod without an ounce of hesitation. “I do, more than I ever thought I was going to.”
