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Alina laughs. “We didn’t ask.”
“Are you kidding me?” Luka sighs. “I don’t want to wait that long to find out.”
I roll my eyes. “Are you hurting for cash?”
“No, I’m just trying to spice my life up.”
“You better not let this turn into a gambling habit.”
My little brother snorts. “Oh, please. I have more self-control than that. I just want to rub the fact that I’m right in Dima’s face.”
“I’m going to change into something a little more comfortable,” Alina tells me, hopping up on her toes to give me a kiss on the cheek. “But then I can play some piano for you while you cook dinner?”
I kiss her back. “I’d love that. How does chicken fried rice sound?”
She smacks her lips. “Yum.”
Alina disappears down the hall, humming contentedly to herself as she leaves my line of sight. I turn to Luka, who’s casually leaning against the back of the couch.
“Since I have you,” I say, “there’s something we need to discuss.”
“Uh oh. Am I in trouble?”
I chuckle. “No, Luka, you’re not in trouble.”
“Then why did you just name drop me? You only ever name drop me when I’m in trouble.”
I give him a gentle smile. “Listen, kid… With the baby on the way, I’ve been thinking…”
“You want me to move out, don’t you?” he says, finishing my thought for me.
“There’s no rush, of course.”
“Nah, it’s cool. I’ve already got a place.”
I arch a brow. “You do?”
“Yeah,” my brother says, crossing his arms casually over his chest. “I thought it was high time I found a place of my own to get away from all your, uh,vocallovemaking.”
I bristle. “I wasn’t aware you could hear us.”
“Unfortunately, sound carries easily in this place. That’s why I signed the lease a month ago.”
“Then why are you still living here?”
“What kind of a brother would I be if I didn’t mooch off you for the free food?”
I ruffle his hair with a laugh. What would I do without my family?
Chapter 43
Alina
“No peeking.”
I sigh. “For the hundredth time, Pyotr, I’m not going to peek.”
He knows as well as I do I can’t see anything with his big hands covering my eyes. We’ve been walking for a couple of minutes. I’ve never had a particularly keen sense of direction, so I’m as lost as can be. The only clues I have to work with are the distant sounds of barnyard animals, the cool evening air as the breeze whistles past, and the lovely scent of roses…
