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Our daughter is bundled up in a blanket her aunts, Aurora and Natalya, had made special and sent to us directly from Moscow. She has a full head of dark brown hair courtesy of her father, but she has my big green eyes. She’s incredibly well behaved, making only the softest coos, but she’s starting to get a little restless based on the way she squirms in Pyotr’s arms.
Maybe a little night’s music will help soothe her to sleep.
I take a seat in front of the Steinway and allow my hands to hover over the keys, taking in the pattern of white and black just beneath my fingertips. It’s not as nerve wracking now that I’m here and facing away from the crowd. I’ve prepared for this moment for months, and I refuse to let Pyotr down.
I begin to play.
Muscle memory quickly takes over. My fingers know where to go before my brain has a chance to think about it. I’ve got an entire repertoire lined up, every note memorized and every phrase perfected. Before long, I’m genuinely enjoying myself. I’d almost forgotten the joy playing the piano used to bring me. It’s such a universal thing, music. You don’t have to be from the same place or speak the same language to understand what it is or appreciate it, and I think that’s really beautiful.
The audience seems enraptured, some of them swaying with the beat of the music in the corner of my periphery. Everything is going swimmingly until my mind blanks. I play the wrong note and my hands suddenly freeze up.
My cheeks immediately pool with heat.Oh, please no. This can’t be happening.
I try to remain calm and try to keep playing, hoping muscle memory will see me out of this little stumble, but now my heart is beating loud and fast and the panic is setting in. I hear murmurs rise from the crowd. Nothing malicious, more like pity. Either way, the perfectionist in me is having a full-on meltdown.
I take a deep breath and try the bar again, but the same thing happens. Ofcoursethis had to happen to me on the last song of the evening. I try to restart again and again, until finally…
I turn to the crowd and laugh. “And this, kids, is what happens when you don’t practice!”
The crowd laughswithme, not at me, breaking out into amused applause. They erupt into a roar as I stand up from the bench and take a bow, smiling bashfully as I chuckle the whole experience off as gracefully as I can. I’m not going to beat myself up about it. Overall, I think tonight was a grand success and a huge accomplishment.
Pyotr rises from his seat and climbs the few steps leading onto the stage, joining me at my side as easily as breathing. He kisses me on the lips in front of everyone without a care in the world, little Ava reaching for me with a happy laugh.
“That was amazing,” he murmurs in my ear.
“Really? Even that last bit.”
“I thought it was incredibly charming. Everyone does.”
“Go on, give your speech so we can go to the afterparty.”
Pyotr smirks as he turns to face the crowd. While he thanks everyone for coming and informs them there are complimentary drinks and hors d’oeuvres in the main hall, I stare up at him. I love the way he addresses the room with such ease and confidence. All eyes are on him, but then he turns and his eyes on me. It’s hard to ignore the glint in his eye, the one he only gets when he sees me.
When he dips down again and kisses me, I know without a shadow of a doubt that he’s my everything.
The End
I hope you enjoyed Pyotri and Alina’s love story. Great news you can fast forward years into their future by signing up for the exclusive extended epilogue HERE.
Check out Luka’s love story, Pyotr’s brother, as book four in the series HERE.
Bratva Daddy (Preview)
My dark secret?
The powerful man who hired me as his nanny has no idea who I really am.
My boss is a monster. The kind who curls his hands into fists to stop from touching me.
And the kind who reprimands me through gritted teeth while his lust filled eyes burn through me.
And what disturbs me the most is seeing a side of him I never expected. A softer more human side.
Could I fall for a man I once despised more than anything?
A man like Dimitri would gladly devour me whole if I let him have the chance.
Will I be able to see my mission to the end? Or could my plan to take down the Antonovs go down in flames?
