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“Everleigh and Vincent are a packaged deal. Don’t forget that.”
“I know. I want to spend time with both of them.”
His sharp gaze flicks to me. “How do you feel about being a father? Are you ready for that kind of commitment?”
Locking eyes with Alexei, I admit, “Weirdly, it feels like I’ve always been a father. It was instant.” I shrug as I try to think of a way to put my thoughts into words. “It also feels surreal. Like I said, it’s weird, but I’m excited to be a father.”
“Good.” He clears his throat. “Because your father is a bastard, I feel I have to have this conversation with you.”
Christ. Please don’t give me a talking-to about sex.
My eyebrow rises, and apprehensively I ask, “What conversation?”
“A woman isn’t a punching bag.”
Jesus Christ, that’s the last thing I expected him to say.
“You protect your family. If you have a rough day, fuck your wife, but you never take it out on her.”
I understand why Alexei is telling me this. My father never missed an opportunity to beat my mother. He used it to teach us how to switch off emotionally.
“I’ll never raise a hand to Everleigh.”
Alexei takes hold of my shoulder and pulls me to a stop. “We’re bad people, Alek, but when it comes to our families, we’re fucking angels. Give your woman the world, and she’ll worship you.”
I nod to show I understand. “That’s what I plan on doing.”
“And if you need to let off some steam, come to me. We’ll shoot a couple of targets in the armory.”
Locking eyes with the man that’s quickly becoming like a father to me, I say, “Thank you, Alexei. I don’t think you know how much this means to me.”
“I know,” he murmurs. “My father was a bastard too. The first chance I got, I killed him.”
I never knew that.
The new information makes the bond between Alexei and me grow.
We start to walk again before he asks, “Where are you taking them to dinner?”
“I don’t know. I’ll look around.” Glancing at the man beside me, I ask, “Do you have any suggestions?”
“Galileo. You have to make reservations. I’ll text you their number.”
“Thanks.”
When we near Viktor’s house, he steps out onto the veranda. I smile at Alexei. “I better get to work.”
He nods, and with a wave at Viktor, he heads to his house.
When I near my boss, he gives me a questioning look. “Is there anything I should be worried about?”
I shake my head.
“Is that Alek?” Rosalie calls from inside the house.
“Yes,” Viktor answers.
She comes out and asks, “Is Everleigh okay?”
