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We were back at Roman’s beachside apartment while we decided if we wanted to build our dream home from scratch or move into a house close to our new family. ‘So the kids can play together,’ Evelina and Roman’s cousins’ wives all teased me. When Roman overheard them, he got a hungry look on his face, which excited me.
He was going to be sooo happy.
But first we had a lot of cleaning up to do. As the new head of the Dryga organization, I’d been spending a lot of time sorting out who would remain loyal to me and who needed to be sent packing—or worse.
Roman slid right back into his investment firm business as if he hadn’t been gone for a month. He was brilliant at it and having all those rich contacts didn’t hurt either family. Well, one family now. Or, at least I hoped.
Oleg Morozov was due to arrive in town today and so far things had been frosty over the phone between Roman and his father. It was the same with Sergei, who was thrilled to have him back in the business, but still didn’t want anything to do with the Bratva. I’d been able to poke my head in a few times when Roman was on a video chat with him and he was always nice to me.
We’d graduated to cracking jokes the last time they were on a call. I popped up to say hello, Roman pretended he had to use the restroom so we’d be forced to speak to one another alone. I could tell Sergei wanted to like me, and I had a lot of hope for a relationship with my brother-in-law, especially since I almost had him pinned down to promising us a visit.
I set out the little sandwiches I made, along with the iced tea and cookies from the Russian bakery, a blatant attempt to win Oleg through his stomach. As I stood in the living room, staring at the careful arrangement I had set up on the big coffee table, Roman came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist.
“Stop staring daggers at the flower arrangement,” he teased. “Everything will be fine.”
“But what if it’s not?” I wanted everything to be perfect, once again needing to prove myself.
Roman turned me in his arms and gave me a reassuring kiss, silently telling me I was perfect just how I was. “Then we’ll pick a new spot to go off the grid.”
He was grinning but I knew he was serious. He really would have given it all up again in a heartbeat if I was unhappy. But I wanted everyone else to be as happy as I was and was determined to make our combined families work.
The doorbell rang, and I jumped. Roman laughed and went to open it, letting in his four giant, strapping cousins, Eveline and Leo, and finally Oleg. No spouses or children would be present this time since it was more of a business meeting than a family get-together. We were all going to have dinner at Ivan’s tomorrow night, that is if everything went smoothly today.
Our apartment was big, but all those huge Morozov men seemed to dwarf it with their great size and powerful auras, as they crowded into the living room and found places to sit. Tiny little Evelina would have looked out of place, but she had the same stubborn, self-assured air about her that made her seem half a foot taller than she was.
I was the only Dryga in the room, but I could handle it. I knew all of the cousins by now, but so far we had always been together in a more casual setting, surrounded by their wives and kids. This was all business, and the stern look on Oleg’s face made my palms sweaty.
“Shall we get started?” Oleg asked after we made small talk and nibbled on the sandwiches for a few minutes. His voice was surprisingly quiet, but everyone fell silent at once. “Explain to me why we should incorporate with the Drygas, Karine.”
All eyes turned to me and Roman moved his knee almost imperceptibly so that it touched mine, not wanting to take my hand and possibly make it look like I needed moral support.
I outlined the steps to assure my people would stay loyal. “I’ve already had to dispatch about a quarter of them,” I said, the meaning clear to everyone in the room. “The ones who are left, I can confidently vouch for. They’re hard workers with ambition and drive, and most importantly, families they want to keep safe. They recognize their best option is to join forces.” I turned and beamed at Roman, reaching to squeeze his arm. “My people are important to me, and so is my organization, but first and foremost, I’m Roman’s wife. He’ll always be my first priority.”
Oleg nodded, seeming pleased. The smile faded as he turned to Roman. “And where do your loyalties lie, Roman?” he asked. “Do you want to be a Morozov?”
Roman looked down, twining his fingers with mine. I squeezed his hand hard, knowing how badly he wanted this, even though he would have given it all up for me in a heartbeat. Clearing his throat, he looked Oleg squarely in the eye.
“My last name is Anishin, a name I’m proud of because it was my mother’s and she worked hard to give me everything. My wife is a Dryga, but her name doesn’t matter. Whatever her name, I’ll always be loyal to her.” He paused to smile at me before looking back to his father. “But I’m also a Morozov by blood and I want to earn the name by my actions. Just like with Karine, I don't care what your last name is. I just want to get to know you as my father and make you proud.”
Everyone’s jaw dropped as the old man’s eyes glistened with tears. My throat was sore from holding them back at Roman’s beautiful speech. Oleg leaned over and clapped him on the shoulder.
“I’m already proud of you, son. You’ve made the right choices so far, and I can’t wait to see what else you can do. Now we just need to get your brother over here!”
“Working on it,” Roman promised. “Now how about we break out the vodka?”
Everyone seemed on board with that idea, and Roman stood up to go to the liquor cabinet.
“Uh, I have one more thing I need to say,” I said, my face burning when all those intense eyes were on me. I glanced at Roman. “I was going to tell you later when we were alone—”
“No fucking way,” he murmured, sitting back down and grabbing my hand. “Tell me, Karine.”
I swallowed hard, my face feeling like it was on fire. “Tell us,” Evelina urged. I could see that she’d already guessed, just like Roman had.
“I’m going to have a baby,” I said, giggling when everyone whooped and broke out into applause. Oh my goodness, it was so wonderful to have a big family.
Roman wrapped me in a hug, dragging me almost onto his lap as he rained kisses all over my face. “I can’t believe it,” he said, for my ears only. Oleg had stood up, brought the vodka over, and poured shots for everyone.
“Are you happy?” I asked, unable to stop smiling at his clear, unfettered joy at the news.
