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When Vitaly hands me a drink and raises his own in a toast to our future, I raise my glass with a smile and have a drink with my brother.
The future’s going to be fucking amazing.
Vitaly
Matvey and I drink to our future while we watch our wives and kids and flip hamburgers on the grill.
“I’m feeling very American right now,” I tell him with a laugh, drink in one hand, spatula in the other.
Matvey laughs and shakes his head at me. “Don’t kid yourself. You’re Russian to the core.”
He’s right, so I don’t bother arguing. Instead, I watch our kids through the window. Yelena is sitting next to Val, both of them holding a game controller and staring at the TV. Every once in a while, Yelena will sneak a look at him and then they’ll both start laughing, neither onecaring about who’s winning. Sveta’s sitting on the floor with Evgeny, helping him with his block fortress.
“They remind me so much of us when we were younger,” I tell Matvey. “Except, you know, they’re happy and well fed and have nicer clothes and aren’t getting the shit beat out of them by abusive parents.”
“Other than that, they’re just like us,” Matvey says with a grin.
“Here’s hoping they’re better behaved.” I take another drink and then look over at my brother. “I have a feeling Sveta’s going to be a handful.”
The deep laugh Matvey gives has me momentarily forgetting about my worries of Sveta’s rebellious teenage years. For so long I was afraid I’d never see my brother like this. The fire changed him, but it was Alina’s disappearance that nearly destroyed him. He can still give one hell of a dead stare when the job requires it, but at home, he’s nothing but big smiles and easy laughter.
“If she’s even remotely like her dad, then you’re in for one hell of a ride,” he says with another laugh.
I groan at the thought. “Here’s hoping Val can talk some sense into her and help keep her in line.”
“Yeah, good luck with that.”
“That’s exactly the kind of brotherly support I was looking for when I confided my deepest fears to you.”
Matvey nudges my shoulder with his. “You know we’ll all do everything we can to keep her safe. She’s going to rebel, though. They all will.” He turns his dark eyes to mine and smiles. “Lucky for us we own a huge part of this city and have hundreds of men on our payroll. They’re not going to be able to get away with shit.”
I laugh because he’s right, and it does make me feel better. “Plus, now that we’ve been working closely with Dominic, there’s really nowhere they can go that we won’t know about.”
Matvey laughs. “Yeah, our kiddos are fucked if they want to get into trouble.”
“I’m going to laugh my ass off when they realize it.”
Feeling better about my daughter’s inability to go hog wild anytimesoon, I turn my head and see Katya staring at me. There’s a small smile playing at her lips, and I recognize the hungry look in her eyes all too well. I give her a wink and finish my drink.
“I’ve got to take care of something,” I tell Matvey, smacking his shoulder and leaving him to cook the rest of the burgers.
He gives a soft laugh and then points the spatula at me. “Stay out of the pantry. That’s our spot.”
I laugh and walk inside. Before I go to Katya, I step into the living room to check on the kids. Squatting down by Sveta, I kiss her head and ask her how she’s doing.
“I’m good, Daddy. Look how tall we’re making it.”
I smile at her excitement and watch Evgeny add another block to the tower. Her whiskey-brown eyes, the same exact shade as mine, dart to my face before she lets out another laugh. I can’t believe there was ever a time when I thought I didn’t want a family. I was such a fucking moron, because there’s nothing better than this.
Giving her one more kiss and ruffling Evgeny’s hair, I tell them I love them and then make my way to the couch. Val and Yelena are laughing and playing a racing game.
“Wow, Yelena, you obviously take after your mom. She used to kick our butts in games like this all the time. It was so embarrassing.”
She laughs and crosses the finish line before looking at me. “That’s what Daddy said.”
We both watch Val come in second, but he doesn’t seem even the slightest bit irritated about losing to his cousin. I lean over the back of the couch and wrap my son in a hug from behind, kissing his cheek and tickling his stomach until all I can hear is the sweet sound of his laughter.
Smiling, I kiss his cheek one last time and tell him I love him.
