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“Thanks for stopping, Matvey. I’ve been craving chocolate like crazy.”
Vitaly raises a brow at me in anI fucking told you solook, so I smile and say, “You’re welcome. Vitaly didn’t want to stop, but I insisted.”
“Yeah, that’s exactly how it went down,” Vitaly says with a laugh, popping another curly fry in his mouth. “You know me,ptichka, I never want to stop for food.”
They laugh while I busy myself fixing two plates. I give Alina extra in the hopes that she’ll eat it, and then balance it all in a maneuver that would make any waitress proud as I slowly walk downstairs. She hears me coming and opens the door for me, reaching out to grab some of it before it falls.
“Please tell me you don’t expect me to eat all this?” She eyes the food with a worried look on her face, and all I can think about are those damn drawings of Alina’s gaunt, naked frame and the plate of food that was always just out of reach. She used to love food. She could keep up with Vitaly whenever we’d order pizza and she never shied away from anything, but things have changed, and I’m willing to do whatever it takes to help her. Setting my own plate aside, I grab hers and wrap an arm around her waist, leading her to the rocking chair in the corner.
“What are you doing?”
I sit and pull her into my lap. “I’m feeding you,malishka.”
“Matvey,” she starts to say, but I dip a chicken tender into thehoney mustard sauce and press it between her lips, silencing whatever argument she was about to make. I smile at the raised brow she gives me, but she takes a bite and starts chewing all the same.
“That’s my girl,” I tell her, watching her finish the bite before giving her another. I’m going to change mealtimes for her. Instead of being chained up and denied what she needs, she’s going to be in my lap while I feed her like the queen she is. I have no problem spoiling her. If anyone deserves to be babied, it’s her.
I smile when she grabs a fry and brings it to my lips. “You need to eat, too.”
She tells me about hanging out with Lev and Jolene while we take turns feeding each other, and soon I’m switching out plates and we’re on our second root beer. When I hold up another tender and she shakes her head with a groan, I finish it myself and then set the plates aside.
“Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For eating something. I was starting to really worry.”
She leans back, resting her head against my shoulder. Her slight weight on my thigh is a constant reminder that one high calorie meal isn’t going to be enough to fix everything and get her back to where she was, but it’s a start.
Her fingers fidget with my hoodie. “It helps when you feed me. It’s so different that it takes me out of my head, and no one else has ever done it, so I don’t associate it with anything bad.”
“I’m glad it helps.” I run my fingers through her dark hair as my other hand stays on her waist, keeping her close to me. “I’ll feed you for the rest of our lives.”
She gives a soft laugh. “I’m hoping it won’t take me that long to get back to normal.”
“I enjoy doing it. Maybe I won’t want to stop.”
“We might get some funny looks at restaurants.”
“Fuck ‘em,” I say, making her laugh again. “I don’t give a shit about anyone else, Alina. If this is what you need from me, then this is whatyou’re getting, and I don’t give a flying fuck what anyone else thinks about it.”
I hold her and run my fingers through her hair, feeling her relax even more.
“Do you want to watch a movie?”
“Sure, but I want to get in my pajamas first.”
She hops up to go get changed while I switch my jeans for some comfy joggers. Since I’m still wearing the hoodie I had on while torturing the Lebedev brothers, I pull it off and exchange it for a black, long-sleeve tee. When she steps out of the bathroom in a pair of plaid flannel pajama bottoms and another one of my hoodies, I smile and pat my thigh, letting her know where I want her. Walking over to me, she sits back on my lap as I hand her the remote and the blanket I brought over.
While she scrolls through the channels, I spread the blanket over her lap and rest my feet on the ottoman. She finds a movie she thinks we’ll both like and curls up against me.
“Why do you have a rocking chair?”
I smile and start stroking her hair again. “We all went baby shopping one day, and Vitaly and I saw these and wanted to get them for our sisters-in-law. Once we tested them out at the store, we saw how comfortable they are and figured we should each have one, too, since we’ll be babysitting a lot.”
“Well, it’s a good thing you got them since Vitaly’s going to need one soon anyway.”
“He is,” I agree.
