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The table goes quiet as the girls wait for further explanation, but none is forthcoming.
“Oh, come on. You have to tell us now,” Camille pleads, mirroring Heidi’s posture as she looks at my mom as well.
Mom simply laughs. “Alright, if you must know, their father saw me working in the garden one day, and he walked right up to me and asked for a kiss. Of course, I told him no, so he went on his way. The next day, he came with a bloody lip and explained that he’d gotten into a fight—could I kiss him and make it all better. Again, I told him no. But on the third day, he hired a man to chase him down, and as he ran past my house, he begged me to kiss him so the man would just keep walking. He said it was a matter of life or death, so I finally agreed. And the rest is history.”
“What a scoundrel!” Heidi objects.
Mom gives a soft chuckle. “Yes, I’m sorry, Ladies. I did my best, but my boys do take after their father in some ways. And it would seem that setting their sights on a woman and never relenting is one of them.”
Again, Heidi and I share a look. Only this time, her smile is filled with a deep love and appreciation.
She reaches across the table to give my hand a squeeze. “I, for one, am very grateful,” she murmurs.
I brush the pad of my thumb across her knuckles, returning the smile she gives me.
“Wait, Heidi, what did Maks do to coerce you into dating him?” Nadia asks, confused.
“Date? No. He offered me a hundred thousand dollars to sleep with him.”
“Maksim!” Mom scolds me this time.
“I know, I know. Don’t worry, Ma... I ended up paying her two hundred thousand.”
Loud guffaws erupt around the table at that, and Heidi’s cheeks blush adorably at the mention of our first meeting.
“Well, it seems fate must have had a hand in all of it,” Nadia observes. “Otherwise, how could we all have had such... rocky starts and still have found the ones we love?”
“I think that just means my sons are good at picking patient and forgiving women,” Mom jokes lightly.
And once again, the table erupts in laughter. She’s not wrong. Each of my brothers and I are truly blessed with the women we found. At a point in time not too long ago, I was convinced neither of my brothers would settle down. And I had committed to a woman, not because she was the right fit for me but because I didn’t want to be alone.
Now, we’re with partners who couldn’t be more perfectly suited to each of us in our own unique way. It fills me with pride and joy to see our family not just thriving but so full of contentment. My mom was right. My father would have been very happy to see the life we’ve built together.
And I couldn’t have done any of it without my soulmate by my side.
