Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 79312 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 397(@200wpm)___ 317(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79312 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 397(@200wpm)___ 317(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)
“Thank God, Viktor. What did Aria find?”
“Aria sees no further evidence of any of his men nearby. Apparently, some of his men staged a coup, and he only took the last of them with him.”
His men likely knew it was not a smart idea to take us on because being enemies to us makes them instant enemies to the Ivanovs as well.
“You can breathe easy again,” Vera says softly, resting her hand on my shoulder but looking at Lydia. “Can’t you?”
Lydia nods. “I’m so relieved.”
“And now,” her mother says. “We move on to the wedding.” She holds Lydia’s hand tightly. “It means so much to me to see my daughters married well. Let’s make this happen, girls.” She smiles sadly. “No more travel for me for a good long while.”
We spend the night in her family home. Lying beside her in the guest room bed, she sidles up to me and lays her head on my chest.
“I’m sorry I gave you so much shit about everything. Vera explained it to me, you know.”
“Explained what?”
She sighs. “That all the Romanovs have biometric trackers on them. I mean, don’t get me wrong—it’s extreme, but at least I know it isn’t just you and your insanity.”
I bend and give her a chaste kiss. We’re exhausted, both of us, and in need of rest.
“But make me a promise, Viktor, will you?”
“Mmm?” I hold her to me. I can hardly believe she’s here. Safe. In my arms. I don’t want to fall asleep for a while. I want to assure myself that she isn’t going anywhere, not for a long, long time.
“When we get back to our place, you’ll get rid of those creepy things of mine you kept.”
I laugh out loud. It feels so damn good to laugh.
“Promise. You can even throw it all in the firepit and have a nice bonfire, alright?”
“Well,” she says thoughtfully. “Maybe we keep Wuthering Heights. I do love that book.”
“Deal.”
I kiss her cheek. “Now get some sleep, baby. We had a long, long day.”
She closes her eyes. “I know. You too. Put it all down for a while, alright, Viktor? Your brothers are here, just downstairs.” She kisses my chest and lies back down. “You don’t have to be Superman for a little while, okay? Just be…” She yawns widely. “Viktor. My almost-husband. Oh, and tomorrow?”
I open one eye, still thinking over the Superman comment. “Mmm?”
“Let’s plan the most epic of all epic honeymoons known to man with that inheritance I’m getting. Deal?”
I grin against her hair, still damp from the shower she took. “Deal, baby. Someplace with the best cake you’ve ever put in your mouth.”
She grins. “You do know me so damn well.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Lydia
The days leading up to our wedding are filled with memories I don’t ever, ever want to forget.
Another cake sampling Viktor made me go to just because he wanted to. A bachelorette party with Aria, Harper, Polina, and Vera. Vera’s here until her next travel date, but I get to keep her for a few more weeks.
I get to pick out stuff for our bridal shower and have a lot of fun, especially with the kitchen things.
The dress fitting with Vera and Mom. I settled on a gorgeous wrap dress made of satin and trimmed with hand-knit lace. It dips low in the front, accentuating my full breasts and flowing over my curves. I feel like I’m a Disney princess who stepped right out of a movie set in it. My eyes sparkle in the mirror, and I grin.
“I love it. Oh my God, it’s perfect.”
I make Viktor practice dancing and take an engagement photo shoot. We don’t have a lot of time, but we have literally nothing on our agenda except the next big step: tie the knot.
We have personal, quiet moments together. Walking around our property, hand in hand, talking about where we’re going to honeymoon. Roasting marshmallows by our firepit, where I run our future children’s names by him until we have a suitable list.
It’s days before our wedding when I run something by him that I’ve been thinking about for a while.
Viktor leans back in his chair, nursing a beer. I’ve got one of the craft brews next to me on a little table near the fire pit. The ashes of the memory he took down from “the shrine,” as he called it, rise with the heat of the fire.
“So, I’ve been thinking…”
“Mmm?” he says. “What’s that?”
“Well. You know I want children. I know you do, too. But I’ve been thinking about your childhood and your sister, and… this money that I’m getting, and God knows your family has more money than God.” The wedding dress, the diamond ring he gave me, and a quick glance into the accounts we now own together made that abundantly clear. “You’re so protective. So good with the kids, Viktor. And your family is amazing.”