AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You wouldn’t know. You’ve probably forgotten my food. It’s been so long since you were last here,” she scolds me. She holds my face in her hands. “But it’s good to see you. Now, where is my daughter?”
I step aside, and she embraces Asher like she’s her own child. “Asher. You look positively beautiful. You are too good for Danil.”
“Oh, he knows it,” Asher jokes. “I remind him all the time.”
“Good for you. A woman must be strong to be head of the family while the men run the business side of things.” She pats Asher’s face. “Go sit down. I’m almost ready with the food.”
“Where’s Penny?” Asher asks, looking around.
“She’s feeding Sam in the guest room. Upstairs to the left.” Asher looks at me, and I nod, letting her go.
I sit down next to Kervyn, and he glances at me. “Did you do it?”
“It’s organized, don’t worry,” I say.
“Kervyn, you can’t deny my casino is doing well. Admit it, I surprised all of you,” Luke says proudly.
“I was looking at the figures, and it’s not bad,” I say. “Not as much as my casino does, but it’s not bad for your first try.”
“Run the figures again because you’re blind, old man,” Luke jokes. “I made more in opening week than you did in your opening week.”
“Vegas was young during my opening week, you idiot. There weren’t as many people flocking here for stupid bachelor trips.” Kervyn offers me vodka, and I nod. He pours it into a glass and passes it to me.
Penny and Asher come into the room, and I see Asher is holding Samuel. Something about this image, her with a child, fills me with a warmth I didn’t think I was capable of having. She sets Sammy down in the buggy next to Penny just as Mama brings out the food.
“Luka, go help your mother,” Penny scolds my baby brother. He smiles and gets up, going to the kitchen. Penny has certainly become assertive in our family. It’s nice. It means she’s grown a backbone, which is what we need for the Queen of the family.
Asher sits beside me, and soon enough, we all have food on our plates and are eating and talking about family.
My mother looks at me when there’s a lull in the conversation. “And you tell me, Danil. You’re married now. When are you and Asher going to give my Samuel a cousin?”
Asher blushes and looks at me. I stare at her for a moment before I look at my mother. “Well, I definitely want to have children.”
Asher startles slightly and looks at me with wide eyes.
I know it’s unexpected, but after seeing her with my nephew, I know she would make an amazing mother.
“That’s good news. Hopefully, you have children soon. Asher, you must try some of my home remedies. Guaranteed to make you pregnant,” Mama says. “I’ll give you the recipes.”
“Oh, okay,” Asher stammers. My brothers can see how uncomfortable she is, and Kervyn changes the subject quickly to how he and Penny are trying for another child.
Mama focuses on them, offering them the same recipes to ensure pregnancy and Kervyn jokes he might be desperate enough to try one because he really wants Samuel to have a little sibling.
“Aw, is that because you love your little brothers?” Arseny says sarcastically.
“Family is everything,” Kervyn says. “And I need to right Mama’s wrongs. She spoiled you lot to the core.”
There are protests from Arseny and Luka, but I laugh it off. I put my hand on Asher’s leg and she puts her hand on top of it and looks at me. I lean in. “Are you okay? With what I said?”
“It just caught me off guard. I thought we agreed neither of us wanted children,” she whispers.
I nod. “We’ll talk about it in the car.”
She nods, and we continue with dinner.
After dinner, we help with the washing up so we can finish our drinks before we all say goodbye and I lead Asher to the car. We get in, and I start driving home.
“Look, I know it was sudden, but it doesn’t have to be right now,” I finally say.
