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I sigh. What harm could it do? I must be an idiot. I nod; his puppy dog eyes are too hard to say no to, and his eyes shine brightly with delight.
He walks up to me, picks me up, and hugs me tight before he places me on the ground. He then picks up Mila, chanting, “We get to go on an airplane” while flying her around the room, causing her to giggle uncontrollably.
I grab my phone and take some pictures while smiling, and April gives me a proud grin.
"Right, I'm out of here. I have to get to work this morning. Greg's taking me out this afternoon." She points at me. "You cannot leave until tomorrow. Tonight, we go to Gloria's, right?"
I just nod and hug her, whispering how she's dead meat, but she chuckles ,and then leaves, so it's just the three of us.
A phone rings, causing Damian to groan. He puts Mila on his hip to get to his phone, and she lays her head on his shoulder, causing him to look at her and smile. I take another picture, capturing the moment. It was good to know that all the stories about her daddy helped her to know him. He looks at the screen, then tosses his phone to me. I catch it, barely, and look back at him, scowling, but he's too busy flying Mila around the room again to notice. I shake my head at him and look at the screen. The name stops my heart.
Swallowing the lump in my throat, I answer with a rasp, "Hi, Sergi."
I hear him suck in a breath.
"Sofia," he murmurs hoarsely, and tears come to my eyes.
"Yeah, it's me." I try to swallow my cries, quickly becoming a watery chuckle with his next words.
"You are in so much fucking trouble, young lady. How dare you leave me with his broody ass for three fucking years? If you'd stayed, we could have kicked his ass together. Still, no, you had to fucking leave and take my niece with you, not okay girlie. And to make it worse, you let Alexandr, fucking Alexandr, meet her first, which means he's now got a fucking head start." By the time he finishes his rant, I'm nearly on the floor in stitches while Damian's looking at me, smiling, knowing I needed this call with Sergi. He may be Damian’s best friend, but he's my pseudo-brother.
"I'm coming back, just for a few months to see how things work. We leave tomorrow, but only you and Alexandr are allowed near Mila, okay?"
He sighs in relief, and just when I think he's about to get serious, he grumbles, "Good, then I can kidnap my niece after I help bury Damian for you." I am on the floor now, not containing my laughter.
"I missed you, Sergi," I say once I can speak.
"Not as much as I missed you, sestra." Tears start to flow again as I close my eyes.
twenty four
Damian
I am sitting at the bar in Gloria’s and reading the latest message from Sergi.
Sergi: the problem is taken care of, and don't fuck this up with Sofia. Be honest about the women and help her move forward. Still no evidence on Candice. Emilia and Luna have been wondering where everyone has gone.
I texted back instantly.
Me: I won't fuck this up. Keep looking; Candice isn’t a saint. As for the other two, make sure they don't find out. They seem to think she's dead. It will be a pleasant surprise.
I look at my wife, and she looks radiant in a short, lacy, black dress and black “fuck me” heels. She looks amazing, and my dick happens to agree. She's laughing at something Bruce says, and I can't help it. I know he's gay; I know he has a man, but fuck if I'm not jealous. I get up and walk toward her and lean over, kissing her cheek and whispering, "I'm just going to make a call, baby."
I feel her nod against me, and I kiss her head.
Once I'm outside, the woman, Gloria, looks at me with a cigarette in her hand and says, "Don't hurt her this time. She's an amazing woman and deserves all the love. If you do hurt her, I'll skin you alive. The next time I see her, I want her to tell me she's moving back to New York permanently, but you must visit. Don't take my girls from me, got it?"
I nod and smile at her threat, lean down, and kiss her cheek. "I promise."
She nods, throws her cigarette on the ground, and goes back in.
I get my phone out and call the one person who’ll want to see my wife when we land—not that I think she deserves it!
The call connects. "Damian?" she asks, confused.
"Lilly, I wanted to call you to let you know my wife and daughter are returning to New York for a few months."
I hear her gasp. "I swear to God, Damian, if you threaten her or kidnap her, I'm going to kill you. You hurt her so much she was dying inside. Don’t do this to her!" she screams, and then there is a struggle on the other end.
