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She struggles out of Arsen’s arms and scampers off in search of her missing garment.
I shake my head after her. “That one’s gonna be a handful. Especially when she’s a teenager.”
“She’s never going to be a teenager. She’s going to stay just like this forever.”
“You said that when she was a baby, too, and look at her now—walking, talking, and issuing commands like she’s the real leader of the Bratva.”
Arsen smirks and wraps his arms around me from behind, steering me in the direction of our oldest daughter. She’s cocooned in the corner of the studio with Dom’s son Misha, her downy brown hair tucked against his curly blonde locks.
“I have a feeling Nina’s going to be a natural at it.”
I squirm the way I always do when Arsen brings up passing on his legacy to the girls. “There’s never been a female Bratva leader before.”
“There’s a first time for everything,” Arsen says. “Why shouldn’t our girls break the glass ceiling?”
“I hate to be the un-feminist one between the two of us, but?—”
“Laila, I know your concerns,” Arsen says, cutting me off at the pass. “And I understand them. But it’s entirely up to Nina and Lynn whether they want a piece of what I’ve built. If not, I won’t stand in their way. In fact, I’ll support them in whateverdream they want. Whether it’s wrangling lions in a circus tent or kayaking across the ocean.”
“Are those the only options?”
He chuckles. “My point is, our daughters are going to be magnificent in whatever it is they set out to do. I just want them to be happy.”
I cup his face and sink into his chest. “I know you do. You’re a wonderful dad, Arsen Adamov. I couldn’t have asked for a better father for my children.”
He lifts one dark eyebrow. “And yet, you don’t want any more of them. If I was such a good father, it seems like you’d want to bless even more children with my magnanimous guidance and boundless love and?—”
I smack his chest. “Are you really gonna guilt trip me on the opening night of my new yoga studio?”
“I’m not above fighting dirty.”
“And I’m not above bribery. Play nice tonight and I’ll consider it.” I give him a wink and shimmy out of his arms before he can see the truth written on my face.
I find Kira and Guilia at the buffet table, instructing the staff on how to divide up the leftover food. After how helpful they were with my first studio, I did the smart thing and hired them as soon as I opened my second.
Guilia is the VP of the nonprofit I started in conjunction with The Rose Garden and Kira is the head of my marketing team.
“You’re still here?” Guilia balks when she sees me. “I would have thought you’d be on the jet to St. Barts by now.”
“I couldn’t just leave you two to clean up the mess.”
Kira hitches little Madeline on her hip. “Please. That’s what we’re here for. You’ve been working so hard on this latest launch, you deserve some time alone with the hubby.”
“I’m looking forward to it,” I admit.
Guilia gives me a once-over. “You are absolutely radiant tonight, Laila.”
I smile innocently. “Why, thank you. Tonight’s opening was a success. It’s enough to make anyone glow.”
“Oh, I don’t know about that.”
She winks at me, and I’m positive she’s already guessed my little secret. But I’m not about to confirm the news to anyone before I tell Arsen.
“You sure you can handle both of my girls this week, Guilia?” I ask again, glancing over at Nina and Misha.
My little Evalina might miss us, but I don’t have to worry about Nina. She and Misha are practically chained at the hip. Kira and I like to joke that one day we’ll be babysitting our grandchildren together. But Arsen and Dominik don’t find that quite as amusing as we do.
Guilia rolls her eyes. “Of course. Grigory’s over the moon that his cousins are going to be spending four whole nights with us. And Kira said she’d bring Misha and Madeline over this weekend so they can all play together.”
