Page 57 of Fractured Empire

He takes a big breath like he’s about to start rambling, but he’s not fast enough.

“Give her some space, Leo.” The deep rumbling sound of Leon’s voice makes my breath catch.

Looking up sharply causes my hair to fall forward from my back, bouncing over my shoulders. The scent of my vanilla and cinnamon shampoo hits me as I find my husband stepping into the parlor entryway to greet us, dressed much more casually than he was in our last two meetings.

Of course, one of those last meetings was our wedding night…but instead of a perfectly tailored designer suit, he’s wearing light wash blue jeans, and a basic white button-down. He looks more like a dad than an Underboss, and I suppose that makes perfect sense. He’s at home with his sons, dedicating the day to helping them adjust to my move-in today.

“He’s all right,” I reply softly. I hope my tone communicates that I only mean to reassure Leo and not overrule his father. I want the boys to be comfortable with me, especially since we’ll be together every day from here on out.

Bastian peeks out from behind his father’s legs, and maneuvers to stand dutifully at his side. He’s dressed in a very similar outfit, a bit elevated for his age, but also practical. Leo on the other hand, is wearing a very playful getup. Cute little cotton shorts, and a graphic T-shirt covered in little trucks. He looks up at me with his soft blonde curls bouncing and his bright blue eyes twinkling.

“You moving?” Leo asks, grinning toothily.

“Yes,” Leon answers for me. “Katya is moving in today. Just like we talked about. We’re going to help her get settled in, and we’re going to have lunch together.”

“And dinner,” Leo chimes in, looking proud of himself for the reminder.

“And dinner,” his father agrees. “Do you want to take your brother and show Katya her rooms? Uncle Apollo and I will bring in her things.”

“YES!” Leo shouts like he’s just won the lottery rather than the opportunity to simply show me around my new home. “Come, we show you.”

He reaches for my hand without fear or trepidation and starts to tug me along before I can even agree to follow him. Bastian waits for us to get closer to him and then makes a small move to join me and his little brother. Fearless, but cautious.

“Um, I don’t have very many things,” I tell Leon as I’m being led away. “I didn’t need to bring furniture like you said, so, umm, yeah. There just aren’t many suitcases.”

He nods, not looking concerned about it. “That’s fine, we’ll get everything you brought and there’s a few things in your room that have already arrived. There’s also a credit card on your dresser that you can use for anything you need to buy.”

“Okay, um—” I have no time to finish my thought before the kids guide me too far away, and Leon turns to leave, smiling to himself as he does. Clearing my throat, I look down at the two boys and muster up some courage to speak to them alone for the first time as their father’s new wife. “Hello, Bastian. It’s nice to see you both again.”

“Hello, Katya,” he greets in his little formal voice. Leo has taken to calling me Kat, but Bastian has no trouble with my full name.

“You get Rain-uh’s room,” Leo chirps happily before his older brother can get another word in. “So I know where it is.”

“That’s right, your aunt and uncle are going back to their house,” I note as if I’m only just now remembering, trying to keep my tone light as I do. “Are you excited to go visit them sometime soon? I’m hoping you can take me with you. I’d love to see it.”

I know that Leo is quite attached to Apollo and Rayna, so I’ve tried to keep in mind that I need to stick to positive words when it comes to mentioning them. If he’s sad about them leaving, I’ll have to do my best to remind him that his aunt and uncle are only going back to their home—never truly leaving him.

“Yes,” the little boy agrees with a firm dip of his head. “We take you wif us.”

With the chipper sound of his voice, I exhale, not sensing any sadness. “Well, I’ll make sure to look forward to that.”

“Good.” He bobs his head happily. “Here we go. Dis your two rooms.”

“These are your two rooms,” Bastian corrects him gently.

“Yep,” Leo agrees, not feeling the need to repeat himself to be more grammatically correct. Bastian doesn’t chide him for it either, he merely provides the words to help, rather than to shame his brother for his imperfect speech.

Pulling my attention from the children to take in the space they’ve brought me to, I find two open doors. One to a bedroom, and the other to a large living room area. Noticing that the boys stopped in front of the bedroom first, I take that as my cue to step inside and withhold a gasp when I realize just how large it is.

The room is elegant but not so much so that it looks like a queen demanded every detail to be perfect and full of finery. The walls are creamy pale beige with eggshell white crown molding meeting the high ceilings. The main back wall is taken over mostly by a bed that must be larger than a king, with two small but lovely windows flanking the sides of it. The bedding is simple and white, like a clean hotel spread that’s likely meant to be a stand-in until I replace it with my own preferences.

The floors, though, have to be my favorite thing upon first glance. The dark wood, real wood, beneath my feet is stunning. Its finish isn’t too orange, nor is it too dark that it could be mistaken for black paint. The area rug beneath the bed, meant to make the sleeping zone appear more cozy, compliments the wood well too, with its earthy green and brown tones.

There’s a built-in vanity made of the same shade of wood with a couple boxes that I had shipped here waiting for me on the countertop. The walk-in closet, spa-style ensuite bathroom, and the cozy couch in the corner are all bonuses that I note while dreaming of what the space might look like once I fill it.

Bouncing on his toes, Leo jumps in front of me. “Do you like it?”

“It’s perfect,” I tell him honestly. “I’m sure I’ll sleep very well here.”