Page 70 of Fractured Empire

“Thank you.”

“I’ve got you, man.” He nods, dropping the Boss title. “Go be with your family.”

That’s exactly what I’m going to do.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Katya

“Daddy’s home!” Leo shouts suddenly, his voice shockingly loud for coming from such a small mouth. I almost choke on my bite of apple, coughing as I whip my head around to see what he’s seen.

I didn’t hear anyone come in, but Leo isn’t mistaken in his statement. His father is two steps into the kitchen when Leo’s plastic Bluey plate scrapes against the table as he shoves away from it to clammer down from his seat and shoot toward the kitchen entrance with considerable speed.

“Daddy, you home! We make cookies.”

“You made cookies?” he echoes, catching Leo as he launches himself into his father’s arms. Leon puts his youngest on his hip and presses a kiss to the side of his head, his lips softly meeting bouncy blonde curls. “I hope that’s not all you’ve been eating. We’ll have a sugar monster on our hands if you don’t get your vegetables too.”

Leo giggles wildly, finding the comment hilarious. “Silly, Daddy. We eat lunch, too.”

Bastian gets up as well, much less hurriedly than his little brother. Still, I catch the smile that spreads over his lips as he walks over to join them. He doesn’t say a word as he leans into his father, hugging Leon’s side gently. He looks so small next to his father, a stark difference to seeing him next to little Leo and me all day.

Matching his sons, my husband’s smile spreads and he leans down to drop a kiss on top of Bastian’s head, rubbing his small back with his free hand. Leo squeals happily as he hangs sideways, not minding being shifted so his brother could be greeted too.

Blinking at the domestic scene, I swallow and set down the uneaten half of my apple slice and stand up from the table, plastering an easy grin on my face. “You’re early. Did you miss us?”

Leon’s eyes shoot up to meet mine and he stands up straight once again. “More than you know.” His reply is so direct that it hits me square in the gut, the intensity of his words nearly knocking me off balance. “I had to come see you all.”

Dreamy blue eyes meet mine, and my mouth goes dry.

“Are you hungry?” I manage to ask, shifting on my feet. “We’re having chicken wraps and fruit. I can make you a plate…”

“Please.” Leon nods. Bending his knees, he suddenly scoops Bastian up, causing him to laugh. Both kids in hand, Leon walks further into the kitchen, heading toward the table. “Come on, kids, let’s eat the rest of your food and you can tell me about these cookies you made.”

I have to force myself to look away from them and get to the counter to whip up an extra plate for Leon. There’s plenty of extra chicken and wrap ingredients, thankfully, but having what I need to finish the task isn’t the difficult part. Not staring at my husband as he settles in with his sons—not being swept up in the adorable view—that’s the nearly impossible part.

Leo is still babbling on about the process of baking cookies, all the candy we put into the batter, and his general activities of the day when I finally finish putting together a passable looking plate for his father. It seems ridiculous to be presenting the Underboss of The Outfit a plate with a chicken tender wrap and a cup of cut fruit on the side, but the kids have been devouring the lunch option and he could always choose to eat something else instead.

“Thank you, Katya,” Leon says, accepting the plate and giving me a long look before setting it down in front of himself.

“You’re welcome.” I swallow, sitting down in my previous seat.

I’m not nervous to see him, that much I know. But I’m acting like a scared little lamb because his intense effect on me is something so new that I don’t know how to handle it. All I can think about is whether there will be a day when he comes home from work and kisses more than the kids. Is there a future where he sweeps into the room and pulls me off my feet to hug me tightly and kiss me hard?

Is there a future where he has more than two little ones to greet when he comes home?

“Good manners,” Leo chirps, grinning as he chomps into a slice of melon.

I laugh a little at his compliment, smiling fondly. “You’re such a smart little cutie, aren’t you? Both you and your brother have learned so many nice manners. I bet you could teach my sister a few.”

“We nice boys,” Leo agrees with a firm bob of his head. “My Rain-uhh say so.”

“The nicest boys,” I confirm, feeling my heart swell. I’m definitely going to text Rayna about this moment.

“Gaia was nice,” Bastian adds politely.

“Yes, she was,” Leon says, sounding proud of his son’s response. “She’s a part of our family now. Since she’s Katya’s sister, she’s technically your aunt by law. But I think we can call her cousin Gaia, what do you think?”

“Cugina,” Bastian translates for his brother, just in case he doesn’t understand the full context of the word.