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“Tomorrow.” Sighing, I slide through the pictures we’ve taken with one another. “She invited me for a visit and told me I could stay at her home in Mayfair whenever I wanted.” His brow drops, and I know he’s gearing up to list the reasons why it’s not possible. “I know it can’t happen until things are more settled, but eventually, I would like to go and look into the school I told you about and meet my cousins and great-aunts.”
“We can talk about it after the real estate is sold off and the jackals have returned to their cave.”
“Speaking of that, how is the fire sale going? Has Alexey been able to unload any of it yet?”
“I’ll check with him when I see him at the office.”
“How is desk duty going?”
“It’s fine.” He stands and walks around the island. “The shipping business is interesting enough.”
“If I apologize again for my complicated situation, will you get aggravated?” He takes my hand and I know my need for constant reassurance is annoying.
“Your situation led us to getting married, which is something I will never regret.”
“Really?” I press my hand against his chest. “Bullet hole and all.”
“Absolutely. And if someone asked me to rate my experience, I would give it twenty out of ten.” He kisses me lightly. “Five stars.”
“Damn. My scrambled eggs must be magic.”
“You’re magic and have touched me in ways I never could’ve predicted.”
Silence burns around us and our breath becomes the only sound. I don’t know what to do with my husband’s words. After everything he’s endured, he sees our marriage as a blessing. “I thought my past would make a happy future impossible.”
“Unbroken.”
“What?” I slide my hand over his arm.
“You are not the darkness you endured but the light you refused to surrender.” Lifting my hands, he kisses them. “You are unbroken.”
“No one has ever seen me like that.”
“You have chosen to be good despite your circumstances, and it makes me love you more each day.”
“Don’t put me on a pedestal.” I kiss his hand. “I would commit horrendous sins if you were in danger.” Closing my eyes, I breathe slowly. “And would allow you to drag me to hell if it means holding your hand.” He runs his thumb down my cheek as love ripples through my heart with deep certainty. “You are my beloved, Yuri.”
“I used to think that there were only two types of love. The kind you’d kill for and the kind you’d die for. But you are the kind I want to live for.”
I kiss him gently and hear the loft door slide open.
“Everyone dressed?” Vlad calls out.
“I’m changing the code,” Yuri barks as he stands and stalks toward the bedroom. “You can’t show up without calling.”
Making a show of looking at his watch, Vlad smirks. “You told me to be here at nine, so fuck you.”
I fill a travel mug with coffee, add two teaspoons of sugar, and then hand it to my brother-in-law. “This may help.”
“Thanks, doll.” He takes a long slug and smiles. “Stasia should be up in a few. I saw her roll into the garage on the security feed.”
“Oh good.”
“What kind of trouble are you two getting into this morning?”
“We’re searching for buried treasure?” His brows knock together in confusion. “She’s going to help me go through the boxes again and see if we can find a set of keys or scrap of paper with the password for the Cayman accounts.”
“I wish you both luck.”
