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He says something to her, and although I can’t hear his words clearly from here, I see the way she smiles so wide at him that it makes my heart skip a beat.
Mikhail grumbles under his breath, his lips curling into something close to a snarl, his words loud enough for our father to hear.
“Our old man is eager to steal our girl.”
I can’t help myself but laugh quietly.
It’s hard not to feel a little protective whenever we catch them both together like this; our father so eager to act fatherly towards her, and Chiara never hesitating to soak it all up.
Before I can say anything to Mikhail, she spots us.
Her eyes light up, and she practically leaps from her seat, rushing over towards us both with a bright smile plastered on her face.
Our father doesn’t even seem bothered by it, he just watches her go, his eyes twinkling with something like approval.
Chiara reaches us in a flash, throwing her arms around both of us in one go.
Her touch is warm, comforting, like it always is.
We both wrap our arms around her body, holding her close to us.
She’s the centre of everything, and I feel that truth in every beat of my heart.
“I’ve missed you both.”
She says, pulling back just enough to look up at us.
Her cheeks are flushed, and her eyes are sparkling.
“We’ve missed you more.”
Mikhail says, his voice low, but full of affection as he cups her face in his hands.
I follow suit, rubbing my thumb over her cheek.
“And you’re looking as beautiful as ever, darling.”
She laughs softly, looking down at the floor briefly as a soft pink tint creeps up her neck.
Then, as she looks back up at us, her lips curl into a mischievous grin.
“So, are you both hungry?”
She asks us, and I know what she’s doing.
That playful tone gets to useverydamn time.
I glance over at Mikhail, sharing a look with my brother before I turn back to Chiara, giving her a sly smile of my own.
“Oh, we’re starving.” I say, leaning in closer to whisper against her lips. “We’reveryhungry indeed.”
Her cheeks flush a deeper red as she immediately looks away from us, but I can see the amusement in her eyes.
I know exactly what she’s thinking.
She’s got that glint in her eye, the one she always gets whenever she’s about to tease us, or whenever she’s trying to hide the way she becomes affected by us.
Before she can say anything else, Mikhail and I take her by her hands, leading her towards our bedroom.