Page 39 of Her Rustanov Husband (Ruthless Bullies #2)

TASHA

“Do you think the plan actually worked?” Ruthie asked on Sunday night when we arrived once again at the Orono mansion. This time in a Maybach to drop off Bully. Apparently, Yom was still boycotting Nakamuras in his auto fleet.

“Not sure,” I admitted, chewing on my lip.

Yom’s personal guard, Stepan, had squinted a little when Suro and I got off the plane with Bully, Ruthie, and P.M.—the gentle black pittie Nikolai’s family had happily rescued six years ago.

But he hadn’t said anything, just opened the back passenger door for Ruthie, Bully, and me to scramble into the Maybach’s back seat while Suro went to open the trunk for P.M., his onyx eyes assessing the open-air field for threats before he closed the pittie in and climbed into the passenger seat.

Less than thirty minutes later, when we pulled up to the beautiful white-and-ivy house, Bully was knocked out in his car seat after a weekend of fun with an aunt and uncle who missed having little kids—and who knew they might only get this chance once after Yom found out how many of us had conspired to help Lydia make her moonshot.

I had to admit to Ruthie that I still didn’t know what would greet us at the mansion.

“I mean, Lydia’s plan was a long shot,” I said, keeping my voice down so as not to wake Bully. “But even Rustanovs can be excessively open to reason under the right circumstances.”

Ruthie arched an incredulous eyebrow. “Like giving them a knockout drug, chaining them up, and demanding they fall back in crazy love with you again?”

I thought of how Suro responded when he found out I was pregnant with Gracie after hunting me down when I tried to run with my secret baby and shrugged. “Babies are called miracles for a reason.”

“Okay, but maybe you guys stay out here,” Ruthie suggested as Stepan put the Maybach in park. “I’ll go inside, assess the situation to see if he really kicked Lydia out after her ninety days were up, like Pavel said he was planning to, then I’ll come back and let you know if it’s safe to come in.”

I hated to send Ruthie in there all by herself. Yes, she was in her twenties now, but part of me still thought of her as the little girl who made her dad and Suro play tea party with her and Gracie.

“Take P.M., too,” I advised. “Tell him you have to bring her back outside to pee if he starts asking too many questions about how Lydia got ahold of that knockout drug and a syringe.”

Ruthie saluted and woke Bully.

We all clamored out of the car, but Bully insisted on being the one to get P.M. out of the trunk.

I’d forgotten how much delight little kids take in the privilege of doing simple tasks we adults take for granted.

After he disappeared into the house with Ruthie, leaving Suro and me to linger by the front entrance, we fell into our usual prattle and listen dynamic.

“Sometimes I just wish I could tell Yom, ‘Listen, you have no idea how fast it goes by. Whatever time you get with them, you need to be treasuring it, not thinking of new ways to make your wife miserable.’”

Suro nodded in sage agreement. I still couldn’t believe he belonged to me.

And I don’t know if—after growing up mostly not seeing his cold, distant father and getting divorced by his first wife, who’d thrown up deuces after Kenji’s autism diagnosis—he’d ever fully believe our happy family belonged to him.

The falling and admitting we were in love had been hard, but the rest had been easy, and the years had flown by.

Poor Lydia…

“If Yom really kicked her out, we’ll have to go find her,” I decided out loud. “Help her get back on her feet. Also, get her a lawyer to fight Yom’s battalion for at least partial custody. You know, I think she’d really love Chicago. And it’s not that far from?—”

A bloodcurdling scream tore through the air.

My stomach dropped, and trusting that Suro would find a way to interfere with Stepan before he could chase after me, I ran through the house’s front door.

I found Bully at the bottom of the steps already headed upstairs, straight toward the screams—like he could do anything about whatever had caused them.

I could tell he was like my Grace when she was a girl, always ready to protect and defend, even if the person was twice her size.

But in this case, the trait was more terrifying than endearing. “Bully, no,” I called up the stairs. “Don’t go up?—”

The there trailed off when Ruthie came racing out to the grand staircase’s landing with her hands covering her eyes. “Ew! Ew! Ew! I can’t unsee that!”

Ohhh … so that was what the scream was all about.

My terror morphed into barely suppressed laughter.

“It’s not funny!” Ruthie insisted, flaring her no-longer-quite-so-innocent eyes at me.

“What not funny?” Bully asked, stopping halfway up the stairs.

Ruthie refused to answer him, just dropped down to the top step to dramatically cradle her head in her hands.

“What happen?” Bully demanded. “Why you scream, Ruthie?”

“Because she is learning hard lesson…” Yom’s cool voice sounded, right before he appeared on the landing. Holding hands with a sheepish-looking Lydia.

They both wore what I suspected were hastily donned robes.

“…about not knocking before she comes into a couple’s bedroom,” Yom finished, casting a glare down at his traumatized cousin.

“I did knock!” Ruthie shrieked over her shoulder. “And called your names—several times.”

“He did not hear you,” I assured her from firsthand experience. Even for people who get down like Suro and me, walking into that Chicago bedroom was… a lot.

“Anyway, what Yom and I really want to say is thank you.” Lydia stepped in to sincerely tell Ruthie, “Thank you for taking care of Bully while we…”

She smiled shyly up at Yom. “…worked things out.”

“Mommy! You’re smiling!” Bully’s whole face lit up. Then, for some reason, he raced the rest of the way up the stairs past Ruthie to throw his arms around Yom’s waist. Then kid-yelled, “Thank you for my Christmas present!”

I had no idea what that meant. But I knew that “Girl, blink twice” vibe had all changed when Yom lifted his son up to tell him, “Like Papa said, I will do anything for you.” He gave Lydia a significant look. “For both of you. Anything at all. All you have to do is ask.”

By this time, Suro had come in with Stepan, and we exchanged a look, somehow both already knowing three things for sure.

Lydia’s crazy plan to get back the love she and Yom once had worked!

And…

Lydia’s Rustanov Bully would be her loving Rustanov Husband.

Forever.

The End