Page 63

Matthias

I take a few deep breaths and try to calm myself before dinner with Margot.

It’s been a few days since the call with my brothers and still no update. The silence is maddening. I’m trapped in a constant state of stress, always on alert, waiting for something to happen to Margot.

I know it’s irrational. No one knows she’s here. But I can’t shake the feeling. There’s a target on her back, and I feel it like crosshairs on my own skin.

Once I’ve reined myself in, I head to the dining room, and instantly, a genuine smile breaks across my face.

She’s already seated. Not at the other end of the table like she always insists, but at the chair to the right of my head seat.

My smile widens.

She’s finally given in. Every dinner, she would move her setting to the opposite head of the table, and every time, I moved mine to her right. But now… now she’s placed herself beside me wi thout prompting. It’s such a small gesture, but it means everything.

This is why I do it all. This woman is worth every moment of worry.

I sit down beside her and immediately reach for her hand. Her smaller one disappears inside mine, so delicate and soft. It’s a reminder of just how fragile she is, and how fiercely I need to protect her.

“So, what’s on the menu tonight?” she asks casually, pretending like her seating choice means nothing.

“Nuh-uh.” I squeeze her hand. “Why are we sitting at my head of the table, sweetheart?”

“Oh, we are, aren’t we?” she says, glancing around like she didn’t pick the seat on purpose. “I didn’t even notice.”

“Not a chance. Try again.” I grin.

She huffs. “I just didn’t feel like moving my stuff. My arms are tired from walking Benny earlier.”

I arch a brow. “That’s funny. Because I distinctly remember me being the one holding his leash.”

She gives me a half-hearted shrug. “Your legs are longer, and you’ll fit better there?”

“Margot,” I warn.

“Fine,” she relents, eyes rolling. “I wanted to sit next to you. Where we’re supposed to. I like you being at the head.”

My smile grows so wide it aches.

That’s my girl.

“How about a movie tonight. It’s been a while.”

Her face lights up. “Yes! That sounds great. What do you want to watch?”

“Whatever you’d like.”

***

“What the fuck are we watching? ”

She giggles, her whole body shaking in my arms. “Matty, just give it a chance.”

The way she’s curled up against me, so relaxed, so carefree… it soothes something deep inside me.

This is why I keep everything from her. Why I carry the stress alone. She doesn’t need to know how close the Bratva is or how dangerous this world can be. She deserves peace. Happiness. She deserves to laugh like this without fear.

I’ll take all the darkness so she can stay in the light.

Her laugh pulls me from my spiraling thoughts. I unclench my fists and gently rub her back, grounding myself in the feel of her against me. When she’s in my arms, I know she’s safe.

“The last date I went on was worse than this,” she sighs.

What the fuck?

My entire body stills.

Who? Who the fuck was the last guy? Why is she thinking about another man? Why is she comparing us? I swear to God, I will kill him.

I suck in a sharp breath and exhale slowly, trying and failing to stay calm. Every muscle in my body locks. I’m seething.

“He was a nice guy,” she continues, oblivious to my rage. “We’d been seeing each other for about a month. We were ready to take the next step, so after dinner one night, I invited him over. We were making out on my couch, and he took my shirt off, then my bra–”

“Stop! I’ve heard enough!” I cut her off, my voice louder than I meant. I can’t take another word.

She waves me off. “Hush. It gets better.”

No, no it fucking does not.

“So, he’s holding my boobs, right? Just kind of staring at them.”

I feel nauseous.

Why is she doing this to me ?

“Then, still holding my tits, he looks me dead in the eyes and says, ‘I can’t thank you enough. You’ve helped me come to terms with who I am. I’m gay.’”

What?

“He hugs me. Mind you, my tits are still out. Then kisses my cheek. He starts telling me how hard it’s been, and before I know it, he’s downloading Grindr and we’re scrolling through profiles together.

He was so appreciative. Needless to say, I didn’t get any that night.

It was the straw that broke the camel’s back. I stopped dating after that.”

The laugh explodes out of me before I can stop it. My whole body shakes so badly that Margot falls off my lap. I’m wheezing, my eyes watering.

“Stop it! It’s not funny,” she protests, smacking my chest.

“Oh, sweetheart.” I’m still gasping. “The man held your glorious tits, and that’s what made him realize he was gay? I’m sorry, sweet girl, but that’s fucking hilarious.”

She huffs but eventually cracks a smile. “Fine, that one’s funny. But trust me, I’ve had way worse dates than what’s on the screen right now.”

Oh, this should be good.

“There was the guy who insisted on ordering the spiciest ramen on the menu, against both the waiter’s and my protests. He made it about three bites before sweating through his shirt, crying actual tears, and I kid you not, pissing himself at the table.”

Jesus Christ. What a fucking disgrace. I could down that ramen without blinking. Pathetic.

She grins wider now, clearly enjoying this. “Then there was the one who wanted to ‘share his passion’ with me… He brought me to his workshop and had me watch him taxidermy a beaver.”

That’s not just disgusting, it’s deranged. Who the fuck thinks dead animal stuffing is first-date material ?

“Oh! The second date with another guy? He brought me to his uncle’s funeral. Introduced me to his entire family as his ‘future baby mama’”

My jaw clenches. Future baby mama? No. She’s only having my babies.

She shrugs like it’s nothing. “One guy tried to recruit me into joining his pyramid scheme. Called it a ‘business opportunity for entrepreneurial spirits.’ I said no, obviously.”

My smart girl. But still, he pitches a Ponzi scheme instead of asking how her day was?

“Another one told me we should go to the gym for our next date because I ‘clearly need it.’”

I nearly black out. The audacity. The fucking corpse of a man is lucky he didn’t leave with his jaw broken. Margot is perfect. He should’ve been grateful to breathe the same air as her.

“And then,” she says with a laugh, “there was the guy who brought two other women on our first date. Claimed he didn’t have time to waste and wanted to speed up the search for his wife.”

“What the fuck,” I mutter.

She smirks. “He got three drinks in his face.”

Damn right he did. Any man who even thinks about another woman while in Margot’s presence deserve a beating.

Not that another man will ever have her.

She’s mine.

“Okay,” I say, forcing calmness in my voice. “You’ve had some bad dates. I’ll give you that.”

I’ll replace each one. I’ll fly her across the world, take her to every five-star restaurant, give her everything she’s ever wanted. I’ll treat her like the princess she is.

“I’m so glad that’s over,” she says. “I never have to go on another first date now that I have you. Wait! Not that I think this is permanent. I mean, I know we’re just waiting out the Bratva thing. I’m not trying to lock you down or anything. I’m not planning our wedding or naming our babies or–”

I am.

“Margot, stop,” I say gently. I lift her off the floor and place her back on my lap where she belongs.

“You’re never going on another first date. There will never be another man for you. Just as there will never be another woman for me. There are no other women. There’s only you, sweetheart.”

She opens her mouth, but I stop her with a finger on her lips.

“This isn’t temporary. I’m handling the Bratva, and when that’s done, I’m taking you on so many dates they’ll erase every single one before me.

And yes, we’re getting married. We’re going to have a house full of kids.

A home full of laughter and love. We won’t ever be apart.

You will never run from me again. And no one will take you from me. ”

I tilt her chin up to meet my eyes. “You are mine.”

I see the hesitation in her gaze, the disbelief. The way her eyes widened at the mention of kids. She starts to respond, but I silence her with a kiss.

She melts into it. It starts soft, then turns deep, and ends with me buried inside her.

Later, as we lie together, her body curled into mine, I stare at the ceiling.

I have a date to plan.