Page 131 of Joey

I stand and greet him first. “Jakob?”

“Maximo?” He holds out his hand and I shake it.

“I’ll leave you both to talk.” I turn to Kristin and give her a soft kiss on the cheek before I whisper, “Say the word and he’s dead.”

“Stop it.” She laughs, pushing me away and looking at Jakob.

I shake my head and take a seat at a table a few feet away. They stand and look at each other for several seconds.

“I’m sorry. My dad…he…” she starts to ramble.

“I know. They told me,” he replies in a thick Russian accent.

She rubs a hand over her swollen belly.

“It’s mine?” he asks, and I wince at the hurt on her face. But what else is the guy supposed to say? He hasn’t seen her for six months.

“Of course he’s yours.”

“He?”

“It’s a boy, yeah.” She looks down at the floor, and I shake my head. Jakob’s blowing this, and I’m going to be forced to slap some sense into him if he doesn’t up his game soon.

He says something in Russian, and the words must mean something to her because she looks up and smiles. And then she’s in his arms and he’s kissing her like there’s no one else in the room.

Uncomfortable, I look away, feeling like a voyeur and making a mental note to limit Joey’s and my displays of affection in front of her brothers. Well, I’ll try at least, but it’s too damn hard to keep my hands off her.

When I look up, they’re still kissing, so I clear my throat to remind them that I’m still here. Fortunately they pull apart and sit down, spending the next hour talking and smiling and staring into each other’s eyes. Even a blind man could see these two are made for each other.

“Thank you for looking after Kristin and arranging this, Maximo,” Jakob says as he gets ready to leave the restaurant.

“Any time,” I assure him.

He looks back at my little sister. “I’m not leaving here without you both. I’ll be staying in Chicago until you agree to come home with me.”

Kristin blushes to the roots of her hair. “I know. But I have to speak to my father. And you have to meet him. We have lots to organize.”

Jakob nods. “Come to my hotel later. You and your father. We can talk about everything?”

“Okay. We can do that,” she agrees, a huge smile on her face.

“I’ll be outside in the car.” With a nod to them both, I walk away, giving them privacy to say their goodbyes.

Stepping outside into the sunshine, I smile. I’m glad Kristin was right about him. Whatever else he may be, he seems to adore her. That’s all I can ask, not that I have much say in her life given that I’ve only known her for a few weeks. But I guess my relationship with Joey has taught me that the people we would choose for those we care about aren’t necessarily the people they belong with.

Kristin climbs into the car a few moments later, a radiant smile lighting up her face.

I laugh as I start the engine. “That went well then?”

“Better than well, Max! He wants me and the baby to live with him in New York. He has his own apartment. His brother lives there as well, but the place is huge and we won’t be in his way, and he’s fine about having a baby there. And Jakob is super excited about the baby too…” She continues to ramble excitedly for the entire ride home, talking about their plans for the future and how happy she is.

“I’m happy for you, sis.”

“You are?”

“Of course I am.”

“Did you like him, Max? It means a lot to me that you do.”