Page 83 of Savage Empire

“Don’t hold your breath,milichko,” I advise, sniffing. “I doubt there will be a day that Apollo and I aren’t verbally sparring.”

“We’ll see,” he says, lips twisting. “We’ve got all the time in the world.”

“Yes, we do,” Apollo agrees.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Rayna

One month later

“Thanks so much for inviting us over!” Jade sings happily, waltzing into the apartment, a baby on each hip.

Inviting over is a bit of a strong statement. It was more like after weeks of being in this area, and staying home almost all of the time, my concerned brother insisted I start texting with the youngest Moretti girl. She’d apparently been giving me space to settle in, but was dying to reach out to develop a friendship.

I can’t deny that I was beginning to get lonely. Elio’s visits were starting to become few and far between. He spent most of his time checking in on Sienna. Leon visited once and awhile throughout the month, but mostly to do his driving lessons with Yordan. Most of the time, my non-family human interactions came from Apollo.

But I’d developed a bit of a habit of feeling burdensome. I tried to stay out of the way. Most of my days consisted of binge watching TV, reading the occasional thriller novel, and baking. I was bored.

And Jade? Jade was anything but boring.

She lived a busy day to day life, raising twins while surrounded by countless brothers. From her texts alone, I could tell that she was full of energy. It was almost infectious, even through the phone. So when she suggested I come visit her mansion of chaos, I countered with a visit here.

The apartment had become my safe zone. I was used to it. Comfortable in it. I’d even decorated the space more since moving in. Mostly at the insistence of Armani, who did still stop in occasionally.

“Hello,” Dmitri Morozov greets, tone soft with his Russian accent.

Jade warned me that her husband would be tagging along, but not to worry, he would keep to himself. The man had no interest in inserting himself into girl time, he was merely here to assure his wife’s safety, and to help care for his children.

From everything Jade has told me, Dmitri is the kind of man that little girls dream of marrying. He’s strong and protective, but he’s a soft father and a gentle husband. Apollo has told me that Dmitri, like Adrian, is someone he would call a friend. So with his trust in him, and Jade’s obvious adoration for her husband, I don’t find the huge Russian man frightening.

“Oh my gosh,” Jade gushes, spinning around as we walk further into the space. “This place is so cute! I love your throw pillows, they look like puffy little clouds of fluff.”

“Cesar will try to eat them,” Dmitri says, chuckling.

“Oh yes, we should keep him away from anything that you don’t want slobber on. He’s an enthusiastic chewer these days.” Jade nods, her big blue eyes wide and sparkling.

“Yordan was like that,” I admit, a soft smile finding my lips. “They’re one, aren’t they?”

“One and some months in change,” Jade reports happily. “The weeks and months thing for babies confuses me, if I’mhonest. Math is not my strong suit. I forgot their birthday once and cried for two days over it.”

“Postpartum brain fog is very common, I hear,” I reply sympathetically. “You have twins, I’m sure you didn’t actually forget. You were just distracted keeping them happy and healthy.”

“Mom guilt is always common,” she replies glumly before shaking it off. “But I wouldn’t trade it for the world. Mind if we sit? Last chance to hide anything that you don’t want drenched in baby drool.”

I chuckle, gesturing to the couch. “Have at it, I don’t mind if he touches anything. Nothing is sacred, I promise.”

“Thank goodness,” she cheers, rounding the back of the sofa to plop down. “We brought some toys for them, and they’ve eaten lunch already so they should be perfect little angels in theory.”

“I don’t mind if they aren’t.” I shrug, pointing a thumb over my shoulder toward the kitchen. “Do any of you want a drink or something?”

“We’re good for now, I think, thank you.” Jade beams as she sets Cesar on the floor, pulling a bundle of toys from the diaper bag Dmitri carried in.

“Um, I made the twins a treat but I didn’t want to bring them out unless you thought they’d enjoy it. And you know, you were fine with it.” I wring my hands, feeling awkward. “They’re just little cake pop balls without the sticks and they’re made with apple sauce instead of sugar so they’re not overly sweet for their age.”

“Stop,” Jade says, hand clutching her heart. “You made them special for them? I’m going to cry.” She sniffs, shaking off the emotion that has built up quickly. “They won’t be hungry yet, but before we leave they’ll go crazy for them. Thank you.”

“It was no trouble,” I reply quietly, face heating.