Page 25 of Scarlet Sins (Yegorov Bratva #2)

Chapter Twenty-One

ERIN

Sasha’s with Alina, and Olga, but I refused to go. In the living room with his study door open, I can hear what’s been said—mostly—in Demyan’s study.

And even if I couldn’t hear most of the words, it’s clear Sergio’s furious and making threats. But the thing is the man’s loud and I hear them.

Hear him tell Demyan he’ll finish him and wipe the floor with him. Destroy his empire and rape his business. He’ll kill all of his people.

All that and more after Demyan told him he’d risk it.

I pace, biting my fingernails, my stomach churning hard.

Demyan walks in and my knees almost give way. He looks both like he’s added a different weight to him but also flung off the previous baggage.

“It’s done.”

“Demyan, I?—”

“The wedding, the arrangement with Stefina’s done and dusted.”

I open my mouth to speak again, but I hesitate.

This is what I wanted all along, but the threats and Sergio’s tone. Hell, I never really considered how angry he’d be, what this all meant.

I was just consumed by my own emotions and I didn’t think of the wider picture, and now…

Sergio basically just threatened not to only financially destroy Demyan but end him. And I don’t think that was metaphorical. I think he meant it in the biblical sense.

I swallow hard.

Have I just put Demyan in more danger? Sasha?

But I know that Demyan’s strong, the strongest man I know. And I saw what he did to Niko for me. Demyan can take care of himself. Still… have I gone and just made everything harder for my man?

“Demyan,” I whisper, “I heard. What Sergio said. I didn’t think, didn’t realize just exactly how serious all this was. I was selfish. If you need more time, maybe you can go to him and work?—”

He holds up a hand. “Stop.”

“Have I caused even more problems in your life?”

He comes up to me and offers me a small smile, his pale-blue eyes glittering with warmth. And he cups my cheek with the palm of his hand. “There’s nothing to worry about.”

“But—”

“What, you think I’m scared of that ass? No, Erin. I was looking for the easiest route, but sometimes that’s not the right one. I’ll find the way. It’ll be a harder road, but I guarantee it’ll be better in the long run.”

“That doesn’t sound like it’s okay,” I say.

He kisses me softly. “I’m a big boy. I thrive on the difficult, on challenges. And more importantly, I can take care of those I love and myself.”

“But—”

“Ask Alina, ask Ilya, ask anyone here, and they’ll tell you they’re with me the entire way and that I’ve always taken care of things.

I’ve built my father’s empire into something bigger and better and I’ll be fucked if I’ll let a small fry like Sergio take it all away from me. It’s done, and I feel better about it.”

“You said that the reason you were sticking with it was not to rock the boat.”

He sighs and strokes his other hand through my hair. “The thing is, trouble was coming because, as I said, I had no intentions of marrying her. I’m still working on it all, but I just finished the sham of the engagement. That’s all.”

At the door, Ilya speaks. “He’s right. Better it’s done now.” Then he turns to Sasha, who’s pressed against the wheelchair, all puppy dog like he’ll get a go in it if he keeps it up. “Leave Ilya be, Sasha,” I say as Demyan steps away.

“Okay, Mama!” He looks at Ilya. “I love you more if you take me for a ride.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Ilya says, chuckling.

Demyan meets the man’s gaze. “Anything?”

“Not yet.” And he wheels off, grumbling about not being allowed to walk.

I want to keep talking to Demyan, but it’s clear he’s said his piece on it, so I bend down to Sasha. “Uncle Ilya’s hurt, Sasha, so he can’t give you a ride yet.”

“When he’s better.” Demyan ruffles his hair.

Sasha looks from me to Demyan. “Tomorrow?”

“This kid,” he groans. “Soon, Sasha.”

He picks up our son and Sasha hugs his daddy.

My heart swells at that. My boy’s taken to his father in such a short time frame, and more than that, Demyan’s bloomed with Sasha’s pure love. He dotes on him and doesn’t care who sees. He’ll break a man in two, but he loves Sasha.

I don’t know, maybe he’s a bad man like my brother said, but he’s so good to our son, and he’d been good to me, too. Even when he was so furious he locked me in that room, he never lifted a finger, and he’s apologized for the rest. That means something to me. Right or wrong, it means the world.

“You know, Lyubimaya , I haven’t spent enough time with Sasha over the past week. I feel bad, so why don’t we go out? Dinner? Ice cream?”

Sasha’s eyes light up. “Ice cream!”

“Okay,” Demyan says, laughing. “Ice cream for dinner, just the three of us.”

And it’s time. I think. Time to let Sasha know. To get him used to the idea he won’t be an only child.

“Well, the four of us,” I say, smiling at the confused look on Sasha’s face.

“But Mama…” He counts on his fingers using all of them. “There are one five ten of us. You, me, and Dino.”

“No, there are four,” says Demyan. “Three plus one more is four.”

“Four?” he repeats, looking perplexed.

“He doesn’t quite have the hang of counting.”

“He’s two, give him a break, Mama,” Demyan says, putting him down.

“Yeah, Mama. Break me.”

I swallow laughter at Sasha mangling the words.

But Demyan gravely goes down on his knees next to Sasha and motions for me to sit. I do.

“Four is you, me, mama, and the baby.”

He frowns. “My goat?”

“That’d be five,” Demyan mutters, then catches the shake of my head. “No,” he says a little louder, “the baby makes four. I know you wanted a kitten or a puppy, but we’re having something better. A baby.”

“Where?”

He takes Sasha’s small hand and puts it on my tummy. “It’s very, very small, much smaller than your smallest car, but it’s growing, here in mama’s tummy. ”

“You have a baby, Mama?”

“Yeah, Sasha. There’s a baby growing inside me.”

“How?”

Demyan opens his mouth, looking horrified, and is about to say something but I cut him off.

“In nine months you’ll be a big brother.”

“Me?” He’s immediately interested. “Can I make the baby play?”

“One day, yes, but first you’re going to help mama and we’ll go shopping and you can pick out things for the baby.” Demyan says this like it’s a good idea. All I can imagine are pink trucks and baby goat plushies.

“A big brother is a very important job, Sasha,” I say.

He thinks about it, then he smiles. “I want the baby now!”

Sasha’s chosen ice cream is truly disgusting, with gummies and sprinkles and chocolate sauce.

He’s covered in it by the time we reach the park, the one Demyan took him to when I went to the doctor and I think they’re both showing off with the swings and slide and other equipment.

Actually, I don’t know who’s having more fun, Demyan or Sasha. And it makes my heart light and full and sing.

I cleaned my son with wet wipes as best I could and I’m left on the bench—my choice—holding the dripping, melting remnants of Sasha’s treat. I could have joined them, but I wanted Demyan to have this moment with Sasha, and to witness it is something special.

I can almost see the bond’s thread growing stronger by the second.

When they come back, Demyan motions me to come over, so I walk to them with the drippy ice cream for Sasha, who plonks down immediately to finish it.

“Good, huh?” Demyan asks as he sprawls next to me, hand resting on my thigh like it’s the most natural thing.

Sasha glances up and nods. “Yummy.” Then he takes in the fact that we don’t have one and he reluctantly holds his up. “Dino want?”

“Nah, that’s yours, Sasha.” He grins. “Besides, I shared mine with mama.”

“And the baby?”

Demyan’s gaze shifts to me. “Yeah.”

“Okay.” And Sasha proceeds to eat and wear the rest of his ice cream.

When he’s finished, before I can clean him again, Sasha tears away.

“Watch me!”

And he starts to play.

“You spoil him,” I say.

“I want him to have everything I didn’t,” Demyan says after a moment. “And a little spoiling never hurt anyone.”

“Stefina?”

He flinches and I wish I hadn’t made the joke.

“There’s spoiling with treats and there’s raising someone to be self-entitled and replacing love with materialistic things.

I’ll spoil him within reason. But right now?

I want to make up for some lost time. I want to show him we’re a family and I love him. It’s ice cream.”

His words make my eyes swim with unshed tears. “And pizza and pets?—”

“He doesn’t have a pet.”

“Yet.”

Demyan shakes his head and laughs. “Can I get him a pet one day?”

Oh God. I smile and as he sits up to steal a kiss, I drop my forehead to his. “Obviously. One day. When he can learn to look after it.”

“Yes, Lyubimaya .”

I’m still concerned about Sergio, but Demyan did what I wanted, and I trust him when he says he knows what he’s doing.

He also chose me and Sasha and the baby.

Demyan pulls back. “Do you want a big wedding?”

“Not really. I never thought about it. The fanfare isn’t what it’s about, is it? It’s the love and commitment, at least, that’s what I always thought.”

Then he floors me.

“Let’s elope.”

“What?” I manage.

“Let’s elope. Go somewhere tropical. Like Aruba. Just you and me and Sasha. We’ll bring Ilya, Alina, and Kara, too. Let’s do this. Soon. What do you say?”

I stare at him, trying to breathe. “I thought you were talking hypothetical.”

“Do you want to do that, having something small? Because who else do we really need?”

“No one. No one at all.”

“So, how about it? Elope with me?”

And happiness blooms bright inside. “Yes, Demyan. Yes!”