Page 80 of Scarlet Vows

I squeeze my eyes shut a moment. “So much.”

“Max was a smart guy, a good guy, and more than that, he loved you. He’d want you to be happy,” Ilya murmurs.

His words crack something apart inside me, and I sob. I know he’s right, but…

“It’s hard to believe in your heart that you can have happiness again, isn’t it?”

“Yes.”

“Oh,malyshka, I get it. I do. When you’re ready, I’ll be waiting.”

“For me?”

“You.”

“But…” I look at him. “What if I’m never ready?”

He gives me his secret, crooked, Ilya smile, one he’s only ever given me. “Then I’ll be waiting a long time.”

I don’t know why it makes me feel better, but it does. It’s nothing I haven’t heard before, but maybe it’s because it comes from Ilya…

I smile back. “Maybe we should eat before the food gets cold. And I hope there are shrimp rolls.”

“Of course.” He gives me another of his secret smiles. “But first I have a surprise for you.”

He walks away and disappears.

I don’t want a surprise. I don’t deserve one. I want to lean on him and mope about Albert.

“Are you ready?” he calls out.

Then he steps into the room with a furry bundle in his arms, a tail wagging hard.

I squeal. “Albert!”

Albert barks, seeming happy to see me, and I hug him in Ilya’s arms, not minding also pressing into Ilya. Albert makes a soft sound that touches my heart, and I start to cry again. I’m so beyond touched by this gesture.

“How…?”

“It makes sense. You want a dog, and Albert’s special. He’s been obviously helping you heal, so it makes sense he moves in with us.”

I give a sobbing laugh. No wonder Eva was so weird and avoiding me today.

Ilya was the person who came in last night and adopted Albert. And it’s clear Albert loves Ilya, and Ilya loves him. I’m so happy I could burst.

I give him a mock glare, letting Albert lick my face. “How did you hide him from me?”

“Not exactly hard when you’ve been avoiding me,” he jokes. “But he did insist on sleeping in my bed.”

I laugh again, unable to stop. Then I kiss Albert’s head and squish him in a hug with Ilya.

His arm comes around me, and I try to ignore the spark that lights up inside me as his hand grazes down my back. His touch tingles everywhere until I’m hot and bothered.

I lift my head, looking up into Ilya’s brown eyes.

He’s so handsome, so kind, and his acceptance of me, his love for Albert, shines through. I’m not sure I’ve seen a mansexier than him holding a dog and letting me know that he’ll never pressure me, that he’ll wait forever for me to sort myself out.

The powerful sight rocks me to my very foundation.