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I’d never longed to be married before, and I certainly didn’t want to be tied down by anyone. The idea of that had been enough to scare me away from that kind of commitment.

On top of that, fatherhood had been out of the question. It all seemed like a trap to me once, and I did not doubt that it was the last thing I wanted to participate in.

I never thought I’d be the man to drop all of those convictions and find myself in that exact position.

Everything had always been about my brothers, the business, and every way we could end up on top. I enjoyed the freedom I had and the way it left every door open for me.

But with Tia, those priorities shifted entirely.

I wasn’t one to do things half-assed, so the moment I knew I was going to be a father, I put my entire self into it.

There was no option to turn back and return to my old ways, but I didn’t want to, anyway.

Instead of feeling suffocated by responsibility and the demands of being a husband and a soon-to-be father, it was liberating. To know I would be doing it alongside Tia made all the difference.

Despite myself, I was leaning into what was required of me, and I was caring in ways I never had before.

I suddenly had a reason to plan and look forward to the future, and it went deeper than making money, than finding my place in the world of organized crime.

Luckily, mending things and not letting Tia feel a moment of doubt about what she meant to me helped even beyond our relationship.

With the stress of everything before out of the way, I could focus better. I was showing up in all ways at work, and it felt surprisingly good to get back into the swing of things.

While I noticed those changes in myself, I saw them even more in Tia.

Those differences, regardless of how subtle, were evident enough for me to notice.

To my relief, she wasn’t as distant as she had been after Tommaso let everything slip. She was letting go of some of that tension and seemingly finding more to be happy about. She was smiling and laughing, and we were both making more time for each other.

Where a cold, distant wall had been between us, we were finding more middle ground and giving what we had a more honest chance.

Even if patience or sincerity wasn’t always my strong suit before, I was learning to be more genuine while giving Tia as much time and space as she needed, even if she withdrew from me.

We still had strides to make between us, but even when we hit rough patches, I wasn’t pushing. I couldn’t risk losing her or what we could be.

I could tell that Tia was trying, but it was still hard for her to accept the reality of my world and the very thing I pulled her into without taking her thoughts into consideration. She could still be resistant at times, but in the end, she always found her way back to me at night while seeking out my warmth beneath the sheets.

We were both trying in every way we could, and I wasn’t going to complain about that.

One evening, I drifted into her art room while she was busy standing at her easel, punctuating the quiet space with the gentle scratch of her brush against the stretched canvas. I stood and watched for a moment before walking in with my hands in my pockets. A gentle smile settled on my lips.

“You’ve made quite the collection in here already,” I said gently, taking the time to move around the room and take in the finished pieces she had propped up all over the place.

When I glanced over at her, I caught the small yet thoughtful smile on her lips.

“This is the most time I’ve ever had to focus on my art…I’ve been taking full advantage of it.”

With a hum, I nodded and took in the vibrant colors on the canvases, along with the varying textures and how each one seemed to contain a piece of her.

While I never once doubted her skills, it was different then. I finally had the chance to take it all in and surround myself with her craft. It was an honor, in a way, to be able to witness her genius for myself.

After a moment, I drew closer to her, letting my eyes roam over the piece she was actively working on. I smiled to myself.

“This is beautiful…they all are.”

Tia huffed her quiet amusement while she gave me a questioning look. “This one’s not even finished yet.”

I chuckled. “No…But I can see the vision, and I know it’ll be brilliant.”

At that, Tia smiled more genuinely. “Thank you, really. Painting is all I’ve ever wanted to do.”

“And your dedication shows,” I returned softly, tentatively letting a gentle hand fall to her waist, careful to gauge her reaction. When she didn’t pull away and seemed to ease into my touch, I let it linger. “It’s impressive, and I hope you know that.”

An almost bashful expression took over her face. “Aren’t you obligated to say that?”

“Maybe I am…but that doesn’t mean it’s not true,” I said, savoring the light-hearted energy between us.

Dipping down, I leaned my chin against her shoulder and watched while she added careful brushstrokes to the piece. I let my palm slide across her stomach absently, hoping our developing baby might recognize my presence with time.

“You know, seeing as you’ll have all the time in the world while you grow this one, I think you should put a collection together. One that really displays your talent.”

Tia paused at that, glancing at me. “You really think I should?”

I hummed and nodded. “Absolutely. I think a showcase would be the perfect thing for you.”

Luckily, Tia seemed pleased by the idea as she smiled and looked back at her painting again. “I don’t think that’s a bad idea at all.”

“Good, then that’s exactly what we’ll do,” I said with a rush of anticipation at the thought of helping her with it. “You bring your masterpieces, and I’ll figure out the rest.”

With a light color to her cheeks, Tia nodded and glanced back at me again. “You had me at showcase.”

Finding a mutual pleasure in the idea, I grinned and brushed my lips against hers in a tender kiss, feeling the way she leaned into it.

In that moment, able to feel the way we were both at ease around one another, I couldn’t help but feel like I had found exactly what I had been missing.

Even if it had been hard to stomach the reveal of everything I hid from her before, I did not doubt it was all worth it.

Hell, maybe I’d even had to thank Tommaso for being such a jackass.

But probably not.

***

The sound of a stack of papers being dropped onto my desk pulled me from my thoughts, and I looked up from my laptop to find Alex standing there.

He looked vaguely irritated while crossing his arms. “There’s some paperwork we need from Andrey about the club, but I can’t get hold of him. Have you heard from him lately?”

“I checked in with him the other day, but our contact has been minimal lately,” I replied, noting that the disconnect from my business partner wasn’t something he wanted to deal with. “Don’t worry about it…I’ll handle Andrey.”

Alex sighed then nodded, looking grateful but also a touch expectant. I had the feeling he never intended to put much of his own time or effort into it in the first place.

“Thanks. The information we need is at the top of that stack,” he said, gesturing to the papers in front of me. “And when you reach him, tell Andrey to get his shit together and answer his phone when I call.”

With a chuckle, I nodded and reached for my phone. “Will do.”

Giving me a final nod, Alex left me to it, and I was already dialing Andrey’s number by the time the door closed behind him.

Leaning back in my chair, I put it to my ear and listened to it ringing on the other end.

Then it continued until I reached his voicemail.

That was odd. Normally, he’d be more than ready to fill me in on the latest news at the club, but he was a busy man, so it was to be expected.

So, I spent the rest of the day trying to reach him, only to hear that godforsaken voicemail prompt.

As much as I wanted to believe he was just caught up in other matters, the longer I had to consider it, the more I saw a pattern. It wasn’t the first time it had happened, and each time, I never received as much as a quick explanation.

While Andrey knew his shit when it came to running a business, his poor communication left something to be desired.

One moment, things were going well, and the strip club was exceeding expectations—it was a hit and accomplishing exactly what I needed it to; then the next, he was pulling back, giving me less to work with or going completely silent on me.

Again, I couldn’t expect him to be waiting at my beck and call, but at the same time, there was an expectation in our agreement. For his cut, he had to report back to me. He needed to be consistent, and he needed to do his job.

But as of late, his communication had been spotty at best, and that wasn’t something I could deal with long-term.

As the day came to a close and I never heard anything back from Andrey, an annoying dread settled in the pit of my stomach. That bad feeling persisted, and I wanted nothing more than for it to go away.

I didn’t know what was going on, but whatever it was, I needed an explanation from him. But first, I needed to reach him.

With everything moving forward in my life, having a wife to keep happy and a baby on the way, I didn’t need Andrey holding me up.

The fewer problems, the better. But that was on him.