Page 74 of Toxic Temptation (Krayev Bratva #1)

KOVAN

A birthday party.

For Luka.

At Vesper’s childhood home.

The idea felt insane right up until we pulled into the driveway of the modest suburban house, where a dozen helium balloons bobbed against the front porch railings in the evening breeze.

Apparently, when Vesper disappeared for two hours yesterday to “make some calls,” she was mobilizing an entire support network. Her mother, Waylen, and Charity have transformed the place into something out of a kid’s fever dream.

Streamers hang from every doorframe. Balloons float over every table. A bounce house dominates the backyard, next to an old tire swing hanging from the oak tree.

But it’s the cake that’s got Luka’s complete and undivided attention.

Three layers of chocolate frosting tower on the dining room table, decorated with nine rainbow candles that flicker in the warm light and not a cherry in sight. He’s been grinning from ear-to-ear since we walked through the door.

I have to give Vesper credit—I never would have thought of any of this.

My version of a kid’s birthday party involved taking him to whatever restaurant he wanted, followed by whatever activity he chose. Amusement park. Science museum. Laser tag. His call, his day.

But watching him now, I’m realizing that sometimes, Luka doesn’t know what he wants until someone shows him what’s possible.

And this—the comfortable chaos of Vesper’s childhood home, the ridiculous party hats, the bowls of candy scattered across every surface—this is exactly what he didn’t know he needed.

“Party’s a success,” Osip remarks, appearing at my elbow with a beer in hand.

He’s been exchanging loaded glances with Charity all evening. I even caught the two of them in the bounce house earlier, laughing like teenagers while Pavel bounced them both into the mesh walls.

I nod. “Vesper knew exactly what she was doing.”

“You two make a hell of a team.” Osip’s grin is cheeky. “Just saying.”

“Subtle as a brick to the face, as always, moy brat .”

He laughs, but his expression turns more serious. “The kid deserves this kind of happiness.”

“He does.” I watch Luka attempt to stick another candle into the cake while Vesper tries to stop him. “I just wish I’d thought of it myself.”

“There are some things that require a woman’s touch,” Osip says.

“Like parties. And raising kids. You’ve done good with Luka, but let’s be honest—something was missing from the equation.

” He nods toward Vesper, who’s now helping Luka light the candles without burning his eyebrows off. “And I think you found it.”

Before I can tell him he’s reading too much into the situation, he grips my shoulder.

“Actually, though, I’ve been meaning to talk to you. I’ve got an idea. Something that might keep Luka safe permanently.”

“What kind of idea?”

“I can’t get into details right now.” His eyes drift toward Charity again, who’s laughing at something Pavel said. “And it could be a completely fucked-up plan?—”

“Don’t tell me. Just do it.”

Osip stares at me. “Really? Just like that?”

“You said it would keep Luka safe?”

“I think so. Yeah.”

“Then do it. We’ll figure out the details later.”

He claps me on the back and heads for the door, but not before shooting one last look at Charity. Her face falls the moment he says his goodbyes, confirming what I’ve suspected all evening.

As I said: subtle as a brick to the face.

He might’ve met his match in that department, though.

Vesper catches my eye from across the room. She grins as she glances between Charity and the door Osip just walked through. I see I’m not the only one who’s noticed the chemistry.

“Vesper, can we go back to the bounce house?” Luka tugs at her shirt.

“Of course, birthday boy. Whatever you want.”

“Then I want Uncle Pavel and Waylen to come, too!”

Pavel, who has somehow managed to get chocolate frosting in his hair, grins. “I’m in.”

“Why don’t you join them, Charity?” Vesper’s mother appears with a plate of cake, which she offers to me. “The fresh air will do you good.”

Charity shoots me a wink, grabs a juice box from the table, and follows the others outside.

“Thank you.” I accept the cake from Annabelle. “And not just for the dessert. But for all of this.”

“I was surprised when Vesper called, but I’m glad she did.” She settles into the chair beside me. “It means I finally get to meet you and Luka. The infamous Krayev boys.”

“She told you about us?”

Annabelle grins slyly. “Waylen forced her hand, from what I understand.”

“That sounds about right. He’s protective.”

She laughs, though a melancholy edge lurks at the edge of the sound. “All big brothers are. It comes with the job description.”

I take a bite of the cake and nearly groan with pleasure. “This is incredible. Where’d you get it?”

“I made it myself.”

The second bite is just as good as the first. “This could put bakeries out of business.”

Her smile brightens. “It was my signature cake whenever the kids had birthdays. They loved it. So did all their friends. And birthdays were the only time Thomas would actually take off work. No calls. No emergency surgeries. Just family.”

“You miss him.”

The light in her eyes dims. “He was everything to me. Thirty-three years together, and it still wasn’t long enough.

” She gazes out the window toward the backyard, where Luka’s laughter drifts in through the screen door.

“A lot of people didn’t understand our marriage.

They thought he worked too much, prioritized his career over family.

But I knew what I was signing up for when I married him.

Thomas was a doctor first. I never expected him to be anything else. ”

“Vesper talks about him constantly. He’s her hero.”

“He’s the reason she became a doctor.” Annabelle gets quiet. “Sometimes, I think she’ll end up being better at it than he ever was.”

Something in her tone makes me look at her more carefully. She’s staring into her tea cup, avoiding my eyes.

“What do you mean by that?”

She shakes her head, as if trying to dispel whatever thought just crossed her mind. “Nothing, nothing. All I want for my children is what I had with Thomas. I want them to find the love of their lives. I want them to experience that kind of partnership.”

“And you’re trying to figure out if I’m the right man for your daughter.”

“Oh, no, don’t be silly.” Her smile returns. “I knew you were the right man the moment you walked through that door.”

“How?”

“The way Vesper looks at you, mostly.” Annabelle sets down her tea cup. “I’ve never seen her look at anyone like that. Not once in her thirty-one years on this planet.” She pauses. “The only thing I need to know is whether you’re going to take care of her heart.”

I take my time answering. I could lie, give her the reassurance she wants to hear. It’d be easy to do. But something about Annabelle Fairfax demands honesty.

“I’m going to try my best.”

She nods, as if that answer satisfies her more than any grandiose false promises would have. “She needs someone strong, Kovan. Someone who won’t be intimidated by her intelligence or her ambition.”

“I have many flaws. ‘Easily intimidated’ is not one of them.”

“I figured as much.” Annabelle picks up her tea again, studying me over the rim. “I think Thomas would have approved of you.”

Through the window, I can see Vesper helping Luka into the bounce house while Pavel and Waylen engage in what appears to be a wrestling match. Her laughter carries on the evening air, bright and unguarded in a way I’ve rarely heard.

“Can I ask you something?” I turn back to Annabelle.

“Of course.”

“A minute ago, when you mentioned Vesper being a better doctor than her father—what did you mean?”

Annabelle’s cup freezes halfway to her lips. For a long moment, she doesn’t speak. “Thomas was brilliant,” she finally says. “But he made choices near the end that I still don’t fully understand.”

“What kind of choices?”

“The kind that good men make when they’re trying to protect the people they love.

” She glances out of the window at the same scene I was just looking at.

Domestic bliss in her backyard. The pure happiness of a child and all those who love him.

“Protection can look like pushing people away. It can look like making decisions that seem selfish on the surface but come from a place of love.”

I think about my own choices—the walls I’ve built, the distance I’ve tried to maintain with both Vesper and Luka. The constant battle between wanting to protect them and wanting to keep them close.

“You think he was trying to protect Vesper when he refused her help?”

“I think Thomas knew things about himself that he didn’t want to burden his children with.” Annabelle meets my eyes. “Just like I think you know things about your world that you don’t want to burden Vesper with.”

I give her the only answer I can, which is a stony silence.

“The difference,” she continues, “is that Vesper isn’t a child anymore. She’s a grown woman who can make her own choices about what risks she’s willing to take.”

Just then, the back door bursts open and Luka races inside, cheeks flushed and hair sticking up in every direction. “Uncle Kovan! You have to come see this! Waylen taught me how to do a backflip!”

“A backflip?” I raise an eyebrow at Waylen, who appears in the doorway looking slightly guilty.

“A very small backflip,” he clarifies. “More of a backward roll, really. Perfectly safe.”

Vesper pushes past her brother, shaking her head. “I turn my back for five minutes and you’re teaching my kid dangerous stunts.”

My kid.

She doesn’t catch the slip, the second time she’s said that, but I do. So does her mother, whose sly smile widens.

“Come on!” Luka grabs my hand, tugging me toward the door. “I want to show you before I forget how to do it.”

As we head outside, I catch Annabelle’s voice behind me. She’s quiet, but it floats to me as if it’s made for my ears alone. “She’s worth fighting for, you know.”

I turn back to find her watching us through the open window, her eyes soft with something that might be hope.

“I know,” I tell her. “I know.”