Page 76 of The Russian's Stalked Bride
In such a short span, Ivan’s face shifts from relief to disbelief, then to joy. He cups my face then, lips hovering above mine. “Tell me you mean it.”
“I mean it,” I echo without hesitation, nose gently brushing against his. “I’m choosing you because I love you too.”
His breath falters just long enough for me to notice, frame relaxing as he presses a gentle kiss to my cheek, then moves to my lips.
The contact is soft and almost careful, like he’s promising me something beyond what words ever could.
For the first time, I’m not afraid of what’s ahead of me. Not when I know I’ll have Ivan with me to experience all the unknowns together.
Instead of being backed in a corner without any options left, I’m claiming this with everything I am.
Chapter 29 - Ivan
Dinner is loud in the way it always tends to be with my family. Between overlapping voices trying to tell their story the loudest, cutlery clinking, and one of my brothers laughing way harder than necessary, it’s the usual chaos. Add a few little ones on top of that, and we have ourselves a typical Lukov night out.
As overwhelming as it might be to some, the private room is alive with warmth and affection, regardless of what that might look like. For the first time in a while, it isn’t tense, and nobody’s hiding anything.
Instead, it feels normal, and I didn’t realize how much I needed this until now.
Mila sits next to me at the table, dressed with her understated elegance without needing to try. She smiles at something Sergey jokes about, earning himself an amused eye roll from Kat, who can’t help but join in too.
Her hand rests on my thigh beneath the table, and every now and then, her thumb brushes absentmindedly. She seems a lot more comfortable than she once was, and that thought alone keeps me level.
I almost feel like she’s showing me up with how instinctively she reaches for me. But of course, I’m not going to complain.
Roman’s already halfway through his third drink, leaning back with a relaxed posture despite the very harrowing story he tells, keeping Victoria on her toes the entire time, making sure he doesn’t get ahead of himself despite the way she tries not to laugh when he emphasizes his words with his hands a bit too much.
“And what was I supposed to do, let the deal fall through?” He asks, somewhat directing the question to Artem, who listens intently with a faint glimmer in his eyes, giving away the fact that this isn’t his first time hearing it. “It took weeks to iron out the details, and even if we were fighting down to the last minute, who was I to call it off? We both had one foot in the grave, but money is money when you’re starting out.”
From a few seats down, Mikhail quietly mimics Roman’s story word for word, rhyming the details off with practiced ease. It’s easy when you’ve heard the same ones again and again.
Nikolai snickers into his glass, barely holding back his laughter as Mikhail’s imitation perfectly lines up in Roman’s retelling, shoulders shaking faintly from the effort. Lily has to hide her face behind her hands to keep from laughing outright.
As Roman carries on, Victoria puts a gentle hand on his forearm, keeping him from swinging it again, and he pauses.
“Water might be helpful, sweetheart,” she murmurs, lips pulling slightly.
Realizing now that everyone is trying not to embarrass him by laughing, Roman’s eyes narrow before he scoffs and sits back, though his irritation melts into resignation. “Maybe that’s for the best.”
When the restraint slips and a few chuckles surround the table, Roman waves everyone off before reaching for his glass. “Yeah, yeah, laugh it up.” Despite his grumbling, he cracks a smile anyway.
I glance at Mila, catching her amusement from next to me, and my chest warms at the sight. When our eyes meet, it’s like we’re sharing in the moment, acknowledging how unserious these moments tend to be. It’s nice knowing she doesn’t feel like an outsider anymore.
Elena sighs at Roman’s antics, shaking her head in exasperation with a grin while she holds Talia. Wyatt’s arm is slung around her shoulders, ready to swoop in when he’s needed. “We can’t take you anywhere.”
“And here you were supposed to be my favorite sibling,” Roman muses, blending in a little better now that his tangent is over. “What a traitor.”
“Motherhood changes people,” Sergey says, smirking to himself.
“So does fatherhood,” Mikhail pipes up, not pulling back his punches. “You might learn a thing or two.”
At that, Sergey opens his mouth to retort, but he comes up short, and luckily, Kat doesn’t seem fazed by the insinuation. After a beat, he huffs out a breath and puts a light hand on the back of her head. “It’s not my fault I can’t keep this one out of the garage long enough.”
“Gross,” she returns, nose scrunching at the insinuation in front of the family.
Roman scoffs, not buying it. “I know excuses when I hear them, Sergey. You’re just afraid of diapers.”
A warm hum of laughter carries across the table when Sergey can’t deny it, then Elena looks toward Mila with a sigh. “You sure you want to deal with the madness?”
