Mr Handsome, Will You Procreate With Me?

7

He laughs when he says it while I hug him back and say, “You know I’d never do that, even if Uncle Danil could just go in and erase it all.” I don’t add that our cousin Niki could do it just as easily, because I’m not sure if our parents are aware yet of how damn good he is. On more than one occasion he’s saved my ass by going in to change a few grades on my report card. I would’ve still graduated without his help, but he did save me from having to retake algebra my senior year.

My dad tells me he loves me and then pulls his niece in for a hug goodbye. “Drive safe, Sveta,” he tells her. “Sergei said you were speeding the other day again.”

Svetlana laughs. “You all keep way too close of an eye on us,” she tells him. “You know it’s not normal, right?”

My dad laughs. “Nothing about our family is normal. Surely you’ve picked up on that by now.”

Svetlana tilts her head and thinks for a second. “I might’ve picked up on that over the years.” She darts her brown eyes to mine. “Maybe it was when they invited everyone from the Bratva to our dance recital when we were eight and Yelena was seven. Hmm,” she muses. “Yeah, I’m guessing that was the first clue.”

My dad laughs and points a finger at her. “A smartass, just like your dad, and it wasn’t the entire Bratva.”

Svetlana laughs and gives him another hug goodbye.

“We only did it because we were so damn proud of you three. We didn’t realize all the Russians with neck tattoos would draw so much attention.”

“I thought our dance teacher was going to have a heart attack,” I say, smiling at the memory of all that muscle lined up against the back wall, watching us perform the ballet routine that couldn’t have been all that good. The three of us loved our ballet classes, but I wouldn’t say any of us had a real talent for it. We were just excited about wearing the tutu and getting to jump around in front of our families. All the top Bratva members had stood there and smiled before giving us a huge round of applause when we’d curtsied at the end. The other parents hadn’t known what the hell to do. I still laugh when I think about it.

Before we can walk out the door, Sasha comes running up to us. “Hey, Sveta, mind if I ride with you guys? I promised Evgeny I’d come hang out.” He looks back at our dad. “Uncle Matvey said it was okay if I just ride with them tonight.”

“Sounds good,” our dad says, ruffling Sasha’s hair and then smiling when Sasha immediately smooths it back into place.

“Mia’s still working on the laundry,” I tell him as we head to the door. “I asked if she wanted to come, but she didn’t want to.”

He lets out a soft laugh. “Big surprise there. Don’t worry. I’ll let her punch the bag with me later.”

I smile and grab my purse because if there’s one thing Mia loves, it’s sparring with our dad in the home gym he set up. Why anyone would choose that over a day of shopping, I’ll never understand, but my sister’s her own person, and I respect the hell out of her for it. I pity the man she falls for because he’s going to need to be one tough son of a b***h to keep up with her. The thought of some man trying to tame her makes me laugh again as I kiss my dad’s cheek and follow my cousin and brother into the elevator.

On the way to Yelena’s, Svetlana tries to stick to the speed limit, but it doesn’t stop her from weaving in and out of traffic. The black SUV that’s been following us since we left the parking garage doesn’t have any problem keeping up, though. They’re used to her driving by now. Plus, thanks to my dad, they know exactly where we’re headed. All our families live close together, so within minutes we’re pulling into the parking garage beneath the apartment building our Uncle Matvey and Aunt Alina live in.

While we walk to the elevators, I nudge Sasha with my shoulder. “You need anything from the mall?”

“Can you get me one of those soft pretzels?”

“That’s what you want me to bring back for you?”

He shrugs. “I buy all my s**t online. You know that.”

“It’s not the same thing as actually going to the mall and getting to see everything and try things on,” I tell him. We’ve had this conversation a lot over the years. He just doesn’t get it. “Fine, I’ll get you the damn pretzel.”

He smiles and pats the top of my head, a move he’s been doing since he hit a growth spurt when he was fourteen and shot up taller than me. “Thanks, sis.”

When we get out of the elevator and walk to the door, it opens before we can even knock, surprising no one. Our parents keep constant tabs on us, and when I see my Aunt Alina’s smiling face, I can’t help but understand their worry. I don’t know all the details, but I know enough to know that our aunt was kidnapped by a really nasty s*x-trafficking ring and held for two years. From what my mom said, it nearly destroyed my dad and uncles, but no one took it as hard as our Uncle Matvey. They finally managed to get our aunt back, but they all swore that nothing like that would ever happen to our family again, hence the constant texting between our parents and the ever-present bodyguards.

“Hey, Aunt Alina,” I say, giving her a big hug. My aunt is the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen, and she’s also the most down to earth. Today, her dark hair is pulled back into a loose ponytail, she’s wearing jeans and an old T-shirt, and she still looks like she should be on the cover of something. When our uncle walks into the room, her blue-green eyes immediately find his before her face lights up in a smile. Uncle Matvey was in a fire when he was fifteen, and it left him with a scarred body and a rough-sounding voice, but even though he can look intimidating, he turns into such a giant softie with Aunt Alina.

Uncle Matvey walks over and wraps an arm around his wife and kisses her head before smiling over at us. Sasha’s already said a quick hello and run off to find Evgeny, and Svetlana is squatting down and petting their German Shepherd Rasputin.

“Raspy’s a good boy,” Svetlana says, laughing when he licks her cheek. Yelena had named him when she was younger and obsessed with the cartoon Anastasia. We’d all cried like a baby when Finn, their first dog, had died, but he’d lived a good life, and he’d been surrounded by his family when he took his last breath. His ashes have a special place on one of our aunt’s shelves, right next to a photo of her and Uncle Matvey on the day they’d gotten him.

I bend down to pet his big head and scratch behind his ears while Uncle Matvey says, “So, another mall trip, huh? Aren’t you girls tired of that place by now?”

I laugh and look up at him. “Uncle Matvey, that’s not possible.”

Svetlana smiles up at him and says, “We’d love to check out some new places. Think our dads would be okay with us hitting a nightclub later?”

Aunt Alina laughs while Uncle Matvey groans and shakes his head. “I know you’re teasing me, Sveta. You’re so much like your dad it’s scary.”

She gives Rasputin one last pet and stands back up. “Speaking of my dad, he wanted me to tell you that he’s been practicing his pool game, and he’s pretty sure he’s taking you down later. He and Val are planning on challenging you, so come prepared.”

Uncle Matvey laughs. “He’s never going to beat me, but it’s so much fun to watch him try.”

Yelena comes into the room, tossing her phone in the oversized bag she has slung over her shoulder. Her eyes are just as dark as her dad’s, but her laid-back attitude is all her mom. While she asks her mom if she needs anything, my eyes stray to one of the framed photos on their wall. It’s my favorite one. My dad and all my uncles are twenty-four in it, and my Aunt Alina is seventeen. She’s standing next to Matvey, looking up at him with a big smile on her face while everyone else is smiling at the camera. She’s been in love with him her whole life, and I think it’s the sweetest thing ever.

“I could never seem to take my eyes off him,” she says, coming to stand next to me. She gives a soft laugh and points her finger at my dad. “Your dad had just gotten back from a fight. You can see his bloody knuckles if you look close enough.”

“They’re just like Sasha’s,” I mutter, shaking my head. “He’s fighting more and more.”

“He’ll be okay.” I turn to see my Uncle Matvey wrap an arm around his wife as he smiles over at me. “He’s a lot like his dad. He’ll get a handle on his rage, but until then, I’m guessing he can hold his own with the high school kids. Plus, that little s**t deserved it for picking on Niki.”

I smile because he’s not wrong.

“You know, your Uncle Danil was picked on a little bit at school.” Uncle Matvey’s dark eyes are filled with amusement when he adds, “Until your dad taught him how to fight.”