Mr Handsome, Will You Procreate With Me?

6

“Dad,” I groan, rolling my eyes and sharing a grimace with my siblings. Our parents are very affectionate, and I really love that they’re still so happily married, but that doesn’t mean I want a front-row seat to everything.

“I love your mom,” he tells us, “and I won’t ever be able to act like I don’t.”

That’s actually really damn sweet, and I can’t even muster up a fake eye roll for him. I’d love to have what they have one day, but so far I’ve had zero luck in that department. The boys I went to high school with never did anything for me, and the only other guys I see are those in the Bratva, and there’s just two problems with that—I don’t want any of them, and even if I did, none of them are stupid enough to go against my dad and uncles. Aside from Mia and me, there are two female cousins. Yelena is seventeen and Svetlana is eighteen, and every man in the Bratva is under strict orders to keep things professional and not lay a hand on any of us unless our lives are in danger. My dad and uncles are fair men, but everyone knows that doesn’t extend to where their daughters and nieces are concerned.

My dad kisses my mom again and then sets her down and looks over at us. “Let’s order pizza tonight. Tomorrow we’re going to the farmhouse for supper with everyone. Dominic’s just flown in from Italy, so he’ll be joining us.”

I started calling the house out in the country that Uncle Danil bought for all of us the farmhouse when I was little. I’d just read a book about a little girl on a farm, and every time we’d drive out to it to spend a weekend with our cousins and aunts and uncles, I thought of it as our farmhouse. There weren’t any chickens or pigs or horses, but there’s still acres of woods and a lake that’s hidden in them. With all the wildlife and space, it felt like a farm to my young mind, and so the nickname just kind of stuck.

“Dominic’s coming?” Sasha asks, already pulling out his phone to call his favorite pizza place for a delivery. “Is everything okay with his side of the city?”

“You’re only sixteen,” our mom reminds him. “Still way too young to be worried about business stuff.”

Sasha looks to our dad, trying to get some help. “It’s important I know these things.”

“It’s important you know some things,” our dad says, “and all you need to know right now is that everything is fine and running as it should be. We invited Dominic because we haven’t seen him in over a year, and we need to get caught up on a few things.”

I know that one day Sasha and all our male cousins will be taking over for our dads, and I’m still not sure how I feel about that. I don’t want my brother getting hurt, but I think I’m more afraid that stepping into this role is going to unleash a dark side of him that might be better off contained.

“It’s important I know these things, too,” Mia cuts in.

Our mom barks out a laugh before she can stop herself while my dad looks at his youngest like she’s lost her damn mind.

“And why is that?” he asks

“For when it’s my turn to join the family business.” She gives a small shrug like it’s a no-brainer while our dad softly shakes his head at her.

“Not going to happen, little witch. The Bratva is for men.”

Mia scoffs and tosses back another chip, the loud crunch making it clear she doesn’t give a damn about any past rules because they clearly don’t apply to her.

“Jesus,” our dad groans and then points at his full head of hair that’s only just recently started to show some grey. “You see these? I don’t want them to multiply, but I can tell you’re not going to be satisfied until it’s all white.”

He looks to our mom for help, but she just laughs. “I’m sorry, I don’t know anything about grey hair. I’m only thirty-nine.”

“Oh, you’re in for it now, malinkaya,” he says, picking her up again while she laughs. “I can’t believe you’re all ganging up on me.”

“We would never,” our mom says. “If Mia gives you a full head of grey hair, then you’ll just be one hell of a silver fox.”

Our dad laughs and smacks her butt again. “Sasha, order the pizza. Your mom needs to eat. She’s obviously in need of calories and not thinking clearly if she’s talking about me being a silver fox anytime soon.”

Sasha laughs and shakes his head before making the call, just another typical night for us. Most of my nights are spent with my family. The private high school I just graduated from is the same one my siblings and cousins go to. We’ve grown up together, and instead of fighting and hating one another, they’re my best friends and I can’t imagine not having them in my life.

After the pizza gets here and we stuff ourselves while watching a movie, I head for bed, flopping down on my fuzzy, pink comforter before grabbing my phone so I can text Svetlana.

You’re going to the farmhouse tomorrow, right?

Her response is immediate. Duh. Have you met my dad?

I laugh because she’s right. Uncle Vitaly would never let her skip a family dinner. Before I can respond, she sends another text.

Want to go shopping tomorrow? I’ll pick up Yelena on the way and then we can just go from the mall to the farmhouse.

Sounds good, I tell her, already thinking about the new pair of shoes I want to get.

I’ve just finished helping Mia sort out some laundry, partly because I feel bad she has to do it but mainly because I don’t want her ruining my clothes, when I hear Svetlana knocking at our door.

“You sure you don’t want to come with us?” I ask Mia.

Her hazel eyes widen before she gives a soft laugh. “A day at the mall? I’ll pass.”

I laugh and leave her to the laundry before walking into the living room in time to see my dad wrap an arm around Svetlana’s shoulders and kiss the top of her head as he leads her into the kitchen.

“So you ladies are off to the mall?” he asks while grabbing us both a drink from the fridge. He always speaks to us in Russian. My mom speaks it pretty fluently now, and all the kids in the family grew up speaking and hearing it. It’s as familiar to me as English at this point.

He tosses Svetlana a bag of the gummy snacks she likes so much, smiling when she laughs and says, “Thanks, Uncle Lev.”

I see a lot of her twin brother, Valentin, in Svetlana’s face, but her honey-brown eyes are identical to her dad’s. I’m told she also has his ability to talk himself out of just about anything and his knack for being an all-around smartass. Apparently, my Uncle Vitaly was quite the handful when he was younger. Our parents are pretty tight-lipped about what all they got up to, but I’m guessing it was a lot.

“Yeah, we’re going to pick up Yelena and head to the mall. We’ll just drive to the farmhouse when we’re done,” I tell him. “Don’t worry, we’ll be there in plenty of time for supper.”

He’s already on his phone, texting a few of the guys to let them know where we’re headed. Bodyguards are just a daily part of life. We’ve all learned that there’s no escaping it, no matter how much we complain or, in Svetlana’s case, how many times we try to dodge them.

When he’s satisfied that we’ll be properly guarded, he smiles and gives me a hug. “Have fun, princess. Try not to max out the credit card.”