“That sounds like the bastard.”
“Ashe wants to rent the shop next to the bakery and then put the two shops together. I told her you owned the building.” Timur paced across the floor. Restless. Unable to stay still. “I didn’t want her to be disappointed if you thought it wasn’t a good idea.”
“It isn’t just me who owns those buildings, Timur. You own them as well. We purchased them. You, Gorya and me. We’re in this together. Your names are on this estate. You want to live here, we’ll make it happen. In fact, I’d prefer that.”
Timur nodded. “I did tell her that. Ashe likes Evangeline’s house.”
“So did Evangeline, but I convinced her to live here. There’s more room for the leopards and we can watch over our women much easier here than spread out. Evangeline’s house is a nightmare to defend. She bought it because it’s cute and feminine and it was in that quiet little cul-de-sac with a very large park behind it so her leopard could run if she emerged. Our enemies could come at you from a dozen different ways, and it’s also very public.”
Timur nodded but said nothing. He wanted to give Ashe the world. Anything she wanted. He’d find a way to make the house work if that was her choice.
“You could persuade her by saying you were keeping me safe. And Evangeline. That’s even better. She really likes Evangeline.”
“Everyone likes Evangeline.” Timur paced the length of the room. “I would expand the guesthouse if I was going to stay. I know there’s a workout room here, but I’d want to put in my own as well as a few other amenities for Ashe.” He couldn’t believe he was considering it.
The estate was enormous, with plenty of room for the leopards. Groves of trees provided an arboreal highway for the cats. There was a full-sized pool and tennis courts. A spa that was not only well-equipped, but at any time, day or night, a massage therapist would come the moment they were called. There were any number of cars to drive, gardens and just about anything else a man—or a woman—could want.
“I would want privacy. I like to walk around in the nude when I’m at home.”
“That isn’t news to me,” Fyodor said. “Do whatever you want to the house to make it right for the two of you, or build another one. There’s a nice site just beyond the tea garden. You want that, we could have a house built immediately. It we built from the ground up, we can put in additional safety features, like a panic room, and escape routes for humans or leopards.”
Timur liked that idea. He turned back to his brother and nodded. “That sounds good. I’ll talk to Ashe about it and see if she likes the idea of designing our own home.” Just saying that aloud gave him satisfaction. It would be their home together. They could have children. He would see to it that his children had a happy childhood and there was no chance that the cruelty and viciousness of his own father would ever touch them.
“Do you worry about what kind of father you’re going to make?” Timur asked.
“All the time,” Fyodor admitted. “I’ve been watching men like Drake and Elijah, even Jake Bannaconni. They’re good with their children. I figure I can follow their lead, and if I get into trouble, I’ll ask them questions.”
Timur thought it was a good plan, especially since Evangeline was already pregnant and expecting twins. By the time Ashe and he had children, Fyodor would, hopefully, already know what he was doing and Timur would just follow his example. The entire question of having children and whether or not he was going to be a good father eluded him.
“After what we saw happen with Jake’s woman, do you worry that you could lose Evangeline in childbirth?” Even as he voiced the question, he thought of Emma standing in a doorway, blood dripping onto the floor, a look of panic on her face. She’d nearly died. If that happened to Ashe … He had to shut down that line of thinking or he’d be doing the panicking.
“I think about it every day,” Fyodor admitted. “I go to bed thinking about it and wake up the same way. She’s so sick, in the bathroom all the time. She can barely hold down water. Already she has been severely dehydrated several times. Jake has this nurse that took care of Emma when she was pregnant and I’ve hired her to watch over Evangeline.”
“Is Evangeline’s life in danger?” Because if it was in danger, what the hell was Fyodor thinking letting her continue to be pregnant? Maybe having children wasn’t such a good idea. Timur did his best to shut down panic. They couldn’t lose Evangeline or Ashe.