“Please,” they both answer.
I quickly dart into the house to prepare the beverages. Glancing over my shoulder at the two women on the patio, a happy smile stretches over my face.
This is nice.
They’re really trying to make me feel at home, and I appreciate it so much.
When the coffee is ready, I carry the cups to the table and set them down. I take my seat, the smile still playing around my lips.
“Thank you for making me feel welcome here,” I say before I lose the nerve. “I really appreciate it.”
“You’re welcome, sweetheart.” Ariana gives my hand a squeeze. “After all. You’re a part of the family now.”
My heart bursts with warmth. “It’s nice to have a family again.”
Especially one who looks out for my wellbeing.
“Oh, my heart,” Viktor’s mom coos, then I’m tugged into a hug. “Don’t you just want to hug and love on her every time you see her?” she asks Isabella.
“That’s your thing. I want to put some muscle on her body and train her how to knee a man so he’ll crawl for a week.”
I let out a burst of laughter, loving all the attention and soaking it up like a dry sponge.
While we sip our coffee, I mostly listen to the women discussing their vacation plans.
“Have you and Viktor decided whether you’re going to join us?” Isabella asks.
I shake my head. “We actually haven’t spoken about it.”
Ariana waves her hand in the air. “There’s no pressure. Don’t worry about it.”
Honestly, we’ve been absorbed with each other, and I forgot.
I make a mental note to ask Viktor when he gets home, then focus on the conversation about all the views they want to see. I’m able to talk with them because of all the research I did for my own trip before Viktor kidnapped me.
With a grin never leaving my face, I spent the afternoon with Ariana and Isabella. I’m so grateful that things are going so well. It feels like I’m finally allowed to be happy.
All because of Viktor.
The man has become my everything, and I don’t know what I’d do without him.
Chapter 35
Viktor
It’s taken two months for Luca and Parisi to agree to a meeting between the Priesthood and the Cosa Nostra.
Things have been volatile. More from my side than anyone else's because I’m still fucking enraged about what the fuckers did to Rosalie.
Her cast only came off two weeks ago.
If it were up to me, I’d vote for a bloodbath and slaughter the whole lot of them.
“Stop looking like you’re about to kill them all,” Luca mutters as we walk down the hallway to the hotel room.
We’re meeting in Nebraska because the city doesn’t belong to either party, and it’s the halfway mark between LA and New York.
“Hard to pretend I’m happy to see the fuckers,” I grumble, my body tense for action.