No pressure.
“Adrik!” Alexei greeted warmly, coming forward to shake my hand. “You look good!”
Heat crept into my face. “Thanks. I, uh, you said to come see you when I was ready to, you know, talk.”
Alexei’s smile widened. “Indeed, I did. And boy am I glad to see you. Annika’s been moping around here for weeks, asking if anyone’s heard from you and if anyone knew where you’d gone. Unfortunately, all any of us could tell her was no.” His stare turned serious. “Since you’re here, I assume you’re going to remedy that.”
“Yes, boss–” I broke off, catching myself. He was no longer my boss. “I mean, sir.”
Alexei squeezed my shoulder. “There’s no need for formalities, Adrik. You’ve always been family to us.”
Emotion clogged my throat. I had? Swallowing hard, I found my voice. “Thank you. That means a lot to me.” Very aware of Pavel and Dimitri listening to our conversation from across the room, I nervously puffed out a breath. “I just wanted to ask your permission to date Annika. I think I’m in a good place to do that now. She once said she wanted to go sailing with me, so, with your permission, I’d like to see if she still wants to do that.”
Pavel shouted from across the room. “Say yes, Alexei, and put the poor girl out of her misery!”
I laughed softly, glancing over at him and Dimitri. Annika’s grandfather was watching me with a contemplative look that made my heart pound. Did he approve of me, or did he think I wasn’t good enough for her?
Alexei spoke. “You most definitely have my permission, and her mother’s as well. But Annika’s not here right now, so you’ll have to come back later to ask her.”
“Don’t you go anywhere yet, young man,” Dimitri called. “Come, have a seat. Join us. I’ve never had the chance to really talk to you before. It’s time I did.”
I swallowed hard. Annika’s father might approve of me, but if her grandfather didn’t…
“Yes, sir.” I strode forward, grabbing a chair and pulling it up to the desk next to Pavel. Alexei regained his seat on my opposite side, and I waited nervously as they all looked at me.
“So, you favor Annika.” Dimitri eyed me with that intimidating, mismatched stare.
Rubbing my sweaty palms on my thighs, I admitted, “I love her.”
Pavel covered his mouth with his hand, trying to hide a smile. Alexei just grinned, obviously pleased and not bothering to hide it. But Dimitri?
His expression didn’t change. He studied me a long moment in silence. “Why did you leave the Bratva?”
I drew in a deep breath, slowly exhaling. “Because I felt responsible for everything that happened and I just needed to get away.”
Dimitri nodded slowly. “And now?”
“I’m not coming back to the Bratva,” I stated quietly. “I’m here for Annika. I know she grew up in this life, and—no offense—but I don’t want to put her around anymore danger. She deserves to feel safe and secure, so I plan to take her sailing with me, wherever she wants to go. Eventually, we’ll settle down somewhere, but never will I let danger come near her again.”
Dimitri’s stern expression relaxed, and he smiled. “Good answer. To see Annika safe and happy is all any of us wants for her. And that brings me to my next question. Excuse my bluntness, but why did you finally get the surgery? You could have done it years ago, so why now? Did you do it for you or for her?”
I blew out a breath. “Both. For me because I was tired of being the Beast and being the butt of people’s jokes. For Annika because I wanted her to be able to go places with me, do things with me, and be seen with me without having to be embarrassed or ashamed of me. I wanted her to be proud to stand beside me, and I wanted to be a man she found attractive and enjoyed looking at.” My face heated as I finished that last sentence.
Silence stretched while the three of them exchanged glances.
Then Dimitri gave a decisive nod. “Another good answer, my boy. I like that you didn’t try to alter your appearance to look like someone else. You chose to just be you, and that is impressive. I find you more than worthy of Annika, and I believe you are a good match for her.” He smiled. “You have my blessing, Adrik, but it’s Annika who must make the final decision.”
I nodded, my chest warming.
He approves.Dimitri Popov approves of me.
“Yes, sir. I understand. Thank you.”
Another small pause. “I understand you’ve been through a lot lately. I know this life isn’t for everyone, but you’ve been a loyal member of the brotherhood and we appreciate the hard work and dedication you’ve put in. As you may be aware, we’ve been closing down our illegal ventures over the past few years and going strictly legit.” He motioned to the paperwork spread out on the desk. “That’s what we were discussing with Sacha when you came in. If you ever need a job, we would be happy to employ you at one of our legally owned and run establishments either here or in Lake Tahoe. Your choice.”
My chest warmed. “That’s very generous, sir. I’ll definitely think about. Thank you.”
He nodded. “Whatever you choose, please know you will always have a family here with us.”