Ivan shrugs nonchalantly. “Doesn’t all history?”
“I hope not,” I say quietly. “I hope they marry and are happy together.”
“I hope so, too,” Ivan says quietly. The curtain falls, and we stand up and join the loud applause echoing in the room.
We leave, and Ivan takes us to a private section where we can have drinks. We sit down at a private booth. He has vodka, Russian imported, and I have a glass of white wine.
“You seem incredibly shy for an Italian,” he comments. “The ones I’ve dealt with are generally outgoing and rather boisterous.”
“I just… I’m not a people person,” I say, sipping my wine. “What about you? Do you like mingling with people?”
“Back in the day, I was quite the player when I was younger. I had many lovers, not something I’m proud of now, but I stopped once I met Mila. Russian girls all wanted to date the heir to the Volkov family, but none understood what they were getting into. Mila did. She was amazing in every way.”
“She sounds wonderful,” I say, and I mean it.
Ivan gives me a sad smile, then clears his throat. “What about you? Any memorable past lovers?”
That blush instantly takes over my face, and I try to hide it behind a sip of wine.
“Um… well…” I obviously hesitate too long because his eyes widen.
“You haven’t been with anyone, have you?” There’s no judgment in his voice, but I still feel ashamed. I set my wine down and look away.
I feel his hand on my hand. “It’s okay. There’s nothing to be ashamed of. Everyone has a first time, and I won’t lie; I’m turned on by being your first.”
I meet his eyes, and I can see he isn’t lying. There’s a lust in there that I’ve seen when he’s looked at me before. I swallow hard and fumble over my words, but he laces our fingers together. “I mean it. I’m glad.”
I give him a shy smile and finish my wine. “It’s been a long day of work. Would you mind if we go home now?”
He downs his vodka. “Yes, I need some rest myself now. It’s going to be another long day tomorrow.”
We walk out together, but Ivan lets go of my hand, hooking my arm through his instead. We get in the car, I sleepily rest my head against his shoulder.
All too soon, we’ve done our evening routine, and he’s once again holding me, spooning me, and I feel so safe in his arms that I doze off without complaint.
After breakfast, I’m back at the office working. I want to cram in as much as I can before church. There’s a knock at the door, and I glance up to see my brother there.
“Luigi! What are you doing here?” I ask, standing up.
“I brought some more paperwork from Frankie, and I thought it would be nice to drive us all to church today.” He grins at me.
I smile and take the paperwork, setting it down on the table. “Let me check if Ivan wants to come with us. Then we can all go. Wait in the entrance hall by Aleks.”
I hurry to the bedroom to find Ivan dressing for church. “Are you ready to go?” he asks.
“Actually, Luigi is here. He wants us all to go to church together. Are you keen?” I ask.
Ivan looks at me, puzzled, then shakes his head. “I should have been clearer. Now that you are my wife, you will attend church with me. That is how this works in our family.”
I pout slightly, disappointed, then ask, “Can we go to my family afterward for lunch?”
“We normally have lunch with my family at the restaurant after, but you can invite your brother, your sister, and her husband and child. That will be fine.” His tone is cold and final.
I nod, even more disappointed, but I try not to let it show as I hurry back to Luigi and explain the situation.
I see Anastasia walking past Luigi, and he greets her. She kind of waves him off, and he teases her. She leaves, and I walk up to him. “Don’t start with her. Listen, I have to go to Ivan’s church and have lunch with his family, but you, Kira, Miguel, and Raphael can come to the restaurant after church for lunch.”
Luigi glances around and asks, “Will his whole family be there?”