“Alekzander?”
He stopped and looked back with one foot out the door.
“Thank you. I know you are trying not to be angry with me, and I appreciate that.”
The picture she made with her hair flowing over her shoulders, her expression open, their baby cradled to her breast…he’d never seen her appear more angelic.
Justin Sheppard. Gay. The guy never touched her.
Alek went back and lifted her face. He kissed her twice, and then a third time. “Every time you open this mouth, I’m finding I don’t have to try so hard.”
He left her with that.
♦ ♦ ♦
Sacha was finally winding down after the long day when the sound of approaching footsteps had her straightening in her chair. Lekzi was strapped into her highchair, and her face and hands were, as always, sticky with cereal. At least she hadn’t gotten any in her hair yet.
Spooning another portion into a mouth that was still accepting it, Sacha turned and waited with a familiar anticipation to see Alekzander come through the archway into the large kitchen that housed a massive old-fashioned stone hearth and enough cupboard space to please any woman.
But it wasn’t Alekzander. It was the Pakhan of the Tarasov Bratva and his grim-faced byki who’d touchingly come to her rescue earlier.
She quickly scrambled to her feet, which put her in front of Lekzi.
“Hello, Sacha.” Vasily’s gaze swept the room. Looking for his nephew? Yes. Now would be a good time for him to appear.
“Hello, Vasily.”
She could hear Lekzi kicking her legs and babbling in her darling voice to show her displeasure that her supply had come to a halt.
Dmitri expression darkened as he made his silent exit while Vasily approached her. “I hear you are not alone. Would you mind making introductions?”
She looked up from the steeple she could see tattooed at the base of his throat where the top two buttons of his white dress shirt were opened. Her face cooled as the blood drained from it. So much history would be on this man’s body. That was hair-raising.
Too nervous to bother with English, she spoke Russian. “If you would rather Alekzander introduced you to his daughter, I would understand. It is probably a moment you would like to share—”
“I am finding myself too anxious to wait any longer. Besides, I do not mind sharing the moment with you.” He smiled encouragingly.
“Oh. Er, okay.” Her heart was racing.
A loud screech from behind her had her jumping.
“Perhaps she is also anxious.” Vasily chuckled.
Sacha nodded and stepped to the side and back. When she saw Lekzi looking up at her, she smiled a reassurance, even though it meant nothing to the baby.
“Oh, my goodness,” Vasily whispered as he closed the distance between them.
The sound of his voice had Lekzi’s attention shifting, and the sharp breath Sacha heard let her know he’d recognized his nephew’s eyes. He cursed in Russian and apologized almost immediately. “Forgive me. I tried to keep it clean.”
She waved it off. “This is Alekzandra Liliya.” She bent to the baby’s ear. “Lekzi, this is your dedushka.”
If she wasn’t mistaken, there was gratitude on his face when he smiled his greeting at the baby. Sacha was glad she’d never thought of her child as anything other than an extension of the man she loved—even when she hated him. To give her son or daughter Alekzander’s name hadn’t even been a conscious decision. It had just been something she’d known she would do. She’d also known the second name would come from her parents.
Vasily took the baby’s chin in a gentle hold. He turned her face toward the light and his smile widened when little Miss Sunshine’s gums made an appearance. A gooey hand landed on his wrist and slipped a couple of times before it made purchase.
“Hello, beautiful.” He sat in the chair Sacha had been using.
Without taking his eyes—which were wet; Maksim won his bet—from the baby, he held out his hand for the spoon. Sacha didn’t think twice about giving it to him and then watched as he picked up the small bowl of cereal and began feeding her daughter.
“You two certainly make gorgeous babies.” He was speaking English once again. “Eva is going to be excited about this development.”
Sacha pulled a chair over and sat. This wasn’t as bad as she’d been expecting. “Sydney and Maksim were able to meet her when they accompanied us here. Alekzander told them to bring the others for lunch tomorrow so introductions can be made.”
“That will be nice. There is not much I enjoy more than having everyone together for a happy occasion. Alek is upstairs?”
“Yes. He went to ready our rooms.”