“Nope,” Lettie says, popping theP. “She was fully sobbing into the flour like he’s being shipped off to a monastery in the Alps or something. Dad’s pretending to read the paper, but I swear he hasn’t turned a page in twenty minutes. Just keeps glancing out the window like the Mafia is coming to snatch you up in broad daylight. Isn’t that crazy?”
I shoot a dry look at Maksim. “Little late for that.”
He smirks, not bothering to argue.
Lettie sits up a little straighter, finally noticing the half-packed bags and the growing mountain of clothes in the center of the room. “You two doing some spring cleaning or...?”
I hesitate, but Maksim and I share a brief look. There’s no use hiding it now. “Actually… I’m packing to go to Russia.”
Lettie freezes for a full beat, staring at me like the words haven’t fully registered. Then she slowly lowers her legs off the bed and blinks again. “Wait.What?”
I nod, fingers fumbling for the zipper on the side of my suitcase. “We’re leaving in a couple of days.”
Her eyes go wide. “Are you serious? You’re just up and leaving?”
“I’m following your advice. Remember how you lectured me about the whole,there’s no protecting Leo since he’ll always be Maksim’s heir?”
She momentarily forgets her panic, choosing then to smirk and toss her hair back over her shoulder. “Sounds like the kind of sage advice I would give you.”
Maksim snorts again, setting aside Leo’s toy. “You are welcome to visit anytime. Your family is always welcome in Russia. You will all be treated with the same respect and care as any honored guest.”
Lettie’s brows lift slightly, the warmth in his tone clearly catching her off guard. But true to form, she recovers fast, flashing a grin that’s all mischief. “Say, you don’t suppose you’ve got room for one more on that fancy private jet of yours, do you?”
My brow raises. “Why, volunteering your services as our live-in babysitter?”
She puts a hand to her chest, feigning offense. “Excuse you. I’m an auntie, thank you very much. Afunaunt. I would never impose such a boring title on myself. But no. I was thinking more like a… study abroad thing?”
That makes Maksim tilt his head, intrigued.
I glance between them, my expression slowly shifting into disbelief. “Wait. Youactuallywant to live in Russia?”
“You actually want to live in Russia, Lettie?” I ask, surprised.
Lettie flops backward onto the bed again. “I mean… maybe? Not forever. Just for a bit. One semester, maybe two. Or more. Whatever.”
I stare at her, dumbfounded. “You, Lettie Bennett, want to voluntarily leave the country. For snow… inRussia.”
“Why are you acting like I just said I want to relocate to the moon?” she mutters, eyes rolling toward the ceiling. “I’ve got student loan debt and zero dating prospects. Whynotgo somewhere with castles and accents and possibly a few sexy bodyguards?”
Maksim chuckles at that.
I press my lips together, unsure whether to laugh or be genuinely worried. My sister has never shown an ounce of interest in a country with colder climates, let alone traveling halfway across the world and away from everything she’s ever known.
I don’t hate that idea. Far from it, actually. But I’m worried if she does come with us, she’ll end up regretting it. Moving to another country is a whole different beast than visiting it. Not to mention she won’t just get to be some American tourist traveling on a student Visa. She’ll be a guest of the Antonov Bratva and will have to be heavily guarded to keep safe.
She sits up again to look at me, scooting over to the edge of the bed. “Think about it. A fresh start, a whole new world. I could find myownMafia boss and live in some ridiculously dramatic romance novel.”
I drop my hands, staring at her. “This isn’t a game. I’m serious, Lettie. If you actually come to stay with us, you’ll be kept on a tight leash. Maksim may not have a civil war going on, but he still has enemies that want what his Bratva has. That means you’ll be kept tight to the fold. There won’t be any late-night excursions sneaking out to go clubbing or whatever. You’ll need a guard every time you leave the estate.”
Her teasing smile fades. She leans forward, her gaze locking on mine. “I don’t care about any of that, Ivy. I want to go where you go. I don’t want to have to give up my sister again. Or my nephew. I kind of only got you back not too long ago, you know?”
My eyes soften. “Lettie…”
“We missed a lot of years together. I hate that. All that time we didn’t talk, didn’t visit each other… I refuse to let that happen again. And I’m not letting my nephew grow up without his auntie either.”
It hits me all at once how much this move is affecting more than just me and Leo. We’re not just detaching from some neighborhood with a few pieces of furniture packed into the back of a truck. We’re uprooting lives and disrupting comfort zones.
Though, as much as I love the idea of having my sister close, part of me wonders if I’d be doing her a disservice by letting her follow us into a world she knows so little about.