“Of course. I love Georgi and seeing him happy makes me happy.”
Laurie puts the phone down, and when she begins to strip out of her clothes, my eyes rove hungrily over every inch of naked skin that’s bared to me.
“Fuck, my life. Four days. Four days. Four days,” I mutter as I walk into the bathroom to shower.
When the elevator doors open, I hear everyone, and stepping out, my eyes sweep over the entrance hall that’s been decorated with gold and pink balloons bobbing against the ceiling.
There are tables everywhere, pristine pink tablecloths and gold vases with flowers.
Servers stand at the ready, and the aroma of delicious-smelling food hangs in the air.
I hope Aunt Skylar prepared the food, because then we’re in for one hell of a treat.
With my hand on Laurie’s lower back, I make sure I’m always on her right, protecting her healing arm with my fucking life.
Mom spots us and waves before walking toward us. “Hi, you two.” She digs something out of her clutch. “I wanted to bring it over earlier, but your father was in a hurry. He had some bet with Damiano and the others. Whoever’s last has to pay up, and he wasn’t about to lose.”
Mom holds a rectangular box out to me, and I immediately know what it is.
“Thanks, Ma.” When I open it and remove the chain, I look at the bullet that’s been set in gold. My wife gasps when she realizes what I’m holding in my hand, and with a grin, I ask her, “Will you help me put it on?”
“You seriously kept the bullet?” She takes the chain from me, inspecting the pendant.
“Of course.” When she fastens the gold chain around my neck, I stare at her until she meets my eyes. “It’s a reminder of how much you love me, and I want it close to my heart.”
I tuck it beneath my shirt, and when the cold metal settles against my chest, I pat my hand over it.
Laurie looks emotional, and placing my arm around her, I pull her close to my side.
We walk deeper into the room and spend the next twenty minutes greeting everyone before I finally get to Georgi. I slap him on the back, catching him off guard while he’s pouring himself a drink.
“Fucker, you almost made me spill,” he mutters.
“Laurie showed me the video where Simi called you dad,” I say.
He sucks in a deep breath. “It was the first time she called me that. I almost cried like a fucking baby.”
“I noticed.” I point close to his eye. “I could swear there was a little ol’ tear hanging right there.”
“Fuck off,” he scoffs.
“Daddy,” Simi shouts fucking loud from somewhere on the other side of the room, then she shrieks, at the top of her lungs, “Daddy! Spider!”
Georgi runs as if hellhounds are chasing him, and I watch as everyone clears a path to where Simi is half hysterically pointing at a black dot on the floor.
He swoops her into the air before squashing the spider, then soothes his little girl until she’s calm.
Christ, he’s a natural.
My eyes find Laurie where she’s standing by Yuki, and I wonder what it will be like when we have children.
It will have to wait a couple of years. I’m too selfish right now to share her attention.
“How are you, son?” Uncle Damiano suddenly asks from behind me.
I turn around and get to work, pouring two tumblers of whiskey, while answering, “I’m good. You?”
“Good.”