Page 61 of Kept By the Bratva

She shrugged, lighthearted. “Nah. I wouldn’t expect them to care for a pet I wanted.”

I liked that she wasn’t haughty, like a mistress of the household who counted on the lowly servants to make her wishes come true.

“I’m sorry that you’ll miss your job.”

I nodded. “But this is my true dream come true.” Shaking my head, I rolled my eyes. “I mean, not here. I didn’t plan any of this. It still feels like I’m forced to make the best of a bad situation, but I don’t believe that much anymore. I’ve always wanted to have a family of my own. This isn’t how I thought I’d start one, not at all, but I’ll take these twins as a blessing.”

She tilted her head to the side. “Only the babies? Not Nik?”

I opened and closed my mouth, struggling with how to word my thoughts on this. I’d just coached myself to tell him how I felt. Not anyone else first. He deserved to hear my secret before anyone else.

“I hope you can find it in your heart to appreciate him.”

My cheeks burned as I recalled how feverously I appreciated him as I straddled his lap a couple of hours ago.

“And to appreciate the Bratva. They are your family now. And they will be your family for good. A Valkov is not fickle. We are loyal, Amy, and you can count on that.”

I nodded.

“I agree with you. On the surface, it does seem like this is nothing but a case of making the best out of the worst scenario.” She shook her head slowly as she wiped her mouth. “But I also don’t think that’s entirely true. I saw how awestruck Nikolai was when you let him know he was the father of your babies. How he gazes at you like you’re the treasure he’s hoped for his whole life.”

“Has he… Has he talked about me?” I wanted to know but didn’t count on her to share anything. “We were a one-night stand. We couldn’t forget about each other.” I paused, not wanting to mention how Nik stalked me out of that club. It had to be a touchy topic and a sore spot in the Valkovs’ fight against the Ortez Cartel. I hated to think that Nik’s chasing after me could have caused that fight to happen in the first place. I heard how deeply devoted he was in his duty to his family, and I disliked the possibility that I could have distracted him from it for even a little while.

“And now, you’re parents together,” Mila concluded.

I nodded. “We’ll have to figure out how to get three highchairs in here.”

She laughed, nodding. “This is the headquarters, but Alek has said that we can find another house if that’s what I want.”

“I adore Nik’s suite, but I doubt all those brothers want to hear crying twins in the middle of the night.”

“Whatever the future can hold for you two, I promise to be here to help you adjust. I never had a chance to really befriend anyone before I met Alek. I’m glad you’re here, and we can hopefully help each other with the trials of pregnancies.”

I took her hand and squeezed her fingers. “Me too. I’m grateful I’ve got you here too.” Missy was the only friend who’d ever lasted in the “real” world, and Mila did help.

“I’ve got to wonder if Nik would ever—”Stop. Don’t get your hopes up.

“What?” she asked, eyes wide with excitement. “What?”

“I wonder if Nik would ever want to make it official. You know? Since he’s going to be a father and all. I know that’s an old-fashioned way to think about it, but…” I shrugged.

Mila grinned, then gave in to light laughter. “Oh, boy.”

I watched her, curious why that would amuse her.

“Anotherwedding, so soon.” She set her glass down and sighed. “Alek and I got married in some unusual circumstances. I’d sure hope you and Nik would go a more traditional route and have a proper ceremony.”

A girl can only wish…

I bit my lip, nodding. It was one more layer of my dreams.

They seemed fated to be cut short, though. Before we could take another bite or continue this start of girl talk, gunfire popped nearby.

No!We were both vulnerable here, two pregnant women without many guards. Both Alek and Nik were gone, and I dreaded that this ambush was happening now because of their absence.

Guards. They have guards everywhere.I tried to calm my racing heart as my pulse spiked in panic.They have guards.I refused to think that it wasn’t safe anywhere outside of Nik’s suite. This place was supposed to be a fortress.

I had many adjustments to violence being a constant in my life, but I felt so confused why it would be happening here and now.