Page 27 of His Wild Attraction

She was sitting in the front row of the chairs arranged in the backyard for the small circle of friends and family joining us for this event.

My mother was nervous, worried about me, but I assured her everything was going to be okay.

She knew I was telling my bosses, my cousins, about our familial relationship today, and she was right to be anxious.

But also, not. This was for me to deal with. Not her. I would protect my mother in all things.

“Well, that’s a surprise. Though not really. You’re a prick just like these two assholes,” Josef muttered.

Adrik scowled at him, but Josef just shrugged unapologetically.

“Goddamn! Well, welcome to the family, Andres,” Marat said, clapping me on the back.

That handsome fucker looked positively amused as he downed the rest of his drink.

“Yes, of course, welcome. But why did you not tell us this before?” Adrik asked, looking thoughtful.

“I wasn’t sure I wanted you to know. You have a reputation for being, let’s say, less than reasonable, and I didn’t want to show my hand until I was certain I could trust you,” I admitted.

“And now you can trust us?” he asked.

I nodded once.

“Now, I have to trust you, cousin. Today I become a husband and a father, and trusting you is how I keep my family safe.”

Adrik’s lips twisted into a grin, and all three men looked at me with the same expression of understanding on their faces.

They said Volkov meant wolf, and it was easy to see the predators staring out through their eyes.

I didn’t have a plan for how I would avenge my soon-to-be wife and son.

Not exactly.

But I had backup now.

I had these men by my side, and that was good enough for me.

CHAPTER NINE ELLIE

“Mommy!” Sammy squealed as he raced into the room and tackled me around my knees.

I was used to his exuberance and braced myself, so he didn’t knock me over. He was already so strong, and not even four yet.

“You ready to do this, Bud?” I asked him, uncertainty gnawing at my insides.

“Yep! Let’s get married, Mommy!”

Sofia, Destiny, and Meredith left the room, and I knew they would be lined up and waiting to precede me down the aisle. I appreciated their tact, and used those few seconds to compose myself and just look at my son.

He was dressed beautifully in a tiny little tux with a velvet bow tie that matched Andres’ perfectly.

At my son’s feet was Rocky. They were inseparable these days. The kitten had been outfitted with a tiny version of Sammy’s bowtie and a leash.

He was even behaving properly, walking by Sammy’s side, and only getting into a little bit of trouble when he sort of peed on Josef’s shoe.

Andres had his tailor come over, and after a very serious discussion with Sammy, the two of them decided he would dress just like his new stepfather. And the cat would match them both.

Because it was Halloween, Sammy also wore a jet fighter backpack that looked like he had rockets tied right to his little back. And instead of a flower, he had a tiny pumpkin pinned to his lapel.

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