Page 49 of The Bratva King's Twins

“You can’t take what’s Ari’s, remember?” Kir teased as he looked over the rim of his glass. “He doesn’t share well.”

Ari released a breath and carefully rolled up his sleeves beside me. “Don’t make me regret doing something nice for all of you.”

Everyone chuckled at that, and it was nice knowing their banter and jokes were only that. There was never any kind of hidden malice.

“If it’s on you, then don’t lump me in with these animals. I’m on my best behavior,” Lukyan said as he browsed a drink menu. “You wouldn’t mind if I got an order of shots with desert, right?”

Ari rolled his eyes and shook his head. “I have something better than shots for all of you.”

“That’s a tall order,” Benedikt snickered.

Ignoring him, he continued. “I arranged this dinner because Vivian and I have some exciting news.”

Immediately, I felt their eyes on the both of us, glancing between us with interest.

“Well, don’t make us wait. Out with it,” Lara encouraged, growing impatient as Ari stalled.

“We’re expecting,” he said, wearing a proud smile. “Better yet, we’re expecting twins.”

Immediate shock filled the table as I reached inside my clutch and pulled out the scan photos.

“No way!” Lara exclaimed, softening as she gave us a supportive pout. “You’re carrying twins?”

Unable to hold back my own smile, I nodded and handed the photos to her first. “We went to our first scan the other day. It was a surprise for both of us.”

His brothers looked just as shocked, as if they couldn’t believe those words. But as the photos were passed around, they all wore that same awestruck look, the scan enough to solidify the news for them.

“I’ll be damned,” Lukyan murmured as he smiled at it. “Two little ones for our big brother.”

“I never thought the day would come,” Benedikt added with a teasing gleam in his eyes. “Congrats, you two.”

We received a complete round of congratulations as they cooed over the photos, seemingly all coming around to the idea of their family growing by two more.

Ari and I were both amused by their reactions, and it made me happy to see his joy. Even if he could be stern and serious with his siblings, he truly cared about their thoughts and opinions, and he wasn’t above joking with them.

“Let me see that again,” Lara demanded of Kir once he had the scans.

“Wait your turn, I’m connecting with my future nieces or nephews.”

Lara scoffed. “You’ll actually have to put effort into becoming their favorite uncle, whereas I will be their cherished aunt by default.”

Ari chuckled and took a sip from his glass. “It begins already.”

“Uncle Lukyan will always be on top,” he said triumphantly. “I’ll be the fun one.”

“Until you let them do something they shouldn’t and they go crying back to Ari and Vivian,” Benedikt added with a snicker. He looked between the two of us. “For the love of god, don’t let him babysit for too long.”

Lukyan feigned his offense. “And Uncle Ben will teach them how to curse before they’re two.”

Unable to deny the accusation, Benedikt only laughed and shrugged.

Everyone joined in as they continued dreaming up what was ahead, wondering what the twins would be like or who they would take after while we ate dinner.

It was easy to feel accepted by his family, especially after sharing such good news with them. They seemed more than ready to welcome little ones into the fold, and as it sounded, they had been waiting for quite some time.

No matter how many times I saw them, it still amazed me how close they all were, and how they treated each other with respect even while they joked and poked fun. It was so different from what I was used to, and I was relieved to see it.

It put me at ease knowing I’d be bringing children into a family that got along and didn’t spend their time bringing each other down.

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