Page 70 of Sexting the Silverfox

That leaves my father. He’s still a problem. He won’t give up until he has me back. I know it, and Jason knows it. For now, however, I welcome the brief feeling of peace.

“He’ll be all right,” Jason says, as if able to read my mind. “That leg is shattered, and he’ll need a cane for the rest of his life, but it’ll slow him down a bit. Perhaps it’ll give your brothers the opportunity they need to actually take over the family business and push him out. Who knows? I didn’t think that far ahead.”

“What were you thinking?”

“I wanted to kill him, too,” he replies without hesitation, giving me a sideways glance. His eyes search my face, and I muster a soft, timid smile. “I honestly considered it, and I’m sorry.”

“No, I get it. I would’ve been tempted as well under the circumstances,” I say, my voice trembling slightly. “But then he would’ve won. Those who fight monsters should be careful not to turn into monsters themselves, right?”

“Nietzsche said that if I remember correctly. Yeah, I agree. I just needed him down and momentarily disabled so I could get you out of there.”

“He’s going to pay for everything he did to us,” I say.

“We’ll check up on your brothers once we reach Crystal Lake,” Jason says. “I’ve got a friend at Grand Memorial, where Anton and Vitaly are hospitalized. He’ll update us on their condition. Your father’s, too. I imagine they’ll take him there, as well.”

“You were incredible,” I say. “Back at the meeting.”

“I wish it didn’t have to get to that point.”

Me, too. But it did. And we survived it. It’s all that matters to me tonight.

His friend’s place is a townhouse right on the edge of Crystal Lake. At this late hour, there’s not much to see, with the exception of a few twinkling lights on the other side of the lake.

Once the door is locked and the lights are on, I take it all in.

For a moment, I feel as though I’ve stepped into a corner of paradise. I love every inch of this place. Mostly, I love that it has nothing to do with any aspect of my life.

“I knew you’d like it,” Jason chuckles softly upon seeing my awe.

“God, yes.”

He takes me into the kitchen, where to my delight, there is a generous variety of tea in the cupboard. “Here, let me show you something cool,” Jason says, smiling as he takes out a gorgeous glass teapot with a gold-brushed rim.

“I’ll help,” I reply and put the electric kettle on, then rummage through the available tea bags. I settle on jasmine and ginger, my tongue already tingling with the anticipation of the wonderful combination.

“Saul showed this to me when he first bought it. Honestly, I was never much in favor of tea before, but ever since I got to play with it a bit, I swear it’s a game-changer.”

“It’s so pretty,” I mumble as I look at the unique teapot.

We sit down at the kitchen table for a while, sipping in silence while gazing at one another. It’s so nice to be able to talk about trivial things such as fancy teapots and beach houses with Jason—particularly after everything we’ve dealt with over the past few weeks. It’s nice to be able to feel normal for once.

“I’ve missed you so much,” I tell him. “I didn’t think I’d ever see you again.”

“Audrey, I was lost without you,” he admits, his gaze softening. “But we do need to address the elephant in the room.”

“We have a whole herd of them,” I can’t help but giggle, prompting a smile from him. “I mean, there’s my family, there’s the whole Bratva thing, all the secrets I kept from you. Where do I begin?”

“You’re pregnant.”

My face burns, and my heart starts racing. I look down, wondering if it’s fear or shame I’m feeling.

“Jason, I’m sorry. I didn’t plan for this to happen,” I say.

“I know that. It’s okay. We didn’t consider this as a consequence when we got together,” Jason replies, the shadow of a smile dancing across his handsome, tired face. “We were too busy screwing each other’s brains out, falling irreversibly in love with one another.”

“How do you feel about it?”

Jason takes a second to respond, and it feels like the longest second of my existence until he laughs lightly. “Are you kidding? I’m over the moon!” He gets up and comes around the counter but then stops and gives me a worried look. “Hold on, how do you feel about it?”

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