Page 34 of The Bratva's Plus-Size Bride

It was easy to get trapped in usual schedules and routines and reach a state of disconnect. I knew that well enough from when I was alone and didn’t have much to strive towards or look forward to. But ever since Gemma came into my life, I decided to make a conscious effort to stop that from happening.

With time going by, as Friday rolled around again, it was easy to see how the two of us were both worn down from the workweek. Gemma was working harder than ever, putting in impressive hours just to meet deadlines and surpass expectations, and while I felt proud of her for adapting, it didn’t take much to realize how tired she was because of it.

While it would’ve been easy, and likely appreciated by her, if we simply stayed home for the night and watched a movie or something, I didn’t want to let our time together slip away. Instead, I found Gemma sitting on the couch, absently scrolling through her phone when I approached from behind and leaned against the backrest.

“Get ready to head out, and dress warm,” I murmured to her, trying to keep an air of mystery about my plans.

Gemma’s brows went up in interest as she craned her neck to look at me. “Where are we going?”

“It’s a secret,” I returned, feeling a little mischievous. “But as a useful hint, it’s usually chilly by the water at night.”

While obviously missing the rest of the context, she still seemed excited about the idea, and she nodded while getting to her feet. “Alright, I’ll be ready in ten.”

“I’ll be here when you’re done.”

I couldn’t help but smile at the prospect of the night I had planned for us, already able to anticipate Gemma’s amusement and joy.

Ever since the marriage was finalized and we found ourselves involved more heavily with the Ivanov situation, we had been spending more time in our bubble together when we weren’t busy working, which made the idea of changing things up even more appealing.

Before long, Gemma was ready to go, and we headed out. It was a short drive to the boardwalk, but as the ocean came into view, I caught the way her eyes started to light up. I pulled up, and she smiled.

“I love this place. I’ve only been able to sneak over here a few times since I moved to New York, but it’s so worth it.”

Unable to keep my smile off my face, I killed the ignition and chuckled. “We have all night to peruse as much as you’d like. Just lead the way.”

Her joy deepened even more at my words, and without needing to be told, she popped the door open. “Let’s get started, then.”

As we walked side by side, the boardwalk was about as busy as I expected on a Friday night, but it didn’t deter us from enjoying it anyway. To my amusement, Gemma was grinning from ear to ear like a child as we took in the sights, and I knew I couldn’t possibly grow tired of seeing it.

As we walked by the storefronts and noticed the various games and challenges up ahead, she faced me with an enticing smile. “Do you want to try some out?”

Considering her question, I raked my eyes over the various stalls, all made up of colorful construction and flashing lights meant to grab your attention. I hummed to myself.

“These guys are the biggest con men, you know,” I mused, allowing a grin to slide onto my face. “But sure. Have your pick and we’ll see if we can rob these guys of their best prizes.”

As Gemma giggled to herself and walked me over to the first game she set her sights on—a classic ring-toss arrangement. “Seems as good a place to start as any.”

“Step up and give it a shot,” I encouraged her, motioning for her to take the lead. I leaned down closer and murmured to her, “And if those rings give you any trouble, I’ll give them a piece of my mind.”

I watched as she visibly shivered at the proximity before slipping back into amusement, and I couldn’t deny the rush of satisfaction it brought me. Knowing I could make her body react involuntarily instilled pride in me, along with the desire to make it happen again as many times as I could.

With warm enthusiasm, Gemma indeed did her best at the game, and while she tried, she didn’t quite win, and as confident as I had been in my abilities to win the game, it turned out I wasn’t very good at it, either.

I found myself growing more frustrated, but before I could spend too much money on the game, Gemma pulled me in the direction of another game that caught her eye.

We'd made our way through most of the activities by the time we found what was apparently the holy grail—the showstopper of the evening, according to Gemma.

“Are you sure?” I asked, looking at the tall arrangement of glass fishbowls stacked strategically on top of one another, all with individual beta fish that, for the most part, didn’t seem all that healthy or happy.

But to my surprise, Gemma’s eyes were completely lit up. “I remember trying so hard to win this one as a kid at local carnivals, but I never could. Those damn fish were always just out of my grasp.”

Seeing how nostalgic it was for her, I snickered and nodded. “Alright, you might as well try your hand at it while we’re here.”

With deep satisfaction at my acceptance, she stepped closer and gave the loose change to the man running the game. In exchange, she was given three ping-pong balls, and she assumed the appropriate distance away from the stack of fishbowls.

I watched closely as she focused almost like it was a life-or-death situation, entertained even before she started.

The first ball bounced off the rim of one, the second landed in between two without falling in, and as Gemma tossed the third, it hit another rim before bouncing wildly away. In the end, she couldn’t manage to sink one.

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