Page 29 of Ruthless Vows

“You can’t recommend something you’ve never tried before, dumbass.”

“So that’s all this is? You want to try?” he asks. “Do you even like this woman? Do you know her at all?”

“She’s a beautiful woman. Young, intelligent. I don’t need much else,” I answer vaguely.

“How young?” my brother questions.

“Twenty-four.”

“Holy fuck, Ivan!”

My eyes narrow at his outburst. “What?” I snap.

“She’s, like, twenty years younger than you.”

“So?”

My brother stares at me like I’ve gone crazy. In his defense, it does seem so. He’d probably understand better if I told him I knew Lucia already. That I’ve fucked her and now she’s like a drug that won’t leave my system. But I like seeing him like this. This is the first normal conversation we’ve had in a while.

That is, a conversation where I haven’t felt like strangling him and he hasn’t blamed me for everything that’s gone wrong in his life.

“Damn, you’re really going to go through with this?” Alexei questions.

“Of course,” I reply simply as I finish the first batch of our breakfast.

“Will her family go for it?”

“They don’t have much of a choice. I’m sure Ramirez is going to try, though. But I’ll have her in the end.”

My brother pauses to really look at me. “There’s something else,” he concludes. “You seem different. Less like ice than usual. How beautiful is this woman?”

“You’ll meet her eventually. And I expect you to conduct yourself with respect. She’ll be your sister-in-law. Don’t fuck things up.”

“Yeah, yeah. I still can’t believe you’re getting married. I’m the best man, right?”

I roll my eyes. “After your behavior recently, you’re lucky I’m inviting you to the wedding at all.”

He groans. “You’re really shit at letting things go, brother. You realize that?”

“Shut up and eat your food,” I tell him, placing a plate of French toast in front of him.

“Thanks,” he says with a smile.

The scene is reminiscent of when we were younger, back when we were living in a one-bedroom apartment and I had to prepare his meals for him every morning before school. We’ve come a long way since then.

“You know what this reminds me of?” Alexei asks after a few minutes of eating.

I shrug, gesturing for him to speak.

“My girl back in New York. I was going to marry that woman,” he says on a soft sigh.

I arch an eyebrow. “The same woman that broke your heart?”

“She was pretty special, Ivan. Our story’s not over yet. I’m simply biding my time now. Waiting.”

“For what?”

“To make something of myself so I can go back to her.”

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