Page 84 of All the Dangerous Things

Okay, they were here on business with Gio, and judging by the darkness I felt taking over by the second, the more I knew I wanted to get out of this house and check out the grounds.

“Can you show me around outside?”

The girls picked up on my need to get the hell away and nodded toward the hallway that led to a sunroom I could make out down the hall.

Before I was led away, Gio caught me around my waist and pulled me in close. He curled a hand around the back of my neck and dipped his head tokiss me long and deep. Right in front of my brothers and their wives.

Dmitry and Nikolai started talking shit in Russian under their breath, and I felt Gio’s smirk against my lips. That had me chuckling and breaking away. I stared up at Gio, knowing the last thing I wanted was for another fight to break out. Although, surprisingly, my brothers stayed back and just glowered with irritation.

I didn’t miss how they kept glancing at my hand, and I realized I wore that big fucking rock on my ring finger but hadn’t told them about being newly engaged.

I guess they know now.

“Miss me while I'm gone?” I whispered as I smiled up at Gio.

He got all serious and leaned down to murmur against my lips, “When you’re not with me, it feels like my heart is gone.”

I felt my belly flutter at his words because he said it with such fervor that I knew he spoke the truth.

With one more kiss, I forced myself to turn away and follow the girls, but I glanced over my shoulder to see my brothers and future husband heading in the other direction.

We found our way into the sunroom and thenwent outside to the garden. I felt my eyes widen at how beautiful and peaceful everything was. I’d always lived amongst the cement and steel of a bustling city. Seeing this serene oasis made me feel as if I missed out on a whole other kind of world.

“Mama!” a little voice shouted, and I glanced to the side to see Luca running toward us with a bundle of flowers in his tiny hands.

The sight of my nephew had a big smile spreading across my face.

Amara scooped up her son and held him tightly, and all of us went over to one of the stone benches to sit down, letting Luca run around and pick more flowers.

“Congrats,” Claudia said softly, and I looked down at my ring and then smiled as I glanced up at her. But she was staring at my belly. Instinctively, I placed my hand on my stomach and felt this warm glow settle over me.

“I don’t have to tell you that secrets rarely stay hidden for long with the type of men in our lives.”

That made me chuckle because that was so damn true.

“I think congrats are in order forallof us.” I stared at Claudia, since Gio recently told me that she—as well as her sister, who had gotten pregnantagain before either of us—was now expecting, and I exhaled as reality settled in deep.

“Crazy, right?” she prompted in a soft voice as we stared out at the gardens. “That we are where we are.”

I knew what she meant and couldn’t have agreed any more deeply.

“Truer words have never been spoken.” We all laughed at how crazy the world was, but had it ever been better than it was now?

And I knew it was only going to get better.

As we sat amongst the flowers, with the sun shining down and warming everything it touched, I took a deep breath and just let my happiness consume me. And although I wanted to hang on to this euphoria for as long as I could—for my entire life—in our world, happiness was always poisoned by darkness.

But for now, at this moment, I didn’t think about any of that shit. I just focused on the here and now and taking one day at a time.

I allowed myself to enjoy the fact that I was going to be an aunt again, bringing my total to three little ones I’d get to spoil and then hand back over to their parents. I let the joy take over that I was newlyengaged and had a man who loved me and our unborn baby more than anything else.

I felt the warmth of my sisters-in-laws’ support and that my brothers accepted I was happy and were letting me make my own life decisions.

In our world, where love and darkness were like oil and water and giving into your happiness could mean life or death, I was finally being selfish and taking what I wanted.

And fuck anyone or anything that tried to change that for me.

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