Page 23 of Bratva King's Secret Twins

“I did. That’s really sad.” I give him a sympathetic smile.

He huffs like an old man who has seen too much of the world. “I don’t like that. People keep wanting them as pets, and they weigh 285 pounds as adults, so that’s just dumb.” His pout turns into a yawn, and I kiss his head. “Plus, the places where they live are being destroyed.”

“That’s terrible, baby. Let’s make a game plan to help them out tonight.” I ruffle his hair, and he smiles at his cold pancakes, which reminds me of my daughter.

“Mia!” I scream again, but Gio sighs.

He looks up at me with wide blue eyes and a sad smile.

“Girl, if you don’t stop all that yelling; it is 6:36 in the morning!” Nana Rose’s slippers click down the hall, holding her hand to her forehead in annoyance.

“Mia doesn’t want to go to school,” he says matter-of-factly, stuffing a hefty forkful of pancake into his mouth.

“What do you mean Mia doesn’t want to go to school?” Nana Rose snaps. “Back in my day, kids didn’t have a choice if they went to school or not.”

“Is she sick?” I question, sliding two pancakes on my plate.

“No, but she didn’t like summer camp, so she doesn’t think she’ll like school.” Gio shrugs, picking up his orange juice and taking a huge gulp that leaves some OJ dripping onto his green t-shirt. Genius or not, my baby is a mess.

“Nana, please clean Gio up. I have to talk to Mia.” I sigh, walking off down the hallway toward the twins’ room.

I find Mia sitting on her bed, clutching her favorite stuffed animal, a well-worn bunny named Mr. Floppy. Her hazel eyes are downcast, and she looks up at me with tears gleaming in her eyes.

“Mia, honey, what’s wrong?”

She hugs Mr. Floppy tighter. “I don’t want to go to school, Mama.” She speaks into the head of the stuffed animal, tears cresting her hazel-green eyes. “I’m not smart like G. Everyone will make fun of me.”

I take a deep breath and smooth down her curls that match mine. Her dirty blonde color resembles Nikolai; sometimes, I can’t help but stare at how much she resembles him.

“Mia, we do not say mean things to ourselves. What do we say?”

“I am smart,” she whispers. “I am pretty. I am great.”

“You are everything and more,” I whisper into her hair and kiss her forehead, pulling her into my chest. “I promise everyone feels that way on their first day, and everyone will be learning and growing. No one knows everything, not G, Nana, or me.”

“You don’t know everything?” she asks with wide eyes.

I giggle, a bitter sound escaping my lips. If I knew everything, I would know where their father was. If I were truly growing, I would have told him years ago that we have two of the most wonderful kids in the world. I tried once when the twins were one, right before we moved out of D.C. to Maryland, to escape the pressure of the debts my father owed. No one knew I had children, and I never wanted Mason to find out and use them against me, so we moved in the middle of the night.

But before we left, I wanted to tell him. I wanted to let Nik know, but most importantly, I just wanted to see him again, to have him look at me like the world revolved around me, the same way he did that night when he rocked my world. The memory of his gaze, filled with warmth and adoration, haunts me. It’s a look I’ve longed for every day since I snuck out of his hotel room.

I knew Nikolai owned that hotel we went to, so I went back and asked if I could get his email or number, and I was practically dragged out of the lobby. They thought I was a stalker or just trying to exploit their boss for money. After that, I tried googling him, but Nikolai Petrov is a pretty common name, and he was a ghost before I met him. Now, he’s a figment of my imagination. The only proof we ever met are the twins and the button-up I stole and kept underneath my pillow because it used to smell like him.

Mia crawls into my lap with Mr. Floppy, breaking me out of my trance. I smile and nuzzle her cheek.

“I am always learning new things because nothing is better than learning.”

“Really?”

I tickle her chest. “Really? Besides, you’ll learn, have much fun, and make many new friends.”

Mia pushes Mr. Floppy closer to my face. “Do you think Mr. Floppy can come with me?”

“Of course, Mr. Floppy can come. He’ll be your brave buddy.”

A small smile forms on her lips. “Okay, Mama.”

“Alright, get dressed in whatever you want except the princess gowns.” I kiss her forehead.

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