Page 45 of The Bratva's Auctioned Bride

Regardless of what might happen, I wanted both Alex and my family. I wouldn’t settle for anything less.

Chapter 23 - Alexander

Several weeks had gone by since the Gromovs nearly hijacked our shipment, and while things had been mostly quiet, it wasn’t enough to put me at ease. I knew it wouldn’t possibly last—not while they had been so insistent on hitting both us and the Levovs.

They had been poking at our defenses and looking for a way in without inflicting too much damage too soon, but since then, things seemed relatively still. A part of me wondered if they realized they were barking up the wrong tree, or if they were getting themselves in too deep and decided they needed to go elsewhere. It was tempting to assume that, since they surely lost men by attacking both us and the Levovs. Still, I wasn’t prepared to accept that yet.

I knew them too well. I had been dealing with them long enough to understand that they were like cockroaches. It didn’t matter what we did, or how we tried to keep them at bay, they always seemed to come back again.

In that moment of suspicious peace, however, I managed to not waste the time completely. Even if I felt paranoid and was constantly worrying about when the other shoe would drop, I found myself around Lara even more, working on bonding and becoming even closer.

While things on the business front seemed rocky and uncertain, I could depend on Lara to be my constant. She was unwaveringly at my side regardless of what was going on, and I couldn’t be more grateful for that.

She was helping me to see how right I had been in choosing to take her as my wife, and at the very least, I had theluxury of waking up next to her every morning, regardless of what else was going on in my life.

“Are you sure you want to spend the afternoon here?” Lara asked as I pulled up to one of the city parks where a festival was being thrown for the weekend. She looked out the window, taking in the sights of the many vendors, the live music playing, and all the people perusing around. “I mean, I could’ve just come with Gemma or Vivian.”

I smiled, finding a parking spot before killing the engine. “Of course I do. I haven’t been to one of these things in forever. I might as well now.”

While she seemed happy to hear it, I noticed a slight tinge of doubt in her voice. “I wasn’t sure if city festivals would exactly be your thing.”

Shrugging, I collected my keys and phone and prepared to get out. “I wouldn’t say it necessarily is, but if it’s an excuse to spend the afternoon with you, then I’ll take it.”

Lara grinned at that, coming up with no other questions or concerns as she leaned over and kissed my cheek, leaving my skin feeling warm from the sensation. “That’s a good answer.”

Chuckling, I popped my door open, and we both got out. As we met up on the sidewalk, I reached out for her hand and intertwined our fingers, letting my thumb gently trace against her skin.

Lara’s pleasant expression lingered at the contact, and together, we started through the event. Hand in hand, we walked along the path, checking out the handmade goods, promotional booths, and everything in between.

She seemed especially happy when we approached a small petting zoo nestled in some shade. I forced out a breath at the smell, but Lara didn’t seem to mind at all as she leaneddown and gently scratched one of the goats between the ears. Her smile never faded.

I sighed disapprovingly as I looked over their enclosures, shaking my head faintly. “Poor creatures…stuck in the city having to deal with people all day.”

Lara giggled quietly as more of the little goats approached her with their weirdly spaced eyes, dividing her attention between them. “Maybe it feels like a field trip to them?”

As much as I didn’t think farm animals had any place in the city, I couldn’t help but grin at her proposal. “You know what? Maybe you’re right.”

As she stood to her full height again and smiled at me, her amusement lingered. “It feels like a better way of thinking about it, right?”

“I won’t deny that.”

We continued through the festival until deciding it was time to grab something to eat, and the moment I noticed the poutine truck, my eyes lit up.

Lara, noticing my expression, raised a curious brow at me. When she made the connection, she hummed her amusement. “I see, the Canadian in you can’t resist, hm?”

“It would be a crime if I did resist.”

She chuckled. “Is it really that good? Isn’t it just gravy and fries?”

I placed my hand over my heart in a dramatic gesture, scoffing. “You wound me. It’s so much more than that.”

Lara, apparently thoroughly entertained, grinned. “If you say so, then we should give it a try.”

Mirroring her expression, I brought her closer to the food truck. “You don’t need to tell me twice.”

Before long, we both held our brown boxes full of poutine and continued walking aimlessly as we dug in. Even from afirst glance, I could tell something wasn’t quite right about it, but I tried it anyway. After the first bite, I sighed with subtle disappointment.

Lara lifted a brow at me. “Something wrong?”

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