Page 66 of Flawless

“Do you want me to stay inside and wait for you here?” I ask.

“No, come on,” he says, glancing at me with a curious scowl.

I exhale softly and drop my head before I look up again.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. I was just thinking that maybe you should go and see her first. That will give you time to prepare her for seeing me.”

“Why? She already knows that you’re coming, and that we’ll be staying with you.”

“And she’s really okay with that?”

“Yeah.”

Sighing, I say, “Okay, if you say so.”

“I insist,” he says with a loving smile.

I exit the car, but I’m still wondering why he shut down on me on the drive over. As we walk down the block, he takes my hand in his.

“Are you mad at me?”

“I’m not mad at you, Dani. I just wish that you understood that my feelings for you are genuine. I never stopped loving you or wanting you.”

“Even after everything that I’ve told you?”

“Makes me want you even more,” he says, slowing his steps and staring at me. Taking my chin in his hand, Zenon stares intomy eyes. “Everything you told me makes me want to protect you and hide you away from the world. It makes me want to care for you, not throw you to the wolves.”

Tears prick my eyes just as I hear someone say, “Papochka! Papai!”

Zenon turns, and I see a long-legged, beautiful, willowy brunette girl running in our direction. She throws herself into Zenon’s arms, and he spins her around. He plants a kiss in the center of her forehead and then buries himself in her hair, inhaling her scent with his eyes closed.

The love between the pair is evident to anyone for miles around. A peaceful smile rests on his lips, and when his eyes finally flicker open, he glances at me and then back down at her with pride shining through.

“Look at you, switching between Russian and Portuguese to call me daddy. Show off,” he teases.

She giggles, and then they speak to one another in Portuguese briefly before he pulls her into his side, turning her to face me.

The sun shines brighter on her, allowing me to see the streaks of blonde highlights in her hair. It’s natural, nothing that came from a bottle, but just the simple genetic pairing of her parents.

She’s gorgeous with her round face and solemn brown eyes so like her father’s. She has the most gorgeous pouty lips like her father, but wide with indentations at the end like her mother who approaches us now.

The woman, that I presume is Larisa, steps up and grips Zenon’s upper arm possessively. She, like her daughter, is beautiful with caramel blonde hair.

Assessing blue eyes stare at me from a round face, much like her daughter’s, but then she quickly turns her gaze to Zenon,and I watch as her wide mouth slowly tilts into a full-on grin as though she’s genuinely happy to see him.

She’s petite, about five-two, small framed but with generous curves that fit her stature. I feel like a giant in her presence, but I wouldn’t be the only one. Zílda is tall like her father, approximately five-nine to my five-eleven.

I don’t miss the sneer she gives when Zenon removes himself from her grasp.

“Larisa, Zee Zee,” which sounds more like Cee Cee coming from his heavily accented voice. “I would like to introduce you both to Danica Maxwell. Dani, this is my daughter, Zílda, and her mother, Larisa.”

Zílda steps from underneath her father’s protective arm and extends a hand in my direction. “Pleased to meet you, Ms. Danica. You may call me Zee Zee. Papai knows this,” she says, chidingly looking up at Zenon who smiles at her and winks.

“The pleasure is mine, Zee Zee. And you may call me Dani,” I say, taking her hand in mine.

I turn to Larisa and extend my hand towards her. “Larisa, it’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”

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