Page 108 of Bound to a Monster

We chat a bit while the girls are busy flirting with the hockey players. Sofie’s interested in the minutiae of my life in Canada, but there’s really not all that much to tell her. We have a nice apartment in downtown Toronto and split our time between here and Montreal, depending on Lev’s business. He’s got his fingers in a dozen different pies while Alex runs the jewelry store and manages their illicit affairs back home. I have an OB right across the border in America in case anything happens and we want to get back home as fast as possible. And otherwise, it’s a normal life.

As normal as things can be, anyway, when Lev’s involved.

The night continues. Frannie strikes out with her flirtation, mostly because he’s married, and Gia drags her back to the table. They order food, more drinks, and by the time midnight rolls around and I’m exhausted, they’re well and truly drunk.

“There’s the famous husband,” Frannie slurs when Lev finally makes his appearance exactly as planned. I wanted him to stay away and let us have some fun together, but I made him swear he’d show up right around now to make sure we all got home okay so I wasn’t stuck babysitting my drunk friends.

“How’s Canada treating you all?” he asks and his mask is fully in place. That charm oozes off him and I can tell the girls are eating it up. He jokes and teases them as we leave the bar and get into his car, and they’re practically fawning over him when we arrive back at our condo.

Frannie passes out in one of the guest rooms and Gia decides she wants to take a shower. That leaves me alone with Sofie in the living room. Lev makes himself disappear as I turn on the fire and listen to Sofie obsess over the view from the huge windows.

“I know I keep saying this, but you’re sure everything’s good?” She curls up against my side as the gas fireplace heats our feet. “I know you and Lev had a rocky start, but things seem…” She trails off, glancing at me.

“We’re good,” I say, trying not to smile. How am I supposed to explain this to her? “We’re really good.”

“You love him.”

“I love him,” I agree.

She sighs and flops back onto the cushions. “That’s such a relief.”

“I told you that already,” I point out.

“It’s one thing to hear it via text and another to actually see it.”

“Were you worried he had me chained up in a basement or something?”

“Only a little.”

“Well, here I am, fully unchained.”

“And looking good too.” She tilts her head, studying me. “You’re in shape.”

“I better be with the tournament tomorrow.”

“You’re going to be fine, you know that.”

I shrug a little. “I hope so. Been working my butt off.” Which is true—I’ve been training three times a week with a fencinginstructor Aline recommended while we’re here and doing my own workouts the other days.

“And the pregnancy?”

“Going about as well as it can now that the morning sickness passed.”

“And his work?”

I shrug slightly. She knows the deal with Lev. Not the details, but his general profession. “So far, so good.”

“You really do have it all.” She grins and pats my knee. “I’m happy for you.”

There’s a crash in the other room and a shriek. I leap to my feet, but Sofie beats me over the back of the couch. We find Frannie glaring down at an alarm clock on the floor, swaying slightly.

“I wanted to get up early,” she explains.

“Okay, you’re done,” Sofie says and waves me off when I try to help. “I got this. You get some sleep.”

I leave the girls to it. Lev’s in our room reading something on his phone and he glances up as I come in and shut the door behind me. His eyebrows raise.

“Should we lock that?” he asks.

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