Page 59 of The Bratva's Arranged Bride

“This is beautiful…they all are.”

Tia huffed her quiet amusement while she gave me a questioning look. “This one’s not even finished yet.”

I chuckled. “No…But I can see the vision, and I know it’ll be brilliant.”

At that, Tia smiled more genuinely. “Thank you, really. Painting is all I’ve ever wanted to do.”

“And your dedication shows,” I returned softly, tentatively letting a gentle hand fall to her waist, careful to gauge her reaction. When she didn’t pull away and seemed to ease into my touch, I let it linger. “It’s impressive, and I hope you know that.”

An almost bashful expression took over her face. “Aren’t you obligated to say that?”

“Maybe I am…but that doesn’t mean it’s not true,” I said, savoring the light-hearted energy between us.

Dipping down, I leaned my chin against her shoulder and watched while she added careful brushstrokes to the piece. I let my palm slide across her stomach absently, hoping our developing baby might recognize my presence with time.

“You know, seeing as you’ll have all the time in the world while you grow this one, I think you should put a collection together. One that really displays your talent.”

Tia paused at that, glancing at me. “You really think I should?”

I hummed and nodded. “Absolutely. I think a showcase would be the perfect thing for you.”

Luckily, Tia seemed pleased by the idea as she smiled and looked back at her painting again. “I don’t think that’s a bad idea at all.”

“Good, then that’s exactly what we’ll do,” I said with a rush of anticipation at the thought of helping her with it. “You bring your masterpieces, and I’ll figure out the rest.”

With a light color to her cheeks, Tia nodded and glanced back at me again. “You had me at showcase.”

Finding a mutual pleasure in the idea, I grinned and brushed my lips against hers in a tender kiss, feeling the way she leaned into it.

In that moment, able to feel the way we were both at ease around one another, I couldn’t help but feel like I had found exactly what I had been missing.

Even if it had been hard to stomach the reveal of everything I hid from her before, I did not doubt it was all worth it.

Hell, maybe I’d even had to thank Tommaso for being such a jackass.

But probably not.

***

The sound of a stack of papers being dropped onto my desk pulled me from my thoughts, and I looked up from my laptop to find Alex standing there.

He looked vaguely irritated while crossing his arms. “There’s some paperwork we need from Andrey about the club, but I can’t get hold of him. Have you heard from him lately?”

“I checked in with him the other day, but our contact has been minimal lately,” I replied, noting that the disconnect from my business partner wasn’t something he wanted to deal with. “Don’t worry about it…I’ll handle Andrey.”

Alex sighed then nodded, looking grateful but also a touch expectant. I had the feeling he never intended to put much of his own time or effort into it in the first place.

“Thanks. The information we need is at the top of that stack,” he said, gesturing to the papers in front of me. “And when you reach him, tell Andrey to get his shit together and answer his phone when I call.”

With a chuckle, I nodded and reached for my phone. “Will do.”

Giving me a final nod, Alex left me to it, and I was already dialing Andrey’s number by the time the door closed behind him.

Leaning back in my chair, I put it to my ear and listened to it ringing on the other end.

Then it continued until I reached his voicemail.

That was odd. Normally, he’d be more than ready to fill me in on the latest news at the club, but he was a busy man, so it was to be expected.

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