Page 87 of Possessive Vows

I fall asleep between one breath and the next, more satisfied than ever before.

I found my future. My partner. My lover and friend.

He gave me everything: his name, wealth, family, and children, and asked for nothing in return, but I couldn’t deny him.

Dimitri Volkov,ubiytsaof the most powerful Russian bratva family, owns my heart.

And I own his.

Chapter 20

Dimitri Volkov

I wake from a refreshing napas though born anew, feeling lighter than I have in decades. Camilla lies wrapped around me, half covered and deep asleep.

Tiny feet patter down the hall. I roll out of bed, tuck the covers aroundmoyaso´lnyshka, and place a kiss on her forehead before dressing in sweats and plodding out into the house. Zoya wanders behind Maksim as he follows his imagination around the house. Artur pulls leftovers out from the fridge. I join him in the kitchen. Maksim and Zoya follow soon after.

Artur finds card and board games in the closet, so we settle in the living room for games. I lament my lack of time with them previously. Artur wins several games with ease, proving his wicked smarts before pulling back and ensuring Maksim wins often enough to not be discouraged. Zoya plays with a separate deck of cards, sorting them by color first and then spreading them over the floor in a game only her stuffed animal understands.

When Camilla emerges from the bedroom almost two hours later, she pouts about me not waking her. Her disapproving scowl amuses me, so I kiss her until she melts in my arms.

Artur averts his eyes and stares blankly at his cards while Maksim jumps up and skips to us. Zoya grabs her fluffy companion and hugs Camilla’s leg.

The atmosphere turns awkward when she sits on the couch with Artur, but after a moment, she turns to him.

“Thank you, Artur, for calling out and warning me. For caring. But you don’t have to call me mama if it makes you uncomfortable,” she says.

To my surprise, tears fill Artur’s eyes. He throws his arms around her and sobs.

“No, you are my Mama Camilla. I am ashamed I could not protect you. You took my place and closed the door. You—”

“I’d do it again in a heartbeat,” she interrupts.

“Why?” he asks.

“Because you deserve it. Your mother would’ve done the same. I can’t replace her—and I don’t want to, so talk about her anytime you miss her—but I’ll always give you my everything.Capisci?” she says in a voice thick with tears.

Artur wipes his eyes and takes her hands.

“You won’t have to protect me for long. I will get braver and stronger and become the protector of the entire family,” he vows.

“Deal, although I’ll always be there for you, yeah?” she chokes.

Joy blooms in my chest. It may not be dignified of me, but I do not give a shit. My family is more important. I drop to my knees in front of the couch and wrap them both in my arms. Maksim and Zoya flock to us. I add them into the hug.

This is what’s most important in my life. I took my blessings for granted, too blinded by the brutality of my life’s work to realize how much my family needed me.

When Camilla’s stomach rumbles, Maksim launches into listing everything we left on the table in the kitchen.

The boy is a gifted menace. His recall abilities are amazing. By the happy spark in Camilla’s eyes, she notices it too and is already envisioning ways to nurture him into a genius.

As we head to the kitchen, a bloodstain on Zoya’s stuffed animal catches my eye. I crouch in front of her.

“We must wash your stuffed animal,moya doch’,” I say.

She tightens her arm around it, shakes her head, and backs away as though threatened by my suggestion.

“It is dirty. I can get the stains out—”

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