Page 111 of Knot So Fast
"Lucius won't get it until it hits him in the face," my father continues. "And if that leaves him with consequences that put him out of the equation, it's his choice."
"Yeah," I agree, though the thought of my twin being excluded from this second chance we've been given makes something in my chest ache.
"Is it possible to provide some security?" I ask, changing the subject to something more practical. "With all the newfound attention, I wouldn't mind the extra eyes."
"For the little Omega?"
"Yes, please."
I can practically hear my father shifting into business mode, the international businessman who built an empire from nothing taking over from the concerned parent.
"It will be done within the hour," he says with the confidence of someone who's never met a problem money and connections couldn't solve.
"Thank you," I whisper, genuine gratitude flooding through me.
"Always," he says simply. "But that means you better get the girl because we need little grandbabies to chase and break backs for, so hurry up and win her heart all over again."
"??!" my mother shouts in the background. "????????? ????? ? ??????? ????? ? ????? ??????????!"Little grandchildren with Auren's eyes and your stubbornness!
I laugh, the sound echoing off the marble walls. "Yes, Dad. I'll do my best."
"Oh, and ?achlan?" My mother has grabbed the phone again. "You tell that beautiful girl that when she is ready, she comesto visit. I make her ???????? and tell her embarrassing stories about you and your brother as children."
"Please don't," I groan, but I'm smiling.
"I tell her about the time you both tried to build rocket car in garage and almost burned down?—"
"Okay, Mother, goodbye!" I interrupt quickly, though I can hear both my parents laughing.
"?????, ??? ???????," she says softly.Good luck, my boy."That girl, she is special. She is fighter, like Russian woman but with fire of her own. You don't let her go this time."
"I won't," I promise.
"And if your brother is being ?????," she adds, switching between languages with ease, "you tell him his mother will come to Monaco and drag him by his ear like when he was seven and tried to run away to join circus."
"He wanted to join a racing team, not the circus," I correct, remembering that particular incident with fond exasperation.
"Same thing," she says dismissively. "All flash and danger and not enough sense. Now go. Your Omega is waiting, and it's rude to leave beautiful woman alone with expensive alcohol. She might find someone else who doesn't take phone calls during lunch."
The line goes dead before I can respond, which is typically how conversations with my mother end—with her having the last word and leaving everyone else scrambling to catch up.
I pocket my phone, shaking my head but unable to stop the grin spreading across my face. My parents are chaos incarnate—a Russian force of nature married to a Croatian businessman who somehow produced twins that are simultaneously too similar and complete opposites. But they love us, in their own overwhelming, occasionally embarrassing way.
And they love Auren. Have since the first time I brought her home, nervous and trying to pretend she was just a teammate.My mother had taken one look at the way I watched her and declared in Russian that this was the girl who would give her grandchildren. My father had bet her it would take at least five years.
They were both wrong about the timeline, but maybe not about the destination.
I check my reflection quickly—still presentable despite the emotional conversation—and head back toward our table. The security my father promised is probably already being arranged, discrete professionals who'll blend into the background but keep Auren safe from the chaos we've unleashed.
As I walk through the lounge, I catch sight of her at our table. She's got her phone out, probably scrolling through the endless notifications that have been blowing up both our devices since yesterday. The afternoon sun catches in her hair, turning the magenta and purple streaks into something otherworldly. She's absently sipping her cocktail, and there's a small smile on her face at whatever she's reading.
She looks up as I approach, and her smile widens into something that makes my chest tight with want and affection and a hundred other emotions I'm not sure I have names for.
"Everything okay?" she asks, tilting her head slightly. "You were gone for a while."
"Just a family call," I say, sliding back into my seat. "My parents saw the news."
Her eyes widen slightly. "Oh god. Are they..."
