Page 138 of Beautiful Trauma
“They belonged to my mother.”
“After he killed her, you and your siblings were still allowed to keep her possessions?”
Mila ran her fingers over the painted leaves on the bowl. “Not exactly. My mother’s parents kept her things for us. After the years passed, Father didn’t care as much if we had a trinket of hers or a piece of jewelry. So slowly we began to integrate the things from our grandparents into our lives.”
Peering in the box, I said, “I think we need to find a piece of furniture for the kitchen, like a shelf or hutch for you to display these.”
“Really?”
I nodded. “My apartment is pretty drab, so it could definitely use some color.”
Mila stared intently at me before dropping the bowl in her lap and grabbing my face between her hands. “Thank you, Kellan.”
“You’re welcome,krasivaya zhenshchina.”
Her jaw unhinged as the Russian words for beautiful woman came from my lips. “Your pronunciation was really good.”
“Thanks. I’ve been working on it.”
“Since when?”
“Since I left you after that night in Dublin.”
With a smile, Mila brought her lips to mine. After a somewhat chaste kiss, she pulled back. “How do you say 'beautiful man' in Irish?”
“You don’t.”
“Huh?”
I chuckled. “I mean, you would say a man is handsome or good-looking, which isfear dathúil.”
“Well, I think you’re beautiful.”
Leaning over, I nipped her lip with my teeth. “Mila, you’re killing my ego,” I growled.
“Why?”
“Because no self-respecting man wants to be called beautiful.”
“Tell me how to say ‘you’re a beautiful man’ in Irish,” she demanded.
Since there was nothing I wouldn’t do for this woman, I replied, “fear álainn.”
She appeared thoughtful for a moment.“Soalainnmeans beautiful?”
“Yes.It’s why we named our Gentleman’s Club that.”
Mila blinked at me.“Gentleman’s Club? Isn’t that a nice way of saying a Strip Club?”
Oh fuck.I’d gone and done it now. But since I knew there could be no secrets between us, I had to tell her the truth. “Just like Bandia, all of my brothers except for Callum own a stake in it.”
“Why doesn’t Callum?”
“Originally,it was a bone of contention with him and Caterina, but now she’s a club mother.”
“What the hell is that?”
“It meansshe goes down two to three times a week to check in with the girls, and she cooks for them.”
