Page 43 of Dark Bratva Christmas
“My parents will be here in ten minutes,” Matysh stops in the doorway, looking at me.
I nod. My father is coming a little bit later, missing the beginning of the meal because of some work he has to tend to. Of course, he's as vague as possible about what it is and can't even take time off to have dinner with his daughter. This marriage was largely his idea and now he's just washing his hands of it.
Though I shouldn't have expected anything else from him. He’s managed me enough.
The doorbell eventually rings and Matysh jumps to answer it. I follow close behind, prepared to greet my in-laws. I feel a weird apprehension in my gut at the idea of it. Mostly because I’vealreadymet them.
Iknowthem, I've already schmoozed them to the best of my ability because I wanted to marry theirotherson. And at that time, hewasan enemy.
Now I'm here, married to Matysh and hosting a Christmas gathering. I figure they're going to feel a little whiplash from that. I mean, I do.
“Matysh,” his father, Dimitri, says in a low voice, stepping forward and giving his son a hug. Polina, his mother, steps around and greets me with a hug, handing me a gift bag heavy enough that I nearly drop it to the ground.
“You don't have to bring us anything,” I say with a smile, not looking inside the bag because it would be rude to do that right away.
“Please, consider this a Christmas and wedding gift,” Polina says, her eyes scanning my face for any indication of my reaction. My heart trips in my chest. I don't know what to say, so I just smile and nod my head, leading them away from the foyer to the living room.
They admire the Christmas tree we put together and comment on the decorations strewn about the room. Matysh bought so many Christmas ornaments that I ended up hanging a few of the wreaths and garlands all around, then hanging bulbs, tinsel, and lights from them like they were their own mini trees.
The entire room looks very festive. Kind of like the decoration store threw up here. But I still like it.
All of us sit down in the living room and Matysh stands up to go make drinks in the kitchen. That leaves me alone with my in-laws, desperately trying to think of anything to say to them.
“It's funny how things have worked out this way,” Dimitri says, staring at me with a surprisingly warm smile as he arranges his cane beside him. “I don’t see it as a bad thing.”
“What do you mean?” I ask, smoothing out my skirt.
“We were so excited to invite you into our family, and even in the face of disaster, we still get to,” he continues. “There’s nothing wrong with that.”
I don't know if this is supposed to be some kind of a slight, but I find myself taking offense. I can read between the lines and it seems like they think I had some kind of ulterior motive in this.
Do they think I was only with Mikhail because I wanted to ingratiate myself with the family?
Matysh comes back in before anyone can say anything else and the conversation topic is quickly changed. Regardless, I find myself still thinking about it.
And hating it all nonetheless.
I watch Matysh interact with his father, his demeanor warm and different than usual. Maybe it’s because of his parents’ aging. Dimitri is very old, but I'm not sure of his age exactly. Looking at him, I assume he's at least seventy-five, and years of stress and fighting have caught up to him. Yet even though he looks worse for wear, he seems to refuse to acknowledge it.
He chooses to stand and look at the decorations, his hand shaking on his cane as Matysh tries to guide him back to a chair.
It's actually…sweet.
The four of us make conversation, mostly small talk about the holiday season and they share some of the same memories about Christmas that Matysh told me when we decorated the house together.
It's strange hearing about Mikhail from them. I feel distant from him. More so than ever.
When we were engaged and planning the wedding, I dreamed of moments like this with Mikhail by my side. Weeks ago, if I'd have known it would be Matysh instead, the very thought would have made me cry. But now, I feel…indifferent.
Maybe Icanlive with this.
“This is a hard year,” Dimitri says, taking a deep breath as he sips on a small glass of bourbon. “Mikhail's death was unexpected, and all of our hearts are still broken. But in the wake of that, I can see something beautiful has bloomed.”
He grabs Polina’s hand and squeezes it, both of them staring at me and Matysh with weary smiles.
“It means a lot to me that you think that,” I say, clearing my throat as I feel tears stinging the back of my eyes unwantedly. “I know none of this was in our plans, but considering everythingwe've all gone through, I think things are working out nicely.”For marrying a monster, that is.
Leonidas walks into the living room with a smile on his face, asking all of us to head to the dining room for dinner to be served.
