Page 75 of Tied to Hope
“I’m unsure I want to know, comrade,” Rytsar confessed to Sir.
“You couldn’t live without knowing any more than I could.”
“But, I may not survive the consequences of the truth.”
“You will, because we won’t let you fall.”
Rytsar halted the move temporarily and then wasted no time in hiring a medical team to visit each brother to perform a full physical “for insurance purposes.”
Knowing that the results might prove devastating for Rytsar, Sir pushed back his schedule for the week and arranged a babysitter for Hope so they could travel with him to Russia. He felt it was important that they both be there when Rytsar got the results.
As Brie and Sir packed for the trip, she admitted, “I’m feeling conflicted.”
“How so, babygirl?”
“If this child is Rytsar’s, we lose him, but I know he will be a good father. If it turns out the child is not his, I’m afraid it will break Rytsar in a way he hasn’t experienced before.”
Sir wrapped his arms around her. “That is why we must stand strong for him. Whichever way this plays out, Rytsar is going to lose something.”
It broke Brie’s heart. “It’s not fair, Sir.”
“Nothing about this situation is fair to him.”
During their conversation, Hope had belly-crawled over to Sir and grabbed his pants leg. He leaned down and swept her up into the air.
“Come to Papa!”
Brie smiled as she watched Sir with Hope. For a man who had been afraid of the kind of father he would be, Sir had grown into the role as naturally as breathing. It had taken no effort on his part, despite his many fears.
She knew Rytsar would be the same. In fact, she was certain of it—as long as he was given the chance.
Brie was suddenly struck by a brilliant idea. “Sir, if Rytsar does end up moving, would you consider buying a place in Russia as a second home?”
Sir chuckled. “Funny you should mention that.”
Taking Hope with him, he headed into his office and then came out carrying a manila folder. Grinning, he handed it to her. “Great minds think alike.”
Brie opened it and started laughing as she scanned through the papers. “There has to be at least fifteen different homes here.”
“I was curious about what was available in Moscow. It would be a financial burden, but we can make the adjustments necessary to accommodate it.”
“Anything worth doing requires sacrifice,” Brie agreed. She sat down at the kitchen table and spread them all out, her heart quickening as she looked at the houses in Rytsar’s homeland.
Sir leaned down and kissed Brie on the top of her head. “Check those over while I take our little princess for a diaper change.”
While she waited for them to return, Brie picked out three houses that had caught her eye. For Brie, however, the deciding factor would be the distance from Rytsar’s residence.
Although he had completely restored his family mansion after the fire, she knew he rarely visited it.
He’d recently confessed to her, “After losing the last of my mother’s personal belongings in the explosion and the fire that followed, I’ve never felt a desire to go back there.”
“Even though it’s part of the Durov heritage?”
He smiled sadly. “While I’m certainly a Durov descendant, the only blood I identify with is my mother’s—and there was nothing left of her things after the fire.”
Brie felt his pain. It must have been unbearable to lose not only his mother but every single physical reminder of her as well.
“Who lives there now?” she’d asked.
