“No shit,” Adam said. “But that doesn’t explain what it was doing in your vicinity in the first place.” He glanced at Samira. “Is this how she’s been keeping herself alive? By dealing in ‘schedule one’ narcotics?”
Ivan hugged Quin close – he was crying loudly now and getting agitated from the tension. “Adam, this isn’t Samira’s.”
Samira stepped over and drew Quin into her arms, trying to comfort him as the men started to argue.
But they stopped abruptly as a blonde woman strode into the kitchen, bursting the bubble of bad vibes. “Joseph, your mom wants you to come play the piano, and – oh…” She noticed Samira and stuck out her hand to shake. “Hi, I’m Ellie.”
“Samira,” she said, shaking her hand.
“Oh, Ivan – you found her! Great to meet you, Samira, seriously.” Ellie turned back to the stunned Joseph. “Is that coffee coming, baby? We’re gasping in there.”
Joseph turned and picked up the tray of coffee things. “Coming right now.”
Ellie swept off with Joseph, back to where the sound of people having fun was emanating. Adam was glaring at Ivan with daggers.
“Ivan, what the hell has gotten into you? You’re supposed to be our sensible older brother, but this last eighteen months you’ve been totally out of control. First you fake your death, then you run off to find some woman who you screwed months ago, who’s now got a kid in tow – meaning she clearly hasn’t been faithful to you, then–”
“She thought I was dead.”
“Then you come back here with ten ton of cocaine when Joseph’s best friend just died in the most horrible circumstances.” He gestured to Samira. “I mean, seriously, Ivan, I know she’s pretty, but she’s clearly not good enough for you – or this family!”
Ivan lunged at Adam, grabbing the front of his shirt and shoving him against the countertop. “You need to apologize to her right now.”
Adam pushed back against his brother. “Fuck you, Ivan – you’re the one who left us. And now I’m wondering if she was really worth all that pain you put us through.”
“You asshole!” Ivan pulled back his fist.
Samira opened her mouth to tell him not to hit Adam, but then she saw another Quinlan brother approaching the kitchen from the hallway. She’d met this one too – Dylan.
He looked confused as he walked in. “Adam, what’s wrong with Joseph… Jesus, Ivan!” He ran over to intervene. “What the fuck are you two doing?”
Dylan slid himself between his two brothers and pushed Ivan away. “What the hell is going on?”
Adam stepped forward into Ivan’s personal space. “You’ve upset Joseph – you’ve upset everyone. This is my wedding weekend. What the hell do you think mom and dad are going to say when they meet her, huh? Your family’s always been the most important thing – what the fuck happened to you?”
Ivan glowered. “You know something, Adam, you’re–”
“Is this Samira?” Dylan asked.
“You’re really letting yourself down by –”
“I can’t believe you found her, Ivan!”
“Where do you get off saying –”
“It’s my wedding day tomorr –”
Quin cried loudly in Samira’s arms.
“Stop it, all of you!” she shouted. “You’re upsetting my baby.”
The three men turned to face her. Ivan pushed both his brothers away and stepped over to wrap his arms around Samira and Quin. “We didn’t want to say anything until after tomorrow, Adam, so as not to steal your thunder, but as you’re being an asshole, I’ll tell you. Samira is my wife. And Quin is my son. So you’d better start showing them both the respect they deserve. My family is more important than anything. And this is my family now. Do you understand me?”
Chapter Nineteen
Ivan zipped up the suitcase on the kitchen table, and told Adam and Dylan he’d see them later, then he led Samira and Quin upstairs. They laid Quin down in the crib in a spare room, which was set up for when Ivan’s cousins with kids came to stay, then they made their way to his old bedroom – which was exactly the way he’d left it when he’d gone off to college. There were posters on the walls of Ferraris and attractive female stars from fifteen years ago, and the shelves were crammed with paperback books and college folders. There was a tatty couch pushed up against the far wall, and a pine-framed double bed in the center, making it feel like a student dorm. But the window seat and the carved trimming around the top of the walls was a reminder of the mansion that they were actually in.
They lay on the bed and Samira snuggled into Ivan’s arms, breathing in his warm masculine smell. A flood of contentment washed over her as she relished his strong embrace all around her. But as she lay there listening to his heart beating, feeling his strong fingers running through her hair, her contented mood darkened and the emotion from the last year surged through her without warning, overwhelming her and bursting into the world in the form of tears.