The current reaction was a positive one. Now we had to wait and see if our hard work had paid off.

“It’s all going to work out,” I told him, my confidence flaring.

He reached up to pinch the bridge of his nose, shutting his eyes tightly. “If it doesn’t, we’re fucked. We invested everything into this place.”

I stood, walking out the door. “Ugh. No negative Nancy’s allowed.” I called back, “We’re going to make it work, dammit.”

As God was my witness, we were going to make it work.

When I got home that night, I told Lev I would be up to bed in a minute, wanting a moment alone before I picked up my cell and dialed the number.

I was calling in a favor.

Chapter Forty-Four

Mina

I sat on the sofa, my legs curled up under me, sipping my coffee while watching Lidi dance to one of the many catchy Wiggles songs that was playing on the TV. She put her hands in the air, clapped when prompted, stomped her little chubby feet, and sang along, although I wasn’t really sure what language Lidi thought The Wiggles sang in. It sounded like she was going with Swahili.

Lev walked in, coffee mug in hand, looked at his little girl, and smiled, shaking his head. I grinned, and my shoulders shook in silent laughter. He was in the middle of getting ready for his workout, checking his watch, walking around in sweat pants and no tee, and my gut clenched at the sight of his bare torso.

Those broad shoulders just did it for me. And when we had our time alone, I held onto them, hanging on for the ride like nobody’s business.

The faint red mark on the left shoulder had me flushing hard. I might have used that shoulder to ground me after my orgasm by biting into it and clutching at him, my nails embedded in his upper arms as I moaned through my release.

The front door opened quietly and Sasha let himself in, still looking sleep-mussed in his blue jeans and black tee, making his way right for the little girl dancing in front of the television. He didn’t bother with hellos. He snatched Lidiya up and she squealed excitedly, “Asha, putta down. Putta down.”

His voice croaky, he told her, “Ada made pancakes. You want pancakes, princess?” She stopped fighting and cinched her arms around his neck. He cocked her high on his hip and, with a jerk of his chin, strode out the door.

This happened more often that not. I was wrong when I suggested that Sasha and Nastasia fighting for Lidiya’s attention was just a phase. Truth was, they treated Lidi as if she was the daughter neither had, and they loved her to pieces.

Lev checked his watch again, and I knew it was time for him to go. As soon as we woke, I made him his tasteless oatmeal and he ate it in silence. I mean, how else would you eat oatmeal that possibly tasted like cardboard? There were no ‘mmmm’s and ‘yum’s to be had. Let’s be honest. It tasted like trash. I wasn’t sure how he could stomach it.

Correction. I’d eaten trash that tasted better than unsweetened oatmeal.

Blech.

He came forward, his eyes soft, and towered his large body over me, reaching down to grip my chin as he planted warm, gentle kisses to my lips. “I have to go.”

He went to move back, but I snagged him, my fingers dipping into the waist of his pants. “You can play hooky. We can go back to bed and play patty cake.” I bit the inside of my cheek. “We’ve got at least half an hour before Sasha brings Lidi home.”

“But I always work out between ten and twelve.”

I nodded. “I know. But one day off won’t kill you, right?”

He looked confused. “But I always work out between ten and twelve.”

My eyes rolled a little, but I straightened quickly with a smile. “I know, but—”

He cut me off, his voice quiet, anxious almost. “I always work out between ten and twelve.”

This was one of those moments. One of those moments where your head tells you not to push, but you’re not sure if you hold back. I came to realize rather quickly that messing with Lev’s routine was a big no-no. Nothing made my man more irritated than someone screwing with his schedule.

I understood the underlining issues. He craved a semblance of normal in a world where he felt different. His childhood had done things to him that made him the way he was today.

Did that frustrate me? At times, yes.

Lev could not be fixed. And I didn’t want to repair the broken part of him. He was perfectly imperfect, and I was his in heart and soul.

More importantly, he was mine. And that was a big deal. Lev did not give himself to people. They merely borrowed his time. And here I was, his attention given fully to a person who probably didn’t deserve it. I was grateful though, and I often reminded myself that he had compromised a lot of himself for me and I needed to do the same.

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