Twenty Three

Sofia

I wake up hearing the TV in the other room, knowing Mila is already up, most likely with April. I look up from the chiseled chest that I'm sprawled across and see Damian leaning against the headboard, his right arm wrapped tightly around me. At the same time, his fingers run through my hair, his eyes pinned on my bedroom door. He's tense, and it suddenly clicks.

Lifting my left hand, I brush his hair off his forehead, bringing him out of his head, and he looks down at me. His eyes, which usually hide so much, show how nervous and vulnerable he is. I move my hand down and stroke his jaw over his stubble. Fuck, I have missed him. My chest tightens because I know I won't trust him again, but it doesn't stop my heart from beating just for him.

I look at him in his beautiful, bright blue eyes, just like our daughters, and ask, "Would you like to meet your daughter?"

His eyes turn glossy, and he nods slightly. I get off him and get up, putting some leggings on. He slides from the bed and puts on his jeans, leaving his chest bare. I look at him, then hold my hand out for him. He takes it without hesitation, and we walk out of the room.

As we get closer to the living room, I can hear the “Paw Patrol” theme song and shake my head. The silly girl is obsessed with Rubble. She loves that bulldog. We round the corner, and April's head whips our way. When she notices Damian, her eyebrows hit her hairline before she smirks, and I sigh. She approves of him, not just the fact he has no shirt on but the fact he followed me home. She knows what I had to do; it's why she was worried about leaving me last night.

I clear my throat. "Malyshka?"

Damian's breath hitches, hearing me call our daughter baby girl in Russian, something he's called me since I was thirteen.

Her head whips our way, and she notices her father instantly. Her eyes go wide and glossy before she lets out a huge squeal, and then shouts, "Papa," before running over to him, nearly tripping on the gray rug.

I quickly let go of his hand and step aside in time for her to throw herself at him, making him catch her. He lifts her up and holds her tight, and she starts to cry, squeezing his neck.

April stands beside me and grabs my hand, holding me tight as silent tears fall from our eyes. We both watch on as Damian's tears fill his cheeks, and for the first time since I ran, I feel guilt. I may have done it for her safety and freedom, but the guilt is still there. April squeezes my hand again, and I look at her. She shakes her head, knowing what I am feeling, so I give her a slight smile, and then look back at the father-daughter duo.

I tilt my head to the side when I see his eyes on me.

He mouths, “Thank you,” and I nod as a lump forms in my throat.

After Mila calms down, she squeezes his cheeks together and places a big kiss on his lips, causing him to chuckle, then she scrambles to show her daddy all her toys, including the brown bear he gave me years ago. He swallows hard and looks at me, and I just shrug and continue making breakfast, which, of course, is French toast.

We all sit down to eat. At the same time, April questions Damian while I silently laugh. Each time he looks my way, he has amusement in his eyes.

After breakfast, Damian and Mila go to the living room while April and I clean up. She keeps sending looks my way, but I don't know what to say. This is happening quicker than I'd like.

Once we're done, we head to the living room, where Damian drops a bomb on me, causing me to freeze.

"Come to New York with me. Come back home." He says it so sincerely. Mila looks at me, not really knowing what he means. I'm about to open my mouth when April beats me to it.

"You should go, even if it's just to see if it’ll work."

I whip my head her way. She's giving me an apologetic smile.

"I can't, I have a new job, and I just don't know if it's a good idea."

Damian isn’t deterred the rejection; he looks determined, and as he's about to make his case, most likely to try and bring Mila into the conversation, April saves his ass by butting in again.

"They would take you back in a heartbeat if return within two months, and you know it, hun. Gloria would encourage you as well, as would Adam and Bruce. I think you'll regret this if you don't do it, not just for Mila but also for yourself," she says softly.

"Please, malyshka, just give me a chance. Let me get to know our daughter and you again. If I so much as glance at another woman, I'll let you shoot me. I'll make sure our daughter doesn't go near either of our families, except for Alexandr, because he already loves her. And Sergi, since he's already blowing up my phone, wanting to talk to you about being the favorite uncle."

I laugh a little at that, tears filling my eyes.

He gets up and walks toward me, then holds both my hands in his.

"Please, we'll do counseling. Let me try before you write us off. I know why you left and kept her from me, but please let me try and fix us, and be a part of her life, please, baby."

He and April both look at me expectantly, while Mila just looks confused. I take a deep breath, turn my back to them, pacing slightly. They give me a moment they know I need. It must have taken a little bit longer to April's satisfaction because she decided now was the time to throw me under the bus.

"It's not like you have anything to lose, really. I mean, think of it this way: you’ll two months to see if he's still the cheating dirtbag he always was."

Damian growls at her, which makes her smirk at him, making him narrow his eyes at her.

"If he’s the same man he was, you can finally move on with someone else. It seems like your last sexual conquest is standing right in front of you."

Now it's my turn to glare at my best friend while she smirks at me. She's so the next person I kill!

Damian's jaw hits the floor in shock.

"Nobody?" he rasps, his eyes full of hope, and I just glare at him. He puts his hands up in surrender, and then a small smirk appears on his face, looking smug with himself.

"Seriously, now is not the time to be proud that you are my only, jackass," I growl, causing Mila to giggle as Damian puts his head down to hide his silent laughter. April just laughs out loud, making me huff and cross my arms over my chest. Damian looks at me again, his face sincere and serious.

"Malyshka, please."

I sigh. What harm could it do? I must be an idiot. I nod; his puppy dog eyes are too hard to say no to, and his eyes shine brightly with delight.

He walks up to me, picks me up, and hugs me tight before he places me on the ground. He then picks up Mila, chanting, “We get to go on an airplane” while flying her around the room, causing her to giggle uncontrollably.

I grab my phone and take some pictures while smiling, and April gives me a proud grin.

"Right, I'm out of here. I have to get to work this morning. Greg's taking me out this afternoon." She points at me. "You cannot leave until tomorrow. Tonight, we go to Gloria's, right?"

I just nod and hug her, whispering how she's dead meat, but she chuckles ,and then leaves, so it's just the three of us.

A phone rings, causing Damian to groan. He puts Mila on his hip to get to his phone, and she lays her head on his shoulder, causing him to look at her and smile. I take another picture, capturing the moment. It was good to know that all the stories about her daddy helped her to know him. He looks at the screen, then tosses his phone to me. I catch it, barely, and look back at him, scowling, but he's too busy flying Mila around the room again to notice. I shake my head at him and look at the screen. The name stops my heart.

Swallowing the lump in my throat, I answer with a rasp, "Hi, Sergi."

I hear him suck in a breath.

"Sofia," he murmurs hoarsely, and tears come to my eyes.

"Yeah, it's me." I try to swallow my cries, quickly becoming a watery chuckle with his next words.

"You are in so much fucking trouble, young lady. How dare you leave me with his broody ass for three fucking years? If you'd stayed, we could have kicked his ass together. Still, no, you had to fucking leave and take my niece with you, not okay girlie. And to make it worse, you let Alexandr, fucking Alexandr, meet her first, which means he's now got a fucking head start." By the time he finishes his rant, I'm nearly on the floor in stitches while Damian's looking at me, smiling, knowing I needed this call with Sergi. He may be Damian’s best friend, but he's my pseudo-brother.

"I'm coming back, just for a few months to see how things work. We leave tomorrow, but only you and Alexandr are allowed near Mila, okay?"

He sighs in relief, and just when I think he's about to get serious, he grumbles, "Good, then I can kidnap my niece after I help bury Damian for you." I am on the floor now, not containing my laughter.

"I missed you, Sergi," I say once I can speak.

"Not as much as I missed you, sestra." Tears start to flow again as I close my eyes.