39. Chapter 39

Jade

Dinner is… awkward, to say the least.

At least we got to change out of our uniforms for it. One of the guards grabbed some basics for Ivan—mostly white t-shirts and jeans—but we'll order him better options tomorrow. Me on the other hand, I'm back in my comfy leggings and oversized sweaters. A lot of my more fashionable clothes probably won't fit, but for now, these have plenty of space.

I'm also glad Uncle Cesar stayed to eat with us since he's providing some Matteo-like commentary. He's lightening up the mood as best as he can.

"So, besides the obvious, did you learn anything fun at school, sweetheart?" Uncle Cesar asks, earning a scathing look from Dad. It doesn't bother him one bit.

"A lot," I answer, happy to talk about anything other than my love life. I can't say Dmitri's name without everyone scowling. "Javier Cabrera was my knives teacher, and he thinks I could be really good with some custom blades. He thinks a lot of my skills would be improved with smaller grips so my hands fumble with the larger knives less."

"The Guard's Heir?" Uncle Cesar asks with a smile.

"Yes, he's nice?—"

"He tried to marry her," Apollo cuts in, amused.

I roll my eyes at him. "His father put in a proposal, not him."

"Javi doesn't have interest in Jade that way," Ivan adds, backing me up.

Apollo chuckles, swirling his wine around the glass. "You'd know a lot about that, hmm?"

Ivan doesn't take the bait, merely looking back at Apollo.

"I also got really good at making crepes," I report. There were other things we practiced in class, but crepes were the most fun. They're like little floppy pancakes that you can roll up with all sorts of stuff. "Oh, and I decided I hate fight class. Also, Ivan kicked the shit out of some guy for talking about what he'd like to do to me since I was vulnerable after I took a weed gummy."

"What?" several voices snap.

"Yep," I report happily. I'm going to make my family love Ivan one way or another, and this seems like a good start. "There I was eating some chocolate cake with my brothers when a fight broke out, and some guy twice his size was bleeding all over the floor at Ivan's feet. He handed him over to Armani, and Armani made him take the emergency boat home with the promise of hunting him down after the semester ended."

"Fuck waiting until the semester's over," Elio growls.

"Who is this guy?" my father demands.

"He's already dead," Ivan notifies the table, making my jaw fall open.

Everyone looks at him while he sits at my side, casually picking at his pasta like he didn't just drop that bomb on us.

"He is?" I ask, gaping.

"Yes," he reports. "Dmitri slit his throat and dumped his body off of the boat about a mile and a half off of the island's shore. He swam back."

Holy, wow.

"He did?" I ask, jutting out my lower lip like my husband killing someone is adorable instead of horrifying.

"Romantic," Uncle comments, taking an amused sip of wine.

"I was hoping the internal bleeding would kill him on the ride," Ivan adds. "Couldn't kick him hard enough to crack his ribs without the Lords losing their minds, but Dmitri handled it. He always does."

Before anyone can somehow make this a bad thing, I decide I'm done with dinner. Ivan's plate is empty, and I'm too tired to stay up much longer.

"Daddy, I'm really tired," I whine, turning toward him. "Is it okay if I go to bed?"

"Of course, sweetheart," he says warmly. "We'll get your… friend a room ready."

"There's not really an open one close to her bedroom," Apollo chimes in. "He'll want to be close?—"

"I don't particularly care what he wants," Dad replies crisply.

"I'm sure he feels quite the same about you, father," Apollo counters with an amused smile. "Respectfully speaking, of course."

Apollo toeing the line of disrespect toward Dad is a crazy thing to witness.

I interrupt before things get even more awkward. "No, it's okay, Ivan will stay in my room."

My father looks taken aback, eyebrows crinkling in the center. "There's only one bed in there."

"I told you they practically slept on top of each other," Apollo chimes in with a dull remark.

Father scowls at him. "I hardly thought you were serious."

"It's comforting," I defend, lifting my chin. "And he does his job better if we're in the same room."

I feel like a kid trying to get a sleepover approved by my overprotective parents. They don't get it, my relationship with Ivan, but that's okay. They'll learn to understand eventually.

Cassio's jaw ticks. "How does he do his job at all while sleeping?"

"Test me," Ivan offers without missing a beat. "When you think I'm dead asleep, try to touch a hair on her head, and I'll sever your hand from your body before you can blink."

Cassio tilts his head to the side, eyes narrowing as if to assess a threat. "Is that a challenge?"

He really doesn't like Ivan, he's been salty towards him since we arrived, and I don't know how to help it. I'm not used to Cassio being outwardly protective of me. I mean, he's my brother just like Matteo, Apollo, Armani, and all the rest, but he's not around as much.

I need to brainstorm how to approach speaking with him sometime soon because I can't handle the bickering for much longer. All I want is peace and distractions until I have the love of my life back. When Dmitri comes home, he can deal with the squabbling. He'd be happy to, I'm sure.

My trusty guard flashes a vicious smile in return. "Not a challenge, a guarantee." Ivan gives a sweep of his gaze to the room. "I haven't fallen into a deep sleep since before I could walk and talk. Asleep or not, no one gets to Jade while my heart beats, it's as simple as that."

"Cocky," Cassio notes. "Considering you're eighteen years old and a buck fifty soaking wet."

"Rich," Ivan shoots back. "Considering you're closer to thirty than you are twenty and still think that size matters when the smallest blade can rip open throats just as well as a sword, and a 9mm will kill you just as dead as any other round."

The two of them stare at each other, letting their perspective insults land. Men are so snappy with each other sometimes, I swear. Like, can we just chill out for a moment, please?

Holding in a huff of annoyance, I look at my dad. "Can we just go to bed now? It's been a really long day."

My father looks between Ivan and me reluctantly. "Fine."

God, I love these stubborn men.Kissing my father's cheek, I say goodnight to the rest of the table and lead Ivan upstairs.

After brushing our teeth, Ivan changes into a pair of sweats and a cut-off t-shirt, and we decide to put the TV on low and get into bed. We already showered earlier before changing, Ivan using Apollo's bathroom quickly and me using mine. All there's left to do is try to relax. We can deal with the stress of the day tomorrow.

"Sorry about all of that," I say nervously, climbing under the covers next to him. "I don't get why they're so weird about you."

Ivan chuckles, shaking his head and pulling me into a cuddle. My head rests on his chest, his arms wrapping around me like a warm blanket.

"They think we're fucking," he points out. "Or at least, they think we want to."

I frown a little. "We aren't, and we don't."

"No, but they're not out of their minds to assume it. Most humans are inherently sexual beings. Friendships like ours aren't common."

Sighing, I flutter my eyes closed. "That's sad, isn't it?"

"Maybe for them," Ivan hums. "But I don't really care about anyone else's relationships, and they shouldn't care about mine."

"Do you think Dmitri will be gone for long?" I can't help but ask.

"I'm not sure, Jade," he answers honestly. "We're going to have to take this a day at a time. I'm going to do my best to keep you happy, but I swear to you, Dmitri is going to do whatever it takes to get back to you."

"One day at a time?" I echo.

Even with my eyes closed I can feel his head dip in a nod.

I think I can handle that.