Chapter 18

Tajah: Chapter 18

The next two weeks flew by. We'd both stayed super busy with work and preparing for our dinner party. I wanted everything to be perfect. Since Mikhail insisted it be catered and the cleaning lady, Sandra, was to take care of making sure the apartment was spotless, it left me to work on the decorations. I loved to have different themes for the table. In the fall, I decked out my table with all the autumn colors and flowers. At Christmas, I'd change it up again. I had ones for most of the major holidays and all four seasons. Since we were still a month away from official fall, I stuck with summer.

I found a gorgeous table runner which was dark blue and white striped with small bouquets of bright flowers scattered on it. Along with it I found white cloth napkins with bright lemons on them. They went with the centerpiece idea, which was a large square vase with fresh lemon slices surrounding all sides and in the middle was lovely fresh blue and white hydrangeas. The plates were a mix of white and sky blue. Mikhail had lovely crystal goblets, flutes, and wine glasses, which would round it out perfectly. He smiled when I told him what I wanted to do. He didn't voice a single objection. In fact, he told me to buy whatever I wanted. That was right before he handed me his credit card. Recalling that moment, I had to grin.

"Dove, you do whatever you want. If you want to change out all the furniture then do it, but don't drive yourself crazy. No matter what, they'll love it."

"I just want to make the table and decor shine. I won't get rid of your furniture."

"You have free rein. Here's my card. Spend what you need," he held out a black credit card.

I stared at it then at him. I didn't take it. Instead, I shook my head. "Babe, no, I don't need you to pay for it. This is all on me. I can cover it. I only wanted to be sure you were okay with it and to see if you had any ideas of your own that you wanted me to incorporate. It's not just my friends and family coming."

"I know it's not but you aren't spending a dime of your money. Are you planning to get rid of those things when we're done with the party?"

"No, of course not."

"Do you think we'll use them again in the future?"

"Yes, there's a lot I can do with them and combine them with other stuff. Why? What does that have to do with anything?"

"It means they're for our home, our table, our lives. This is as much your home as it is mine now. Maybe I should've told you this earlier, but I've been trying not to scare you by going too fast."

"Huh?"

"You stay here with me every night. Most of your clothes and other personal stuff are here. Other than to get your mail and check on the place, you don't go to your apartment. I want you to give up your place and move in with me permanently. Anything you want to change out and replace with your stuff, do it. The rest we can get rid of or put in storage. There's no damn way I can sleep without you. I want you in every part of my life and vice versa. With that said, all those things you plan to get for the dinner party will become part of our home. I want to be the one to buy stuff like that."

I was stunned to hear him say all of it. It was true I was staying here all the time and if I was honest, I didn't miss my apartment a bit. Sure there were some things I liked and would want to take to a new home, but my apartment had always been just a place to sleep and work. It was decent to live there, but I wasn't in love with it, not like I would be with an actual house.

His apartment was much bigger and despite being above the club, it had a better home-like feel to it. It wasn't as nice as a house would be, but that was a topic for the future. Maybe one day he'd be willing to have a home away from the club, However, I didn't expect him to pay for everything. I made a decent living with my writing now that I'd become established.

"Misha, I don't expect you to pay for everything. I love the fact you want me to move in with you and yes, it's fast but I want to do it. However, I'll pay my share for our home and the rest. I make enough money to do it. If you want me to live with you, I need to know what my half of the mortgage is, utilities, etcetera. Buying these things for the party is my first contribution to our home."

He shook his head. "Baby, there's no mortgage. The club, the whole building is paid for. As for utilities, not happening. As your man, I need to take care of you. Your money can be used for fun stuff you want to do or gifts for your friends and family. Anything else, I'll pay for."

"So you'll pay for my car, insurance, cell phone and stuff? If I want to get new furniture, you'll pay."

"Exactly," he said with a smile.

"No, not exactly. I don't need to be kept, Misha! I'll be a full partner or nothing. I don't know what kind of woman you're used to, but it's not one like me."

We'd gone back and forth arguing. He didn't see it as keeping me. He saw it as caring for me. I had to work to get him to see it from my point of view. In the end, he'd reluctantly agreed to go half with me on the decor. There was no way I could get him to let me do it all. I knew we'd have more battles over this in the future, but eventually I thought he'd get to the point of seeing it my way and I'd work to meet him in the middle. The one thing we did agree on was me moving in. I told him we had time but my man wasn't patient I found out.

The next day he came to me with the name of a moving company which would be able to pack my stuff and move it and several dates they could do it, that were over the next few weeks. All he needed was for me to decide what to bring to his place and what to put in storage. He had one of those storage units already for things he kept. I knew not to fight him so I agreed and promised to go to the apartment and put labels on what I wanted stored so they'd know when the time came.

I did get him to let us get through the dinner first before I'd go to label the furniture and have them come pack it up. The end of next week was the day I agreed to do it. Thankfully, my writing had been going well, and I finished up the first book and Cady was reading the last part. I'd wait until she was done before letting Mom read it. Not only was my work humming along, but so was his. The club was sailing along great. There had been no more surprise visits from inspectors due to complaints called into various regulatory agencies. I hoped this meant whoever had been doing it was done. We still wished we knew who but we might never figure out who or why.

Even though it was Saturday night, Reuben and Hoss were able to take the night off to join us. Hoss traded a day with one of the other guys, Tuck, to be here. Reuben made sure the most experienced floor managers were on duty. Hopefully, neither he nor Mikhail would get any calls. I was anxious to see how Mom, Gideon, Cady, and Carver got along with Mikhail. Carver knew him but not on a personal level. Cady had met him briefly the day we went shopping. She would be eager to question him, I knew. Mom would have questions too. I prayed he was prepared. I tried to warn him but he waved me away saying he could handle anything they asked or did.

As for me, I was anxious about the other two guests he informed me he invited once they said yes. In order not to overwhelm me, he stuck to only four people as well. In addition to Hoss and Reuben, he invited his cousin Matvey and his wife. To say the least, I was very nervous to meet a member of his family and to have it be the head of the Russian mob scared me spitless. He assured me I had nothing to worry about. Matvey would be here as family, not the Pakhan of the Bratva. Plus, as the head of the family on his dad's side, it would go a long way with the others if he was the first to meet me and give me his stamp of approval. When I almost hyperventilated at the thought of him disapproving of me, he promised me Matvey would love me. I prayed he was right. I begged him not to let me disappear, which made him laugh at me, the bastard.

After days of worry, the time had come to see if tonight would end as a success or a total disaster. Sheila called up a couple of minutes ago to tell us my guests were here. Reuben was downstairs and told her to tell us he'd show them up. I wondered if Hoss was with him.

"It's gonna be great. Breath," Mikhail told me softly.

I took a deep breath as the door beeped then swung open. I saw Mom and Gideon first and right behind them was Cady and Carver. Bringing up the rear was Reuben. Mom let out a loud squeal when she saw me and ran to me. I opened my arms knowing what she wanted. She was a hugger and kisser. She hugged me tightly, as she gave me a kiss on each cheek. Gideon was behind her with an indulgent smile on his face. He knew how she was. I gave her a kiss back.

"Hello, Mom, it's good to see you."

"Oh honey, it's been too long. We can't go this long again. I need my baby girl. You look so good. Let me look at you," she babbled as she stepped back to look me up and down. When she got done, I held out a hand to Gideon.

"Hello Gideon, I'm so glad you could come. Are you ready to keep her under control?" I teased him.

He came forward and gave me a kiss on the cheek. "Sweetheart, no one can control her. I'm just along for the ride and to soak up her sunshine."

"Good answer," I told him with a wink.

By then, Mom was studying Mikhail. I hurried to make introductions. "Mom, Gideon, this is Mikhail Ivanova. He owns the club and he's my boyfriend. Misha, honey, this is my mom, Tamara, and her boyfriend, Gideon."

Not being shy, Mom moved over to him and gave him a kiss on each cheek and a hug. I saw the flash of surprise on his face, but he returned them with a smile. When she moved back, he held out his hand to Gideon so they could shake. "It's a pleasure to finally meet both of you. I've heard a lot about you. Welcome to our home. Please, make yourself comfortable. We're waiting on a couple more people. They should be here any minute."

"Our home? Is there something you forgot to tell me?" Mom asked excitedly.

"Mom, let me greet Cady and Carver then you can start the inquisition." I told her. She was practically vibrating with excitement.

"Oh fine, make me suffer," she pretended to pout. This made Cady laugh. Carver just rolled his eyes and gave her an indulgent look. They'd known her for too many years not to know how she was. Gideon looked at her like she was amazing. I'd always suspected he liked her more than as a friend.

Hugging my two friends, I passed them off to Mikhail. He shook Carver's hand and gave Cady a hug. She sent me a surprised look. Reuben shut the door and we went to sit in the living room. Once we were seated, Mikhail made sure they knew Reuben's name and who he was.

"I made introductions downstairs. I told them if it wasn't for me, you wouldn't be able to find your own pants," Reuben joked.

"Ha, ha, yeah, sure. The truth is, if I didn't take pity on him and give him a job, he'd be living in someone's basement," Mikhail fired back.

"Oh my Tajah, if this is the example of the men around here, whew," Mom said as she fanned herself.

"Mom," I warned.

"Don't Mom me. It's true and I have eyes. I'm not dead, ya know? Okay, back to my earlier question. Our home?"

Mikhail took my hand and smiled at me. I was opening my mouth to answer her when there was a knock at the door.

"That must be our other guests. Excuse me a moment," Mikhail told them as he got to his feet.

I was suddenly too weak in the legs to get up. He gave me an encouraging look before he went to answer it. I watched him go. When he swung open the door, my eyes landed on an older gentleman. He had an imposing presence even without saying anything. Looking at him, I would've known he was related to Mikhail without being told. He had the same general features. Beside him was an attractive older woman. She was smiling at Mikhail. Behind them I saw the towering figure of Hoss.

Matvey's booming voice made me jump as he called out, "Kusen, it's about time we got together." He had a slight Russian accent unlike Mikhail, although he spoke Russian flawlessly. He'd talked to me in it one day when I asked if he did know the language. Matvey held out his arms. Mikhail stepped into them. They slapped each other hard on the back.

"Matvey, welcome. Now, move so I can give Victoria a proper welcome. You always try to keep her all to yourself," Mikhail teased as he playfully pushed his cousin aside so he could hug Matvey's wife. She smiled even wider as she gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Of course, I do. You don't let men near a treasure like her. I would hope you know that for yourself now. Hurry up. I want to meet your lyubimoy."

As Mikhail moved back to let them inside, I caught a glimpse of men in suits in the hallway. I'd forgotten about them. He'd told me Matvey traveled with bodyguards. They went to enter before their boss, but Matvey waved them off.

"There's no need for that here. Misha would never let anyone in his home who would harm us. Stay here. Try to stay out of trouble."

"Yes, Pakhan," the one on the left said. I could tell they weren't thrilled, but they did as commanded.

"Pahkan? Is that Russian? What was that other word he said?" Mom asked in what she thought was a whisper. It wasn't. Four sets of eyes landed on us as the door was closed.

"Yes, it's Russian. Lyubimoy means beloved. The other simply means boss. Misha, please make the introductions," his cousin told him.

"I will if you give me a second. So impatient. Victoria, after all these years you still haven't cured him of that?"

I tried not to snicker, but I couldn't help it. Look who was calling someone impatient. My man raised his brow at me as he stalked over and eased me to my feet. Hoss gave me a wink behind his back. I nervously met Matvey's gaze. He was studying me intently. I couldn't tell whether he approved of what he saw or not. His wife was more open. She at least had a tiny smile on her face.

"Tajah, this is my cousin Matvey and his wife, the saint Victoria. Cousin, this is my Tajah and yes, she is my beloved, so I know exactly what you mean. I assume Hoss introduced himself already. These are Tajah's friends, Carver, and Cady. They're siblings. You've met Reuben before. Reuben is my assistant manager and best friend, Victoria. And this is Tajah's mom, Tamara, and her boyfriend, Gideon."

I let out a tiny squeak because Matvey abruptly took the hand I held out and pulled me into his chest. He hugged me then kissed my cheeks. As he stepped back he smiled. "She's krasivye, beautiful. It's a pleasure to meet the woman who brought Misha to his knees. Thank you for inviting us. Later, you and I need to talk. I have so many things to tell you about him."

His eyes warmed as he spoke, which made me feel a tad more at ease. "Welcome and thank you for coming, and I'd love to hear all the stories he doesn't want me to know. It's a pleasure to meet you as well, Mrs. Ivanova," I said to his wife.

"Please, we're family now, call me Victoria. He's just Matvey. We're both thrilled to meet you." She gave me a hug and kiss. With the ice broken, we brought them over to join the others. It took a few minutes to get everyone settled with drinks. Dinner was due to arrive shortly.

"Matvey, you and your wife got here just in time. We were asking Mikhail what he meant by welcome to our home," Mom didn't hesitate to tell them. I groaned.

"What? I want to know if I have more to celebrate or not. That is assuming he's the sort to take care of my daughter and treat her like she's a queen. If not, then we'll be having a talk," was Mom's reply to my groan.

"Tamara, you have nothing to worry about. Tajah is my queen, and I plan to show her that for the rest of her life. I haven't waited this many years to find her to risk losing her. I said our home because she's agreed to move in here with me. In fact, it'll be next weekend. I hope I can prove to you before you leave tonight that she couldn't be in better hands."

I swear I saw her melt at his words. The whole time he spoke, he had his arm around me. I saw his cousins smiling. Carver and Gideon appeared to be taking it all in. Reuben and Hoss were grinning. Cady was the only one who seemed to be studying him. I knew she'd be a tougher one to convince than even Mom. She'd been there when Sam had devastated me, however, I didn't expect her to do it immediately or so obviously.

"Talk is cheap. How do we know you won't change your mind or turn into an utter asshole like her ex? I'm warning you, if you do, I'll find a way to make your life hell," she said suddenly.

"Cady!" I hissed at her. This wasn't the time or place for her to be doing this.

"Don't Cady me. I won't let you get hurt like that again. Sam fooled us. Those other two were jerks. What's to say Mikhail isn't the same? I mean, look at him. He owns this place, and he's used to having whoever he wants whenever he wants. What happens when he gets bored?"

I flushed in embarrassment. For the first time ever, I wanted to smack my best friend.

"Cady, enough," Carver barked at her.

"I won't shut up. I—" she was cut off by Hoss of all people.

"Tiny, I don't know who this Sam was or those other men you spoke of, but I know Mikhail. He's a straight shooter, and he would never declare himself to Tajah or ask her to move in, if he wasn't positive of his feelings for her, and he didn't want to spend their lives together. I understand wanting to get to know him for yourself, but this isn't the time or place to do this. Tonight is supposed to be a relaxing night for everyone to meet."

"Don't call me Tiny! You don't know me. Of course, you'd defend your boss. You don't want him to fire you," she snapped back. I was shocked at her behavior. I knew she was protective, but this was more than that. Her lashing out like this wasn't her norm.

Hoss laughed at her. "Tiny, I don't need this job. I do it because I enjoy it. I don't say what I don't mean either. Sounds like someone needs an ass spanking," he told her with a smirk.

"In your dreams," she snarled as she came to her feet. She headed for the door. I jumped up and went after her. I grabbed her arm before she could open it.

"What is your problem? I can't believe you're acting like this! Mikhail has done nothing to deserve you being ugly toward him, or for you to act like this."

"He's a man. They're all users. They take what they want and then leave you hurt and alone. Don't come to me when he breaks your heart wanting a shoulder to cry on because I'll just tell you I told you so." As her words struck me I saw tears in her eyes. Shit, I was right. There was something wrong, and it had nothing to do with Mikhail and me.

"Cady, don't go. Tell me what's wrong," I urged her softly.

"I need to go."

She didn't give me a chance to say more before she yanked the door open. The bodyguards on the other side came to attention. She scowled at them, then took off for the elevator. I wanted to go after her, but I wouldn't leave our other guests in the lurch. I'd call her tomorrow after we both calmed down. Closing the door, I felt a hard body behind me. I leaned back against Mikhail.

"Come on my Sweetest Dove, let's enjoy our night. You can call her tomorrow and find out what she was upset about."

"I'm so sorry. I've never seen her like that. Misha," I whispered to him.

"You have nothing to apologize for. I didn't take it personally. We'll figure it out. Let's go." He led me to the living room where the others were waiting for us.

It took a few minutes for the tension to ease. Carver suggested he leave, but we told him to stay. Luckily, by the time dinner was delivered we were talking more. Other than not having Cady here, the night went well. Victoria and Mom raved about how beautiful the table was. I knew the guys couldn't care less, but we women got it. I was way more relaxed with Matvey by the time the evening ended. His wife was sweet, and she and Mom seemed to hit it off. Mom had grilled Mikhail, but nicely and he had no problem answering her numerous questions. Gideon was quiet, but that was him.

Hoss and Reuben kept us laughing. Carver eventually joined in. By the time everyone left, I had promised Matvey and Victoria I would make Mikhail bring me to the next family gathering. Mom demanded we have lunch next week. Carver whispered he'd talk to his sister and see if he could find out what her issue was. All in all, it could've been worse. When the last person left, I was sagging with fatigue.

"Let me give you a nice hot bath and then we can go to bed."

"Sounds heavenly," I told him as he led me to our room. I'd worry tomorrow.