Chapter Two

“Are you sure that’s what was said to you?”

“I’m positive.”

“You haven’t been sleeping well at night—maybe you were daydreaming. I asked the manager to pull up the tape.”

“There was a man next to you, but you were standing there for a long time, and it looked like he didn’t say a word to you before grabbing the meat and walking off.”

“I swear I’m not crazy or overtired, Dimitri.”

Dimitri kissed Kyle on her forehead and rubbed her back. “I believe you, ~myshka~. Have you seen this man before?”

“I don’t know; I didn’t see his face.”

Dimitri knew Kyle was paranoid about seeing Cannin again. They didn’t know for sure if he was dead, but they wanted to move on with their life.

“How about we relax tonight? No working, no stressing, no baby talk; just you, me, and Max watching a movie and eating dinner.”

“I would love that. Thank you.”

***

Unfortunately, Kyle didn’t get to enjoy the night as she wanted. Five minutes into the movie, she fell asleep.

She woke up in her bed the next morning, and before she could leave the bed, Max walked in, carrying a tray of food for her.

“Morning, little bee.”

“Morning. Why did you guys let me sleep?”

“You’ve been tired, and regardless of what you say, you needed the rest, especially since Violet will be back today.”

“Why didn’t anyone tell me? What time will she be back?”

“This afternoon. Anatoli is going to drop her off, and the three of us are going to let you and Violet have some girl time.”

“Who would have thought that Anatoli would be into someone as sweet as her?”

“He hasn’t been the way he is. He used to be the one who would piss me off for not being serious.”

“How long have you known him?”

“We grew up together . . . His sister was the last girl I loved before you came along.”

Kyle heard the sadness in his voice; she was sad but also jealous that Max loved another girl.

“What happened?”

“That’s a story for another time. Eat your breakfast and meet us downstairs when you’re ready.”

***

Kyle took her time eating, and then she showered and did her hair. It’d been a while since she put forth the effort to get ready.

She never really went anywhere, and the boys seemed to like her the way she was, so she didn’t try.

The pregnancy had started taking a toll on the way she viewed herself. She felt fat and ugly, and it bothered her at times how Max and Dimitri always wanted to touch her.

She always pushed it aside for them.

“Oh my gosh, you look like you could give birth any day now.” Violet ran up to her and hugged her.

“I feel like the baby is ready to come out any day, but we still have two months.” Kyle rubbed her belly; she was excited that the baby was due soon and couldn’t wait to meet her son or daughter.

“We’ll leave you girls alone. If you need anything, Ellis will be here. If you leave the house, let us know.”

Max and Dimitri kissed Kyle and told her to have fun while Anatoli kissed Violet. Kyle was happy that Anatoli found a nice girl; he deserved it.

“So, what do you want to do?” Violet asked her.

***

“You don’t think they’ll get into too much trouble?”

“Relax, Anatoli. She’ll be fine. Why are you so protective of her?”

“I’m afraid she’ll be taken,” he confessed.

“You know she’s safe and nothing will happen to her,” Max reassured him.

“When I saw the way you guys treated Kyle, I thought you were stupid and that she was going to be bad news, but I understand now. The first time I saw Violet, I felt like I needed her to breathe.”

“Are you saying you’re in love?” Dimitri elbowed him before taking a drink of his beer.

“I seriously am. I’ve been with women, lots of them, but nothing compares to her.”

“I think it’s official: he’s off the market, Max.”

***

“What do you think the boys are doing?” Violet asked Kyle.

“Probably drinking beer and talking about business.”

“You’re right; they’re probably old men.”

Kyle laughed because she knew there was nothing old about Max and Dimitri.

“Do you know the sex of the baby, or who the baby daddy is?”

“No. We want to keep it a secret until after the birth. Regardless of who the father is, they’ll both raise the child as their own.”

“Ahh,” Kyle said while she rubbed her stomach.

“Are you okay?”

It took Kyle a second to answer. “Yeah. I’ve been having more false contractions as I get closer to my due date. It’s nothing to worry about.”

“Are you sure?”

“Positive. So, tell me about you and Anatoli.”

“He’s amazing, Kyle. I thought my life was ruined because of my family, but it’s the best thing to happen to me. He’s sweet and makes sure that I’m happy.”

Kyle gave Violet a big smile. She was happy that the people she loved had found happiness.