Chapter Six

Throughout the day, Kyle noticed more people around and tried to ignore it, but when Violet told her that she was moving into the house with Anatoli, she knew something was up.

She went to talk to Max since Dimitri was out.

“So, what’s going on, Max?”

“What do you mean?”

“Don’t play stupid, and don’t treat me like a child like Dimitri does,” she snapped at him.

“Come here.”

Max pulled her over to the couch in his office and sat her on his lap. He sighed and started rubbing her stomach.

“Max, please let me in,” she said softly.

“We found a man who worked for Cannin’s father roaming the perimeter of the house. He hasn’t tried anything, and we are keeping tabs on him.

“We increase security, and we asked Anatoli to move in and permitted him to bring Violet. We thought Violet would be good for you.”

“Thank you for telling me.” She leaned her head down and kissed Max.

“You know I wasn’t going to tell you, but you do deserve to know.”

“All I want is to be included; we’re a family.”

“Yes, we are, little bee. There is one other thing... We want you to give birth at home.

“If Cannin is alive, he probably told his father about the baby, and they believe he is the father; they would make a plan to take the child.”

“Can’t we just go on vacation and have the baby elsewhere?”

Max was about to argue, but he thought it was a great idea. They could pack up and visit Russia and have the child there.

He brought his hands up to her face and pulled her down for a kiss. “You are so right, little bee. I have to talk to Dimitri first, but how would you like to visit Russia?”

***

A few days later, they were on the plane heading to Russia. Kyle didn’t want to leave anyone behind and made Max and Dimitri bring her brother, Varina, Violet, and Anatoli.

They sent Mike back to watch over things there. Leaving Mike and Sarah made Kyle feel guilty, but she wasn’t close to them.

She didn’t really hang out with Sarah, even though they were sisters. They felt more like acquaintances than anything else.

“Are you okay, ~myshka~?”

Kyle let out a sigh. “Yeah . . . I’ve never flown before, and it’s scarier than I thought it would be.”

“It’s okay. I remember my first time on a plane. I was six, and I was terrified. My father was taking Max and me to the States for the first time, and I cried for about an hour after take-off.”

“What calmed you down?”

“Max did,” Dimitri laughed before continuing. “He told me if I didn’t stop crying, he would tell Annika that I was a baby the next time we saw her.”

“Annika was our next-door neighbor who I had a crush on.”

Kyle laughed at the story. They never shared stories of their childhood with her, and it distracted her, and she felt more at ease.

“Thank you for sharing that with me. It helped.”

“You’re welcome, ~myshka~.” He lifted her hand and placed a kiss on the back of it.

He was happy; he was going home with the girl he loved, and he made a promise to himself that they would leave Russia as husband and wife.

***

When they arrived in Russia, Kyle was a bit shocked to find the weather beautiful. It was sunny and warm.

“How come it’s not cold?”

Anatoli let out a laugh. “It’s summer here too, ~malyshka~.”

Kyle loved that Anatoli gave her a nickname. It let her know that he accepted her, and it made her feel like family.

“You guys told me this was a house. This isn’t a house; this is a mansion.”

“It’s the family estate, and since we brought everyone with us, we figured it would be better.”

As they approached the front door, an older man came out and addressed Max and Dimitri.

“~Pomoch’ im ustroit’sya,” Max told the man. ~(“Help them get settled.”)~

The man walked back in and came back out with four other individuals who went to the cars to get the luggage.

“I need some alone time with Violet,” Anatoli winked. “I’ll take the room that used to be mine when I stayed here.”

Anatoli quickly grabbed Violet and threw her over his shoulder, causing her to yell out in surprise.

Kyle couldn’t help but laugh and become excited; she knew this trip was going to be filled with fun and memories that she would cherish as she introduced her child to the world.