I looked up at him, trying to gauge whether he could handle the truth. I decided he could. “You know my dad is a bit of a guardian angel, righ for Adrik’s mother. They’re around, checking in on us.” He nodded his head. “There are also guardian angels that live among us.”
“The acupuncturist,” he said, like he’d just answered the riddle.
“Did you fish that out of my head or you figured it out before?” I asked.
“I saw there’s something different about her. She has a glow that most people don’t have,” he said.
“She’s the only one you’ve seen that glow on?” I was curious if he’d picked up on Ivan.
He shook his head no. “Ivan has it now too. I never noticed it before he got hurt that day they tried to take you the first time. You and Boss do to but I don’t see it all the time on you three. I’ve seen it every time on the acupuncturist.”
“How long have you been able to see this?”
He shrugged his shoulders. “Since I was a kid. I’ve never told anyone because I didn’t want them to think I was crazy. My m om probably would’ve made me wear glasses because she thought there was something wrong with my eyes. I don’t always notice it. Like I don’t walk around looking at glowing people all day long. The acupuncturist is the only one I’ve seen that has it every single time.”
“Does everyone look the same?”
“No. Different colors. The acupuncturist is gold. Ivan’s changes. So does yours and so does Boss’s.”
“I’m so impressed, Bubba. You had levels I didn’t even know about,” I said, grinning at him.
After our sandwiches changed our lives for the better and allowed us a brief stay in gastro-intestinal heaven, we made our way to Adrik’s office. I was trying to find out what his schedule was like and what Vitaliy was doing today.
No sooner had I walked into the doorway and he looked up like he was expecting me to walk through the door. His wide smile stretched across his face. “You look lighter. You needed that,” he said as he pushed his chair back from his desk, opening his arms for me.
“Andrei did too, apparently. That kid has levels I didn’t even know about yet, but he feels much better too.”
He raised his eyebrow at me, but we were interrupted by Viktor coming into the office with his next meeting. “I’ll tell you later,” I said, kissing him quickly before leaving the office with Viktor.
Sephie
I hooked my arm through Viktor’s as I followed him to his desk while Adrik had his meeting. “What’s his schedule like today, Papa Bear?” I asked.
“Three more meetings after this one, then he’s done. Unless I hear back from Henry’s office saying he can meet tonight,” he answered me in Russian, since there were plenty of ears around the office.
“What about Vitaliy? What’s he doing today?”
“He begrudgingly left this morning and said he won’t be back until tonight. I don’t think he’s going to stay much longer. He’s annoyed at having to see so many people,” he said, trying not to laugh.
“I find it both ironic and hilarious that he’s as popular as he is when he returns to the city,” I said. I thought for a few moments, then asked, “when will you know if he has an extra meeting tonight? I’m trying to make a plan for feeding you all since I’ve been slacking on my duties lately.”
He chuckled. “You’ve been exhausted, sestrichka. You haven’t been slacking. I’ve already ordered dinner for tonight anyway, so you don’t need to worry.” I squinted my eyes at him, but didn’t argue. I decided I would spend the afternoon making him a treat instead.
I looked around to see who else was in the office. Stephen was the only one, other than Viktor. I couldn’t steal Viktor since he was on master of schedule duties. “Yoden, are you busy this afternoon?”
He looked up from his computer. “Nope. I’m just staring at the screen pretending to be busy right now. It was starting to get boring, so I should thank you. What do you need?” he asked as he closed his laptop.
I reached down and grabbed his arm, pulling him up. “You’re coming with me,” I said.
“Where are we going? Do you have a plan? Do we need supplies? How long will we be gone? Am I properly dressed? Do I need a coat? Never mind, 1 don’t get cold. It’s physically impossible,” he said. He let a sly smile slip out when I looked up at him. Very uncharacteristic of him, but I loved him a little more for it. He quietly slid his arm around my shoulders as we walked to the elevator, creating a visual barrier between me and curious eyes.
Once we were on the elevator alone, I said, “have I mentioned how f**king funny the Vlad jokes in front of Vitaliy are? Like I love you even more each time it happens. The look on his and Alyosha’s faces is just perfection. They’re so lost. It’s so great.” We were both laughing when the elevator doors opened.
It took Stephen such a long time to warm up to me, but now that he had, I adored him. He was so smart and so freaking funny. He was so quietly hilarious that he kept us all entertained. And he could say anything with a straight face, so those who didn’t know him thought he was completely serious while saying some of the du mbest shit you’ve ever heard in your life. It was a true gift. Because he ended up as backup for Viktor in his master of schedule duties, it meant I didn’t get to spend as much time with Viktor and Stephen as 1 did the other three. I was starting to suspect that wasn’t helping those two realize how they were special, so I’d decided to try and change that as much as I could. It was easier to get time with Stephen on my own. I was going to need Adrik’s help to get time with Viktor.
We walked into the kitchen and I started to pull a few things out of the cabinets. Stephen said, “you know Viktor already ordered dinner for tonight, right? You don’t have to cook, Seph. You should still rest today.”
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.