I couldn’t agree more. Artem had found who he was truly. He was a boss first. I could agree with that. There were tons of people that depended on him, depended on their livelihood and his ability to lead.
But in a close second, he was my husband. He was the product of a great love, one that was likely going to span generations. He was a loving brother, and a son that had upheld his part of a bargain with his parents.
That, and he was going to be the father of our children, the man that would hold my hand every evening and kiss me good night whenever he could.
That was Artem, and I loved him for it.
“But,” Gertie continued, her expression growing serious. “If he breaks your heart again, I will bury him in the backyard. Noah can still wield a mean shovel.”
I burst into laughter, holding my cup up to hers and clinking them together. “That’s good to know, but I don’t think I have to worry about that.”
“Good,” she winked. “Now let’s go rescue your husband. I’m afraid Noah will talk his ear off about those guns of his. He hasn’t fired them in ten years or more, but he still thinks they will protect this house one day. More likely they will knock him flat on his ass.”
***
After leaving the farmhouse, I leaned against Artem’s shoulder as the car drove us to the mansion. The long flight was starting to affect me, but I was hoping that we wouldn’t have to do it again anytime soon. “Tomorrow I have to leave,” he was saying, his fingers threaded through mine. “Only for a few hours.”
I tightened my hold on his hand. “I will be fine, Artem. I promise. We must live our lives alone, too.” Gertie was right. We couldn’t melt into one person. There were differences between us, and I didn’t want to change Artem at all.
He opened his mouth to speak, but the car pulled up to the mansion and he climbed out, reaching back for me instead of allowing me to exit myself. I half expected him to go into boss mode, but he didn’t, instead keeping me close as we walked to the door. “Do you care if I remodel?” I asked casually.
Artem looked down, his lips quirked in a grin. “You already ready to spend my money, Mrs. Krylov?”
I socked him with my other fist. “I want to remove some, err, things about the mansion.”
Artem leaned down until his lips touched my ear. “The basement is off-limits, love. I still have ideas of how we can utilize that space.”
A shiver shot through me, but Artem was already opening the door.
“Happy birthday!”
Artem looked back at me, his eyes widening. “What’s this?”
I slid my arms around his neck, pressing a kiss to his unshaven jaw. “Happy birthday, my love.”
He really looked speechless. “How did you know?”
“Me of course,” Irina sang out, a birthday hat perched on her head. I laughed and pulled Artem inside, where streamers and balloons littered the hallway. Anatoly stood off to the side, looking completely unexcited about wearing his hat, and Harvey joined him, blowing into one of those party horns. “I have all your favorites, of course, and presents.”
“Did you know about this?” Artem asked as we followed the group to the kitchen.
“Of course I did,” I teased. When Irina had brought it up, I had wanted Artem to feel like someone other than his sister cared about the day that he was born. While I couldn’t fly his entire bratva in, Anatoly had helped me pick out the guards that had worked with Artem the longest, and now they all waited in the kitchen, drinks in their hands.
To my surprise, Artem greeted them warmly. “You totally got him,” Irina said happily as I helped her dish out the food onto plates. “Just look at him, Emma. He looks so happy. You are good for him.”
I did steal a glance at Artem, watching as he joked with his cousin, a smile on his face. He was happy, far more than I would have thought he could be. I hoped that I could keep him like that and never see the man who had scared the shit out of me a few weeks ago. I would happily keep out of his business if I never had to witness that again.
Later, after everyone was fed and the cake eaten, I threw Artem his swim trunks the moment we hit the suite. “Hot tub, pronto.”
He grinned, reaching for his belt. “You are being very demanding, wife. Someone might need to put you in your place.”
My blood raced at the thought of the things he could do to me. “That will have to wait. I still have to give you my birthday present.”
His eyes practically glowed with heat. “I can’t wait.”
I danced out of the room and went into my old one, finding a bikini before slipping it on with one of Artem’s dress shirts for a cover. I was nervous about giving Artem what I had gotten him for his birthday, hoping that he would see the meaning behind it. For the man who had everything, I couldn’t just break out an expensive shirt or gun and call it a day.
Artem was waiting at the bottom of the stairs and I felt my pulse move up a notch. We hadn’t truly been alone since the penthouse, the remaining guards having to catch a ride back on the jet with us, and Artem had talked work more than I had cared to listen.
But now, this would be the first time we were alone since we had left the city. We didn’t even say anything to each other until we were at the hot tub and I was removing my shirt, stepping in first. “This is heaven,” I sighed as Artem joined me, the steam rising from the cold night. “I had forgotten how much I love this thing.”
He snaked an arm around my waist, pulling me against him. “I forgot how much I love you.”
I squealed as he nibbled at my neck, the proof of his arousal pressing hard against my ass. “Stop. I have to show you something.”
He made a sound but let me go and I moved my hair aside so that he could see my left shoulder. “Happy birthday, love.”
I felt Artem’s fingers trace the open star that was now prominent on my skin, his initials underneath. I had stayed away from the stars he had on his shoulder, instead paying homage to the man that was my future with my own design. It had been highly secretive for me to get it done, and with very little time away from Artem to begin with, but the round of trying to get everything squared away before we returned here had helped, and I had just taken the bandage off this morning.
“You’re fucking kidding me.”
I turned to face him, seeing the expression on his face. “I thought you would like it.”
His throat worked before he crushed me to him, burying his face in my hair. “Fuck, yeah, I love it. I just can’t believe you marked your body for me, Emma. You’re mine.”
I held my husband, tears sparkling in my own eyes. I was his, but he was mine, and I wasn’t giving him up to anyone or anything. “I have something else.”