The priest spoke. “The servants of God, Dimitri and Emma, are crowned in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”
The crown was heavier than I thought it would be. My arm shook as panic gripped me. Oh, my God. What if I dropped it? Would that be an unforgivable sin in the Russian Orthodox Church? Would they take it as a bad omen of their marriage?
Just as I could feel my palms sweat and the crown slipping from my grasp, a warm hand enclosed mine. Vaska took possession of my crown and, along with his, held them aloft over the heads of Dimitri and Emma. Instead of just taking my crown, he had stepped behind me to reach for it with his left hand. I now had no choice but to stand within his embrace. I could feel the warmth of his body against my back. Smell the spicy bergamot of his cologne. I was sure if I tilted my head to the side and back, I could rub my cheek against the soft stubble of his jaw.
I had that feeling like when I finally slipped between the cool sheets of my bed after a long day and felt the weight of the blanket cover me as a wave of contentment and a sense of being safe and secure would wash over me. It was like that standing within the span of Vaska’s arms. Like I was finally home and safely tucked into bed where nothing could harm me.
With a sigh, I leaned back.
Vaska pressed his cheek against my hair. He whispered for my ears only, “I’ve missed you, beautiful.”
I blinked away tears as I bit my lip.
Damn him.
He always knew just what to say to strike right at my heart.
Before I could respond, it was time for the couple to process around the center of the church to signify taking their first steps with God as a married couple. Vaska lowered his arms and stepped back. He placed both crowns on the table to the side. As we watched Dimitri stare down lovingly at Emma, Vaska reached for my hand and held it securely within his.
In that moment, I thought anything was possible.
Maybe, just maybe, we could make it work.
Maybe it was possible I could have my own happily ever after with Vaska.
The rest of the day was a blur of champagne, caviar, dancing, and endless toasts. We’d headed to Maple & Ash, the restaurant where Dimitri had taken Emma on their first real date. We got a private room and with the feast of lobster, filet, oysters, and caviar on display on large pewter platters set between massive candelabras down a long, polished table, you would have thought a small army was coming to celebrate their nuptials instead of just the four of us.
Dimitri had asked Emma if she wanted a large wedding, but she’d said no. She wasn’t close to her parents and the two of us didn’t have many close friends. Besides, larger weddings took time to plan and they were both eager to start their life together.
Throughout the evening, Dimitri and Vaska competed to see who could take the top off a champagne bottle with a saber better. It really was a sight to see, watching these two large men chant in Russian as they brandished sharp swords. With each strike of the saber, foamy champagne would coat the table and all of us. Emma and I held up our champagne flutes, hoping to catch a few drops as we laughed and took bets on who would do it best. They each opened several thousand-dollar bottles of champagne, way more than we could possibly drink, but we all certainly tried.
As a small quartet of musicians arrived, we pushed the table aside to make a small dance floor. It was heavenly being taken up in Vaska’s strong arms as he twirled me about the room while singing the words to each song in his deep baritone. It was so lighthearted and fun. It felt right and wrong at the same time. We weren’t this type of couple. We were the type who threw things during fights and had lots of angry make-up sex. Still, this was a glimpse of the type of couple we could be if perhaps I just stopped fighting our attraction. If I gave in to the force of nature that was Vaska Rostov.
At the end of the night, I was surprised when Vaska gave me a chaste kiss on the cheek before ushering me into a waiting car… alone. He had arranged for one of his men to drive me home. I wrapped my arms tightly around my chest. The thought of what was waiting for me when I got there sent a chill through my body. The apartment would be cold and empty without Emma there. I had already packed most of our belongings in preparation for our moves: Emma to Dimitri’s home and me to a rather dull basement apartment in Lincoln Square. It was all I could afford on a new teacher’s salary without a roommate.
At least I was nicely buzzed. Hopefully, after such an eventful day, I would just fall into bed and go right to sleep. Of course, I knew that wouldn’t be true. I was probably going to stay up and analyze to death every single interaction I’d had with Vaska today, right down to the slightest brush of his hand. Starting with why he’d sent me home alone and hadn’t even tried to seduce me.
As I walked down the hallway, I could see a large piece of plywood where our door used to be. One of Dimitri’s men had repaired the damage while we were at the wedding. They had cut a hole in the plywood and reinstalled the old doorknob, so my key still worked. With a resigned sigh, I slipped the key into the lock and turned it. The moment the door opened, the motherboard beeped. I turned and punched in the code Dimitri had forced us both to finally memorize a few weeks ago.
I then flicked on the lights and screamed.
Everything was gone.
Everything.
The furniture.
The boxes.
Everything!
Oh, my God, we had been robbed! Someone had actually taken the trouble to rob us of all our crappy, worthless stuff. My high heels echoed in the stark and empty apartment as I took a few steps inside. With my mouth open in astonishment, I stepped in a circle, staring in amazement as I tried to wrap my mind around what was happening, when a piece of white paper on the kitchen counter caught my eye. Picking up the paper, I read the heavily slanted, very masculine scrawl.
Hello, beautiful,
Your stuff is at my home, where it now belongs.
The driver is still outside waiting to take you there.
See you soon,
Vaska
Of all the insufferable, brutish, stubborn, obstinate, mule-headed, arrogant, high-handed things to do! I was going to murder him.
Chapter 21
Vaska
The moment the elevator door opened, she was already in mid-rant.
“—insufferable, brutish, stubborn, obstinate, mule-headed, arrogant, high-handed—”
The way she was rattling off those characteristics made me think this was a practiced litany of hers when referring to me. I shrugged. At least I’d made an impression.
I had ditched the tuxedo for a pair of loose jeans. She was still in her bridesmaid dress. Probably because all of her clothes and belongings were here.
I tilted my head as I surveyed her from head to toe. God, I’d missed her. These last two months had been torture, watching her from afar but not allowing myself to talk to or touch her. She needed space, and I needed time to settle certain matters from my past. Never again would Mary be disrespected by having another woman approach me. I also knew both she and Emma would need time to process their new realities. Whether or not they liked it, their lives would change through their relationships with us. There were strict rules for their safety that would need to be followed. Emma had experienced the dangers of loving Dimitri firsthand in Morocco. I would do everything in my power to make sure Mary never learned that same lesson.