“But you do, son,” Cyrus said. “And you’re supposed to be an example for the younger boys.” He attempted to sign for Chucky to follow along, but Skylar hampered his awkward attempts. From what they’d explained to me, Chucky was pretty good at lip reading, though, as long as you faced him and spoke clearly.
“I can’t wait until I’m older and I’m allowed to say whatever I want.”
“Oh, trust me,” Leaf said. “I do say whatever I want and it gets me into trouble sometimes. It’s not a gift for your mouth to run ahead of your mind, and I do my best to curb it. Be careful what you wish for.”
Vasily shook his head. “If that’s what you call trying to curb it, Leaf, I dread to think how fast you’d talk if you just let yourself go.”
“He likes to think he tries hard.” River leaned back against Vasily, letting their daughter Natasha crawl from Vasily’s lap to his.
Petey, on Vasily’s other side, tugged his shirt sleeve. “Dad, is it time? Are we going to do the blessing?”
“That’s up to your dedushka as the head of the household.” Vasily looked to the don. “What do you think, Pops? Everyone’s finally here.”
The don nodded. “Tanner? Ivan, will you bring me the child?”
I took a moment to take the room in fully. He was right—the whole family had gathered, even Boris and his mate. They sat in a corner of the room, separate from the rest of the family, which broke my heart. Family shouldn’t be outcast.
“Boris? Do you guys want to join us?”
It was sweet the way Boris caressed his mate’s hand. The guy’s knee was bouncing a mile a minute. I could only imagine how stressful this was for him. “Can we have just a minute? I don’t want to miss being a part of the blessing.”
Ivan leaned down to whisper in my ear, “Boris’s mate is a really nervous guy. He’s done that fainting thing twice since I’ve been up, but he doesn’t pass out. He just freezes and lays there for a minute. Says he’s a goat shifter, but I’ve never seen a goat act like that. Boris is trying to ease him into everything. Doesn’t help that we caught him being on the wrong side but… we’ll figure it out. He’s family whether we like it or not.”
“He must be a fainting goat!” I said excitedly, then started laughing. “It’s going to be awful when Misha finds out.”
“What’s that mean?”
“Fainting goats… their nervous system handles the whole flight-or-fight response strangely. The moment they get scared, their body just locks up. And you know once Misha realizes that—”
“He’s going to start jumping out at him from every corner. I’m sure Boris will have some words, or something stronger, to curb that.”
“Ivan?” The don raised a bushy eyebrow at us. “Do we need to delay the blessing for a little longer?”
I blushed and shook my head as Ivan crossed the room to take Alexei from Leaf’s arms. He took him to the don, and gestured for me to join him. A moment later, Boris and his mate joined the irregular circle beside me, still a little outside, but closer. I gave his mate a smile. I wished I knew his name. There would be time for that later.
Everyone stood, kids included. Cyrus handed Skylar to Leaf.
Don Novak held Alexei tenderly. “Welcome, Alexei Lukas Novak. You have chosen a dangerous time to enter our world, but we hope to make it better for you.”
Vasily, as always, stood at his side. He took little Alexei when the don handed him over. “Little Alexei, each child increases this family’s joy exponentially. May you never doubt the joy you bring to others.”
Cyrus’s giant hands dwarfed my little boy. “May you explore the world with delight.”
Misha was next. “May you always have a friend by your side.”
Joey was gentle as he brushed a finger over Alexei’s perfect nose. “May you find love in all its forms and have the clarity to recognize it.”
Boris squeezed his mate’s hand then took a half step forward to fully join the circle and take Alexei. “May you feel strong of heart, even if all else fails you.”
And then I got a quick moment to hold my baby, kissing him on the forehead, before I passed him to Ivan, who passed him to his father.
The don gestured to the children. “We need extra courage in these times. Would any of you like to give baby Alexei a blessing?”
Dexter, Tony’s son who Joey had adopted, jumped forward. “I know how to do this because I gave baby Vera a blessing when she was born.”
Chuckles warmed the room. Don Novak got down on one knee and held Alexei out for Dexter’s inspection. “Maybe you can be a firefighter someday,” he said, then kissed Alexei’s forehead.
The other children who were old enough to understand, all boys, hurried forward. Vasily’s Petey said, “May you always have your dads.” Then he kissed Alexei.
Nate’s blessing was, “May you have as much food as you want. Being hungry sucks. I mean it stinks. I’m not supposed to say sucks. But it does.” Again, a kiss. Each one driving me closer to full-heart overload.
Morgan peered down at Alexei with squinted eyes. “He’s kind of wrinkly. I hope you look normal when you get bigger.” He kissed Alexei as the adults laughed, which earned us a dirty look from the earnest boy. He stayed by his little brother’s side to translate.
Chucky signed his request, looking at his big brother for approval.
“He hopes Alexei gets lots of brothers.” Morgan smiled and nodded, patting Chucky on the back. “Now give him a kiss.”
The don stood, and somebody sniffled, and it wasn’t me. I was glad I wasn’t the only one wrestling with tears. Don Novak peered down into his newest grandchild’s tiny face and said, “Alexei Lukas Novak. May you live a long life, full of joy. May you smile more than you cry. And may you find love in many places, and may it last all your life and beyond.” He kissed Alexei three times, and I wondered if that was normally part of the ritual or if he’d added it on because of the kids.
He handed Alexei to Ivan and turned to meet the eyes of each person in the room, even Boris’s shy mate. “We are family. Nothing can change that. No trial or tribulation can sever the bonds built between us. I bless you all, my sons by blood, my sons by destiny, and my most glorious blessings of all, my grandchildren. You make an old man very happy.”
“Group hug?” Leaf asked tentatively. “I just need to express all this joy somehow or I’m going to explode.”
“As if you don’t explode every five minutes,” River said, but pulled his brother into a hug, nonetheless. Cyrus followed, and then the rest of the family, the kids burrowing in wherever they fit.
Boris and his mate hung back, and I understood. I hoped it wouldn’t be long before they found the comfort and acceptance that filled me and surrounded me in this moment, squished between my mate, my child, and my family.