by Alyse Zaftig
She let him take her hand and lead her back the way they came.
The ended up in the kitchen, where Mrs. Rusak was putting together a few things for dinner.
“Mom, do you have any ginger ale?” Andrei asked.
“Yes, plenty,” she said, looking up briefly.
Victoria sat down at the kitchen table, while Andrei grabbed the ice-cold ginger ale from the refrigerator.”
When his mother saw him hand it to her, she asked, “Are you feeling well, dear?”
“She’s just a little dizzy,” Andrei answered for her. “That’s all.”
Although his mother nodded, she still eyed Victoria with concern. Although Victoria wasn’t showing, she couldn’t help but wonder if the woman could see a pregnant sign blinking and pointing to her.
“Mom, have you heard from Amy yet?”
“Yes, she just pulled into the driveway,” Mr. Rusak said. “Your daughters are with her.” He watched Victoria as if expecting some extreme reaction.
Andrei moved in front of Victoria, blocking his father’s view of her. “She knows, Dad, but thanks for trying to start something.”
“Be nice to each other. We have guests,” Mrs. Rusak said. “Forgive them, Victoria. Sometimes I think my boys work too long together to enjoy a family get-together when we have one.”
“It’s fine. My family has their moments, too,” Victoria said. She took another sip of ginger ale, hoping to be stable enough to meet Andre’s daughters and eventually eat with the rest of the family.
“Daddy! Daddy!” Two blurs of little people flew into sight and ran into Andrei.
“There are my two tornados,” Andrei said, grabbing both of the figures. “How are my girls doing?”
“We had so much fun at camp today!” the youngest one said.
“You did? What did you do?”
“We made dream catchers, see?” She held up her colorful net with feathers and trinkets swinging down.
“That’s beautiful, honey. What about you, Asya? Did you make one, too?”
“She doesn’t want to show you hers,” Naida said. “Hers broke when she sat on it after Mommy picked us up.”
“I’m sorry, sweetie. I’d still love to see it.”
The oldest girl pulled out her dream catcher, but the circular net was twisted. “It’s all crooked.”
“It’s still one of the best dream catchers I’ve ever seen.”
Asya smiled at her father’s compliment, and that little smile made Victoria want to cry. Damn pregnancy hormones were making her an emotional disaster.
“See,” Naida said. “I told you he’d like it.”
“I have someone I want you two to meet.” Andrei led his daughters over to Victoria.
She sniffled a little, hoping her tears weren’t close to the surface. She didn’t want to scare the kids as soon as she met them.
Although Victoria wasn’t as nervous now that she’d seen them, she was grateful to be sitting down.
“This is Victoria. She’s a special person that Daddy really cares about.”
Both girls looked at her for what felt like ages. Then the youngest one did something she wasn’t expecting. She moved forward and hugged Victoria, making her gasp.
“Hi, I’m Naida,” the little girl said.
“It’s nice to meet you Naida.”
The girl moved back and smiled. “Do you like dream catchers?”
Victoria glanced up at a smiling Andrei, and she got a glimpse at the proud father he’d be for the baby that was growing steadily inside of her.
“I love dream catchers,” Victoria said.
“Then here.” The girl handed Victoria her dream catcher. “You can have mine. I made it for Daddy, but since he likes Asya’s broken one, I don’t think he’ll mind if you have this one. Right, daddy?”
“Sure, honey.” Andrei said and nodded at Victoria.
“That’s really sweet of you,” Victoria said, taking the girl’s gift. “I’ll cherish it always.”
The little girl chuckled.
“All right, Munchkins,” Mrs. Rusak said. “Time for you to get washed up for dinner.”
The girls ran out of the kitchen to get ready.
That’s when the tears started falling, and Andrei was there with tissues.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
She sniffled and dried her eyes. “It’s just so beautiful. I want our baby—”
A utensil clattered to the floor. Victoria realized her slip too late.
“Your baby?” Mrs. Rusak asked. “Are you pregnant, Victoria?”
Victoria looked at Andrei for guidance, and he nodded his head.
There was no use hiding the truth now.
“Yes, ma’am,” Victoria said. “I’m pregnant.”
“We just found out, Mom,” Andrei said.
The woman’s smile filled her entire face as she ran over to them and hugged Andrei tight. “I’m going to get another grandbaby?”
“That’s right.” He allowed his mother to hug him before she turned her sights to Victoria.
She pulled Victoria up and hugged her even tighter than she did earlier. “I know you’ll make my son happy. I just know it.”
“Well,” said Victoria. “I would like a few more minutes to sip on the ginger ale. I still feel queasy.”
“Sure, honey,” Mrs. Rusak said. “I didn’t mean to hug you so tight. Don’t worry. You should only be nauseous during the first trimester. After that you will be eating like a starved dog. When I was pregnant with Andrei, I thought that I was going to starve to death. It didn’t matter what I ate, I was always hungry. If you’re anything like me, you’ll eat and sleep. Two of the best things about being pregnant, so be sure to enjoy them now. That reminds me. Andrei, make sure she gets two plates tonight before Erik eats everything.”
“I’ll make sure she’s taken care of, Mom,” Andrei said. “No need to worry about that.”
Victoria was happy with how Andrei’s mother took the news. “I feel better now. I think I can eat.”
Mr. Rusak popped his head in the kitchen. “Honey, how much longer will it be. We’re famished out here.”
“I am sorry,” Victoria said. “It’s my fault. We had to wait until my nausea went away, so I don’t embarrass myself at the table.
“All right,” Mrs. Rusak said. “Hold your horses. We are ready to eat.”
Everyone sat around the large dining room table and passed the food around. Everything looked spectacular to Victoria. It was more like a feast for an army squadron than a dinner for a family.
Erik sat across from Victoria, and out of everyone, he ate eating faster than anyone else.
“Don’t mind him,” Andrei said. “He’s used to inhaling his food. As long as he doesn’t choke, he should be good to go.” He winked at her.
Victoria simply shook her head. While Erik was the fastest eater, she was the slowest one. Between bites she nursed her ginger ale to calm her stomach. She was able to keep it all down.
She found it odd how comfortable eating with the family was. She wasn’t even as relaxed with her own family. No one asked how long they knew each other, which Victoria was grateful for. They seemed to welcome and appreciate her just the same.
“Anybody care for some dessert?” Mrs. Rusak asked after they’d nearly finished all the food in front of them. “We have sweet potato pie, chocolate cake, and lemon pudding. Take your pick, or in Erik’s case, just decide on which one you want to try first.”
They all laughed and Erik grinned back.
Since it was nice out, they went down on the patio to have their dessert and coffee. Victoria was able to see the lake better out there. As night started to fall, the lake sparkled with the setting sun, giving off an orange sparkle that spread across the water.
“A baby?” Andrei’s father asked. “Are sure you’re ready for a third kid?”
“Andrei Rusak Senior, if you don’t leave your boy alone, I am going to get upset.” Mrs. Rusak stared him. �
��Do you want me upset?”
“No but—”
“All right then. Either congratulate our son or keep your upsetting opinions in your law firm where they belong.”
Although the man seemed agitated and seemed unhappy about being quieted by his wife, he didn’t say another word to them.
Erik leaned over. “Andrei said that I can be Uncle Erik. You don’t mind that, do you, Victoria?”
“Of course not. That sounds fitting since Andrei sees you as family,” Victoria said.
That put a big smile on Erik’s face. “So Victoria, do you have any single friends looking for a good guy? Erik asked.
“Erik,” Andrei warned.
“What? Can’t blame a guy for asking.”
“I have a few friends.”
“Well, you name the time and place and I will be there,” he said.
“I’ll keep that in mind.” His grin seemed to be a mile long.
“How did you and Andrei meet?” Amy asked.
Victoria liked Andrei’s sister, who also looked more like Mr. Rusak than Mrs. Rusak, making Andrei taking on more of her features.
“We met in Judge Hughes’s courtroom,” Victoria said. “I am an Assistant Prosecuting Attorney for New York City. Your brother was defending the accused against me.”
“Ooh,” Amy said. “Which one of you won?”
“We can’t talk about ongoing cases,” Mr. Rusak said.
“Where are you from?” Mrs. Rusak added, ignoring her husband’s comment.
“I moved here from California. As a matter of fact, my family still is out there,” Victoria said. “I have been trying to get them to move to New York for the longest time, but they love the West Coast too much to leave.”
That statement made her think about her choice to stay in the city or not. Although she didn’t love New York, there were other reasons why she needed to stay.
“Don’t worry,” Mrs. Rusak said. “After you have the baby, you won’t be able to keep them away. Parents love grandkids too much for that. When is the baby due?”
“The beginning of next year,” Victoria said.
“Well, that gives me plenty of time to knit some winter suits for the little one. We don’t want him or her getting a cold in the winter New York weather.
“That sounds lovely. Thank you.”
“No problem at all. What do you want it to be? A boy or a girl?”
“Either one would be fine, as long as it is healthy. That’s all that really matters to me.”
“Yes, that’s the main thing. Good health. So many new parents take that for granted these days. All those technological advancements to choose great genes for your child and pick your perfect baby consume so many of my patients. All they should care about is having a strong and healthy baby.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” Victoria said. “Whatever it is, I know I can depend on Andrei to be there.” As she said the words, she realized they were truer than anything else. She’d only spent a few hours with his family, but she knew that Andrei would be there for her and their baby no matter what.
Chapter 19
Victoria
“We’re throwing you a baby shower!” Deedee said as soon as Victoria returned to work the following Monday after staying with Andrei’s family. Deedee and Rosalyn sat in her office as she walked in.
“She means she’s throwing one,” Rosalyn said. Her pout was obvious. “I’m just learning about this.”
She shut her office door quickly. “Shut up! I can count on one hand the people who know I’m pregnant. I don’t want anyone else to find out yet.”
Deedee fanned her away. “Nonsense. You act like you being pregnant is some kind of bad curse or something. You should be ecstatic to bring a new life into the world.”
“Give the girl a break, Deedee,” Rosalyn said. “It’s not like she’s been family planning or anything. This baby came out of nowhere. I’m sure they’d be all ‘Yay, baby life’ if they could.”
“I’m still throwing you a baby shower, and you can’t stop me. We have months to work out the details, but I’m getting this sucker ready.”
Victoria wasn’t ready to think about that far ahead just yet, so she switched topics by telling the girls about her weekend at Andrei’s family’s house. She described all the family members.
“Why in the hell are you still thinking about going to Chicago? That man is fine, girl, and his family sounds like they accept you. You need to know when to accept a good thing when it shows up like that.”
“Forget the family. He said he loved you?”
“Yeah. He did.”
“Do you love him?”
That was the question she’d been trying to answer over and over again without any final decision. It had been so hard to even consider loving someone so quickly, but it took going to his family’s place and meeting them to know for certain.
“I do. I love him, which is why I’m talking to Smith this afternoon.”
“And telling him what?” Deedee asked.
“I’m not going to Chicago. I’ve decided to stay here.”
“Thank God. I was hoping you weren’t going to do something so stupid as leave. Thought I was going to have to knock some sense into you.”
Victoria rubbed her belly. “You can try, but as a protective mother, I think I should warn you I’m not going down without a fight.”
“Good,” Deedee said.
Rosalyn nodded. “We wouldn’t expect anything less.”
Visiting Smith’s office this time was nowhere near as intimidating as it was the first time she’d gone in there to discuss Andrei and the possible promotion.
Victoria knew what she wanted. The tall, blond, and sexy defense attorney had caught her attention the first time she saw him, but she never knew how important he’d become to her.
“Are you sure about this, Bellamy?” Smith asked. “Once you turn this down, there’s no guarantee something like this will come around again.”
Victoria took a deep breath. “Can I be frankly honest with you, sir?” she asked.
He studied her for a bit before replying. “Go ahead.”
“I probably seem like a complete idiot for not taking this position, and if this were a few months ago, I would have jumped on it. The last time we spoke, you told me that no matter how much I wanted to make a difference in this kind of work, I would never be able to put in the type of dedication as a person with a family. If I’m being truthful, I think you’re right. But the problem was that I saw that as a bad thing.”
Victoria took a deep breath and steadied herself as she explained her reasoning.
“Go on,” Smith encouraged. “I’m listening.”
“The reason I took this job isn’t as big and complicated as saving the world. That’s great that people want to do that, but I’m a realist. The truth is that people can make a difference, but they can’t make big changes overnight. If there is one thing this job has taught me, it’s that bad people will always be out there hurting others and messing with good people.”
“Although I could do some great work as the DA in Chicago, I know I’ve made a difference right here in this city. I know turning it down may disappoint you, but the truth is if I leave here, I’ll disappoint myself. If I do that, it doesn’t matter whether I’m the DA or just another ADA. I can’t help anyone and put the right people away who deserve it.”
He stared at her, but she didn’t break. She looked right back as if she were in a trial and proving her case. Even when the meanest bastard stared back at her, she didn’t waver because she knew justice would prevail when she did everything in her power to try a case fairly and accurately.
Even though she felt like she was the one on trial, she held her ground just the same and waited. If he thought she should be let go, that was his decision to make. Whatever happened, she didn’t regret her decision.
“I knew I hired you for a reason,” he said.
What he said threw her off. “Excuse me, sir?�
�
“Everyone around here knows I’m a hard ass, but it isn’t because I want to fuck with people. It’s because that’s the only way I can tell who has the salt to make it in this office. We see so much awful shit every day that those who can’t deal with me won’t be able to do this job for long. I’m nothing when it comes to the mess we see done out there. I recommended you for the position because I know you can do some great things. Now, you’ve proved that you can speak your mind to me without worrying if I’ll like what you say or not. I still don’t approve of your choice, but I can respect that, and Bellamy, once a colleague earns my respect, it’s something that never goes away.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“Now get back to work, Bellamy. If you’re staying here, you might as well do some of that good you were talking about.”
She nodded. “Yes, sir.” She got up to leave, not sure whether she felt pride in her achievement, appreciation for not getting fired, or both.
“And Victoria?”
She turned back, a little stunned that he’d used her first name.
“I think you’ve earned the right to call me Andrew, but not in front of the interns. Don’t want them getting big-ass heads around here.”
“Yes, sir. I mean Andrew. Thank you.”
He nodded and went back to his work.
As soon as she got back to her desk, she could hear her ringtone. When Victoria saw Andrei calling her phone, her smile was hard to hide, and she had no intention of doing so.
“Hey, beautiful,” Andrei said.
“Hi,” she said.
“You sound happy.”
“I am very happy.”
“Well, let’s keep the good streak going. Join me for dinner tonight.”
“You’re cooking again? If you keep this up, you’re going to bruise my domestic ego.”
“No. I thought it be nice to go out tonight. Somewhere nice and overly expensive.”
“Overly expensive, huh?”
“Yeah. I hear some people like those places.”
That sounded like the perfect time to tell him her good news. “That sounds amazing. I can’t wait.” It also could be the place to finally give him the words he wanted to hear from her. Even though she knew how much she cared about him, a tiny part of her worried. He could always change his mind like her ex. There would always be that possibility of him leaving, but maybe
