Epilogue: Deception Trilogy

Epilogue

Lia
After much persuasion Adrian finally relented. Tonight my father, my real father whom I didn't know until months ago, is coming to visit and spend the evening with us. That's why I needed some help to prepare the meals for the dinner. Not help as in preparing the food, though I did get help from Ogla, but help as in information. Good thing Adrian has plenty of that in files, for enemies and allies alike, from their illegal activities to how they drink their coffee. There I found information about what my father usually eats. Mostly Italian foods. While this isn't the best or normal way to find out about a close relative's favourite meals, well there's nothing normal in my relationship with my papa.
I spent my whole life, having no idea about him and now I plan for that to change as I take the reigns of my life, in my hands. I'm done living my life in the shadows and honestly I've never felt better.
Tiny arms encircle my thighs and I look down to the tiny, marshmallow-smelling angel.
'Hi, Jer.' I bend and plant a kiss on top of his head.
'Papa said someone is coming over to eat with us.'
'Did he now?' Jeremy bobs his head up and down energetically in response. 'Well, your papa was right. Wanna know who's coming?'
'Uh-uh.' His eyes sparkle as I reach the cookie jar on the table and open it. I crouch so I'm at eye level with him and answer.
'My papa is coming.' I give the cookie to Jeremy and smile at his grin. These cookies are his favourite. Though the real reason why I did it was because apart from the stoic faced guards and Olga, Jeremy has never seen outsiders. Winter, my lookalike is also an exception but thats it, so I'm kinda nervous at how will he experience this new figure joining in his life. I wait patiently for Jeremy to finish chewing the cookie, hoping everything will be alright tonight.
'Your papa?' He questions. 'Why has he never come here before?' Fair question but I can't give him the real answer so I opt for a white lie. 'He's been a little sick, baby. That's why he couldn't visit, but now he's better and can't wait to meet you. You're gonna be a good boy tonight alright?'
'Mhm,' he nods solemnly. 'I can't wait to meet your papa too.' A laugh bursts out of me. 'It's grandpapa for you, baby.' With both of Adrian's parents and mine dead long before Jeremy was born, its understandable he may find the notion new. 'Can I have another cookie mommy?' He asks shyly.
'Of course angel.' I hand him another cookie and usher him to his dad.
~
'My head is spinning from your pacing. Stop it.' I stop in the middle of the corridor and roll my eyes at Yan.
'For your head to spin, you have to have something in it.' Yan opens his mouth to voice whatever clever retort he just came up with but movement behind my back stops him. His face closes off as I hear a dark chuckle. My darling husband is here.
'Good one Lenochka.' Such simple words yet my heartbeat triples. I turn towards my husband and suddenly I can't breathe, my lungs can't seem to work properly. No matter how many times I see him, kiss him, breathe his scent in I can't seem to get enough of this man. Every time is like a first time. I am addicted in the best way possible.
As I walk towards Adrian I hear Yan going away while muttering something under his breath.
Adrian pulls me flush against his body by looping his arm on my waist.
'You clean up nice, Mr.Volkov.' I rise on my toes and kiss his jaw. The hand in my waist flexes and his grey eyes darken. I love it when I pull such reactions from him. 'Right back at you Mrs.Volkov. How are you feeling?' His other hand comes to my neck and starts kneading slowly.
'I just want everything to go smoothly tonight. Thank you for accepting tonight, I know you didn't want this.' It took some persuasion, well a lot of persuasion but I finally made Adrian accept my father coming here. Not only he didn't and still doesn't want me to be part of the business he deals in but has lately had a rocky relationship with my father. Hopefully, for my sake, they'll be able to mend things. Loud footsteps break the spell between me and Adrian and I try to pull away from his grip. Kolya walks in and announces that my father, Don Lazlo Luciano is here.
I take a deep breath, give Adrian's bicep a squeeze and I pry myself from his arms. Since my grandma died I'd thought myself alone, without a family or someone to lean on in this big world until I found Adrian and my angel Jeremy came to life. Now that I've found my father I will do everything for to create a bridge between us. Fortunately my father seems to want the same thing so it shouldn't be hard. I'm out of the house in seconds and walking down the yard. Lazlo is walking towards me and he grins when our eyes meet.
'Carino,' he pulls me in an embrace. The stoic-faced bodyguard I met when I first went to meet Lazlo remains a healthy distance away from us.
'Welcome, papa. I'm so glad you're here.'
'Well, I absolutely couldn't refuse your invitation.' His grin wobbles as he looks past me at my husband. He still hasn't forgiven Adrian for not telling him about me. A simple nod is the only greeting he gets and my father's attention is back at me again.
'Come on papa. Let's go inside.' I step beside him and hook my arm into his and steer both of us towards the house.
In the living room Yan is holding Jeremy high in the air, while his arms are spread wide like a plane. 'Weeeeee,' he giggles and the sound warms my heart.
'Jeremy,' Yan puts him down and my little angel comes running at me.
'I was flying mommy. High in the air.'
'Good job, darling. Now, I want you to meet someone,' I take Jeremy's little hand in mine and turn around to where my father is waiting a few steps back. 'Look Jer, this is my papa.'
After studying him for a moment, Jeremy grins and mist shines in my father's eyes before he blinks it away.
'Hi grandpapa.' Jeremy darts to Lazlo and wraps his tiny arms around his legs. Lazlo eyes shine again but this time he doesn't blink away the tears as he bends down to lift Jeremy.
'Careful-'
'I can hold a five year old.' He grunts and gives Jeremy a kiss on his forehead. 'I've been waiting so long to meet you, tesoro.' Behind my father's back Adrian rolls his eyes. 'Alright, come here Malysh, it dinner time. We don't want to keep grandpapa here all night do we?' Adrian's words wipe away my father's grin.
'No,' Jeremy shakes his head, oblivious to the tension. 'Mommy has cooked delicious cookies Grandpapa, do you want one?'
'Of course, tesoro.'
~
The dinner is finally over and take my father outside in the gardens to walk and chat. Turns out I'm that bad of a cook, if I have Olga dictating every move I should make, the main dish could've used a bit more salt but at least it wasn't overly salty. Better safe than sorry. My father wanted to know everything about my life and I told him. Maybe not my mom's and stepfather's death as it wasn't something to chat over dinner, but I told him about my love for ballet, my devotion to it and eventually the demise. That's when Adrian dutifully stated what he'd done with my late co-star, some fact I would've loved to never hear again in my entire life but at least it softened my dad towards Adrian a bit.
Yan and my father's bodyguard follow us yet remain away enough to give the needed privacy. The cool wind brushes against my face and I breathe the scent of flowers in. Spring is just around the corner now and some flowers have blossomed. I tell my father about my life in Italy, my parent's death, coming to America, everything up to this moment. The only details I spare are from the fallout of my marriage months ago, how my demons finally won, which led to me falling off a cliff. I tell him that I'm happy and content with my life and that makes happiness radiate from his whole face.
'Whenever you'll want I would love for us to go to Italy together. Jeremy must come of course.' I laugh.
'Of course I'd love to come. I miss Italy, but I don't think Adrian would let us go.'
'He can't tell you what to do.' He stops abruptly, fuming.
'He just means well papa. Adrian worries about our safety a lot.' That seems to irritate him even more.
'So he thinks he's the only one with men to provide safety? Nonsense. I'll talk to him myself.' And that's the last thing I want. I have yet to forget my father "talking" to Adrian at the pakhan's meeting a while ago. 'We've been through a lot as a family. He doesn't want us away from sight, that's it. And honestly I don't want to be anywhere without him.' I look at my father with my best attempt at adorable, puppy eyes.
'Then Volkov can come as well,' he relents displeased.
'Lovely,' I beam at my father.
'Mommy!' Jeremy rushes towards us with Boris on his tracks. 'Aren't you supposed to be in bed?'
'But what about my bedtime kiss?' Right I'd momentarily forgotten about it. I kiss Jeremy on both his soft cheeks. 'There. Two kisses. Tell grandpapa goodnight angel.'
'Goodnight grandpapa.'
'Wait tesoro.' My father pulls out his phone and shows Jeremy a picture. In it there's a beautiful dark horse with white hooves. Then he swipes and shows Jeremy another picture. This one shows another lovely horse, but this one is spotted. Needless to say I'm a bit confused. Lazlo wouldn't give Jeremy a horse, would he? 'Which one do you like better?'
'I like this one.' Jeremy swipes back to the first picture. 'He looks very cool.'
'Alright. Then you will have it.' Jer simply stares at him doubtfully. 'This horse is yours now.'
'Really?' He shrieks. 'For me?'
'Yes!'
'Yay!' Jeremy jumps on my father, who'd been crouching in front of him, and he almost losses balance. 'Thank you grandpapa! I love you so much!'
Yet again my father's eyes tear up.
'It's time for bed now,' he pats Jeremy lightly in the back. 'Go. Goodnight!'
'Goodnight grandpapa, goodnight mommy.'
'Goodnight Jer.' We both watch Jeremy until he finally goes inside the house, beside me my father sighs. 'If only I'd known everything sooner.'
'Everything happens for a reason papa. It was simply meant to be this way, don't beat yourself over it.'
'I know but still I feel as if, if only I would've done something different...'
'We can not change the past papa. Only look forward to the future.' In hook my arm in his and resume walking.
'You're right carino, you're right.'