So even though Dmitry kept telling her he and Thomas - with the help of a grief counselor and an Anglican priest - were making strides on their attempts at forgiveness and reconciliation, Tahey had only nodded but never allowed herself to ask about it.
It was enough, she always told herself, that she had both men back in her life. This alone was more than she had ever hoped for, and to ask for anything else would be the definition of greedy.
She had a gorgeous, loving husband in Dmitry, and in Thomas...
"Hey there." The warden at Thomas' prison greeted her with a smile. "Does your pa know you're coming?"
"Nope. Let's keep it that way, though. I want to surprise him." She was about to head to the visitors' room when the warden shook his head.
"No, that one's closed."
It was?
"You can head over to the room down the hallway." Warden Joe pointed her to the right direction. "Last door on your left. Just give me a minute, and I'll get someone to take Thomas to you."
She gave the older man a grateful smile. "Thank you, and in case I forget - Merry Christmas, Warden."
"You have a Merry Christmas, too, kid."
Tahey couldn't help glaring the moment she turned her back on the warden. Sheesh. The man had just greeted her a Merry Christmas, and here she was, already close to bawling her eyes out.
Get a grip on yourself, T.G.!
Because if she didn’t, then she was likely to put on a grand show of waterworks the moment Thomas showed up.
Tahey took a deep, calming breath.
No tears, T.G. No tears.
By the time she reached the room Warden Joe had directed her to, she was somewhat composed, and her fingers barely shook as she tried the knob. It turned easily, but the room inside...
Huge was Tahey's first thought.
And dark was her next thought.
A sense of déjà vu struck her, but Tahey shrugged this off.
Nah.
She fumbled for the light switch—-
Pop! Pop! Pop!
—-and nearly had a heart attack as party poppers exploded in a noisy shower of confetti.
In front of her were all five men of Strakh Inc...
And right in the center was Thomas.
Oh God.
She glared at all of them.
Oh God.
But it didn't work.
And in a second, Tahey had burst into tears, and all six of them actually laughed at her.
Thomas was the first one who hugged her, and she found herself crying so hard that she knew it would be impossible for her to speak. She could only hug him, hoping that he could hear what her heart had to say—-
And he did.
"There's nothing for you to be scared of anymore," Thomas said gruffly. "The worst is over, and we might still have our ups and downs, but it won't change a thing. One day, it will be just as you dreamed. You, me, your mom and your man...we'll be together again on the other side."
The other men of Strakh followed.
Stelios flirted with her outrageously, Bastien greeted her a Merry Christmas in his usual gruff voice, and then there was Drake, who made her cry anew when he told her he, too, was working hard to forgive Thomas.
When it was Sasha's turn, the younger Adrianov didn't even get to say a word, with his sister-in-law throwing herself in his arms.
"You're our guardian angel and Cupid all in one," Tahey whispered, "and I can never thank you enough."
Dmitry's brother shook his head. "You're the one I can't thank enough. Dmitry was becoming less and less human over the years, but you brought him back to us. So thank you."
And finally—-
Finally—-
It was the love of her life.
Beautiful. Sexy. Dangerous.
The ultimate man of mystery—-
The man who first had hatred and vengeance in his heart when he met her...but now...
He was the one who loved Tahey the most, and when he took her in his arms, she just couldn't help it.
Standing on her toes, she cupped his cheeks and kissed her inhibitions goodbye as she covered his mouth with hers.
I love you.
She showered his face with kisses.
And thank you.
When she rocked back to her heels, she looked up, and it was then she saw that it was really Christmas.
Behind them, she heard the billionaire's friends curse in shock.
Because Dmitry's lips were curving.
"Well, damn me," she heard her dad mutter. "My daughter told me the man had dimples, but I thought she was just hallucinating."
A deep flush stained Dmitry's high-boned cheeks, but to his credit, Dmitry managed to take the higher road and ignore everyone's laughter.
"I love your dimples, Dmitry," Tahey couldn't help saying dreamily. "They're so beautiful." While the words were sweet as fuck, it was unfortunately something the other men heard as well—-
"Fuck."
Tahey peeked at her husband's expression. Oh no. She had been hoping his F-bomb was the I-find-you-hot-kind-of-fuck, but the way he was now eyeing her neck...
"I'm sorry," she said in a rush, "and I love you so, so, so much, and please don't forget that you love me, too?"
"Fuck." But this time, Dmitry was cursing himself in resignation. He was Dmitry Adrianov, the leader of the world's most powerful vigilante organization, and yet when it came to his small, beautiful wife, he instantly became the world's biggest pushover.
He cupped her chin, and doe eyes filled with fear and love gazed up at him.
Fuck.
Who the hell was he kidding, thinking he could ever get mad at Tahey again?
"Tahey..."
She stopped breathing, waiting for the axe to fall.
"Merry Christmas, baby."
The other men in the room groaned, but this time Dmitry had no problems ignoring them. Because the moment he saw Tahey's eyes fill up with tears, it was then he heard a voice he had never thought to hear again—-
Merry Christmas, big brother.
And Dmitry's own eyes began to sting.
I never wanted you, Sasha, or Drake to do anything about my death.
Only thing I wanted was for you to be happy.
So please...stay that way.
The feel of Tahey's fingers touching his cheek made Dmitry open his eyes.
"Dmitry? What's wrong?"
He caught her hand.
"Nothing's wrong."
Kissed her fingers
