Louis
“Okay, kids, who wants a piece of chocolate cake?” Sasha raises her voice over the music, holds up a plate with the cake, and receives a choir of excited voices and raised arms in response. “What? Yes, Tina, I know you don’t like chocolate. What did you say, Paolo?”
She looks pretty overwhelmed there, standing in the middle of a whirlpool of kids, and I put my glass of whiskey on the counter, ready to excuse myself from the conversation. But at the last moment, I see Elena and Irina step forward and join the chaos, helping Sasha get the kids under control. Okay, I guess they can handle it.
Yeah, who would’ve thought that Misha’s birthday would turn out to be so loud and messy? There are only five kids here-and it’s enough for all the adults to go crazy. But, to be honest, seeing Misha energetically talk to his friends, laugh, and be completely immersed in their dragon battles is all worth it. After all, you turn eleven only once in your life, so you have to enjoy yourself to the fullest, right?
“You were there yesterday, Louis.”
My ears catch my name, and I blink and turn back to George and
Matteo. “What?”
“At the Rosemont shooting,” Matteo explains, as calm as ever. “You and Sergei were there to chase the Mexicans away.”
Ah, okay, so they aren’t talking about the elections anymore. I clear my throat and nod, taking a sip of my whiskey. “Yeah, we cleared the area, why?”
“There are rumors that Gerardo is mad about it,” George says with a smirk, leaning on the counter, and I can’t help but laugh. It’s good to know that the Bratva cares about Escarra’s feelings as little as we do.
“Great! It’s an honor to spoil his day, isn’t it?”
I look around and find Sergei in the hallway, talking to Riccardo. He’s frowning with a rather cold and distant expression on his face, but over the past four months I’ve learned that he’s not always grim or unhappy
about something. It’s just his neutral expression, but when you get to know him closer, you realize that Sergei is just a quiet and cool guy.
“Hey, Sergei!” He blinks and looks up at me in confusion, prompting Riccardo to look my way as well. “Did you hear that? Looks like we pissed Gerardo off yesterday.”
Riccardo chuckles at that, and even Sergei smiles a little and nods. He’s not the expressive type-unlike someone else in the room.
“I’m sorry to disappoint you, querido,” Jacinta suddenly interjects from the other side of the kitchen and straightens up, pointing at me with Luna’s spoon. “But it’s not that big of a deal. I used to piss him off twice every week when I was fifteen.”
She quirks an eyebrow at me with a joking challenge, and I chuckle. The difference between Jacinta’s hot temperament and the Russians’ evercold facade is still killing me. And they still manage to find a common language! Mostly because Jacinta doesn’t care about their attitude, and I love her for it.
“So it sounds like you were an exceptional daughter.” I meet her challenge with my own smirk, and Jacinta immediately puts her hands on her hips.
“Are you trying to offend me, Louis Messina?”
But before our bickering grows, Luna whines out loud and waves her arms, demanding her puree. Jacinta immediately turns back to her with gentle cooing on her lips, and I count myself as a winner of the nonexistent argument.
I turn back to George and Matteo, but they’re discussing something else already-apparently, there’s a new app that can help them keep track of all intercepted calls in one place-so I decide to sneak away and take a better look around.
Sasha, Elena, and Irina are still together in the living room, now talking to each other over the kids’ heads with smiles on their faces. Ever since Sasha’s natural hair color returned, their family connection has been more obvious. The three of them look similar: postured, blonde, with bright eyes and cold features. Still, call me biased, but I think Sasha is the most beautiful in the room, and something in my heart tightens at the thought.
God, I can’t wait till everyone leaves, Misha goes to bed, and I can finally pull Sasha into bed to…do things I’m not supposed to think about at a children’s party.
I clear my throat and look away from her, allowing my gaze to dart over the people around me. Paolo and Natalia, George’s wife, are making drinks in the kitchen while Sergei joins George and Matteo after Riccardo gets a call and goes outside. The kids are playing with dragons and board games on the fluffy carpet in the living room, and through the big window behind them I see the snow melting under the afternoon sun.
The smell of spring is in the air, and I can’t help a smile as a sense of peace fills my chest.
God, it still feels surreal how everything has changed over the last few months. Could I imagine celebrating my son’s birthday with the
Russians? Could I even think about inviting them into my house? Even after
Riccardo and Elena’s marriage, I was cautious and refused to trust the Bratva’s word-and in a way, I was right. Yuriy had never taken our deal seriously.
But Olga is different. She decided to rule over the Pushkov family not with cruelty but with an emphasis on cooperation and mutual respect. She doesn’t scare her subordinates into obedience-she treats them fairly and doesn’t abuse her power, gaining the Bratva’s loyalty in return.
Of course, it doesn’t mean that things have been smooth for her. Not everyone in the Mafia world-or even in her own family-is willing to accept Olga as the new leader of the Russian Bratva, so they’ve experienced quite a few betrayals and attacks from outsiders. But Olga stayed true to her word and re-signed and expanded the alliance with us. And in return, we helped her through the first months of her rulership.
The relationships between the Messina Clan and the Russian Bratva are stronger than ever now, and the scene in front of me proves it even further. Sergei has become some kind of a friend of mine while George and Natalia’s children, Tina and Vlad, got to know Misha and Romeo at Max’s birthday and all five of them quickly found a common ground.
God, I can’t even explain how good it feels to see Misha in the circle of close friends. To be honest, at first I was worried that with his closed personality he wouldn’t be able to find friends at school or around the neighborhood. But with Matteo and Romeo living a few streets away from us, Max going to the same tae kwon do section, and all three of them going to one school, things quickly got better. And if their friendship with Tina and Vlad lasts, it will only solidify our alliance with the Russians!
I smile to myself just thinking about it when someone nudges my shoulder. Sasha lingers by my side with an empty plate and eyes me with a cheeky smirk. “Hey, handsome. What are you thinking about?”
I look at her, and my gaze automatically darts over her face. Sasha is wearing pretty makeup, the earrings I bought her last week, and a new blouse that shows her neck and collarbones, and…ah, why does she have to be so damn beautiful?
“You,” I mutter, completely forgetting about my previous thoughts, and she chuckles and shakes her head. But I can see fondness in her eyes when she leans in to press her shoulder against mine for a second.
“You’re so silly, Louis Messina.”
I don’t know if it’s supposed to be a compliment, but it makes me feel proud. Sasha continues on her way to the kitchen, but I’m still standing in the hallway, grinning like an idiot, when the front door opens a few feet away from me.
“Look who’s here,” Riccardo announces, holding the door for the new guest, and I laugh and gesture for Olga to come in.
“I’m glad you made it!”
“Hi, Louis.” Olga smiles a little, and maybe I’m seeing things, but she looks almost shy. “I can’t stay for long, but I didn’t want to miss
Misha’s birthday.”
“Sure, I understand. Misha, come here! Do you want something to drink?”
And just like that, the birthday party gains new colors. Olga is surprisingly gentle with the kids, and they all gather around her and pull her to join their fun. Soon enough, the dinner from our favorite restaurant arrives, and a new kind of chaos takes over the kitchen and dining room. The kids sneak everywhere and ask about food, the adults joke around and try to organize themselves, and it’s a total mess-but I enjoy it with all my heart.
We spend the rest of the evening together, and a few hours later the first guests start to take off. First, Olga and Sergei excuse themselves, reminding us that they have to talk to their dealers at midnight, so it would be good to have some rest until then. Next, George and Natalia gather their kids and wish us good night, and some ten minutes later Matteo bids goodbye as well.
Riccardo and Elena are the last ones to leave-mostly because we can’t find a way to say goodbye without remembering something we wanted to discuss. Max and Misha are playing a car racing game on the TV console, keeping quiet to not attract our attention.
“Ah, it’s time for us to actually go,” Elena says eventually and looks up at Riccardo, keeping her hand on her big belly. “I think I have to lie down, I’m feeling tired.”
As always when she brings up her pregnancy, Riccardo jolts up and immediately agrees with everything, wrapping his arm around her waist. “Yes, of course. Max-”
“Just one more round!”
“No, you’ve had enough. You can play some other time.”
Max whines out loud and looks at Misha with some mutual understanding happening between them before he obediently gets up and goes to his parents. Misha follows him and pushes himself between me and Sasha, looking at Riccardo and Elena with a polite smile.
“Well, happy birthday!” Riccardo says with a chuckle and holds out his hand for a handshake that Misha very proudly returns.
“Thanks for having us,” Elena adds with a smile, already reaching for her bag that Riccardo quickly snatches from her.
“Yeah, it was fun!” Max exclaims, bouncing on his feet, and waves at Misha. “See you at school. Do you remember the book I told you about?”
Misha huffs with a chuckle. “I do. I’ll try to find it.”
“Okay, thanks. Bye!”
“Good night.”
“Drive safe!”
With the last exchange of goodbyes, Riccardo, Elena, and Max leave, and Sasha lets out a deep sigh. If I feel tired after the endless circle of conversations and kids’ voices, she must be exhausted from taking care of the dinner and the guests. So I reach to squeeze Sasha’s shoulder and offer her a smile when she turns to look at me.
“It was a good day,” I say, half-questioning and Sasha smiles as well and nods.
“It was. The best birthday ever, right?” She ruffles Misha’s hair, and unlike his usual annoyance with the gesture, he grins widely and nods.
“Yes! It was the best, thank you!”
He bounces on his feet for a moment before rushing to wrap his arms around Sasha’s waist to squeeze her into a hug. She chuckles, stroking his hair, and a few seconds later Misha latches on to me, and I laugh from the strength of his embrace. My heart blooms with warmth and affection, and I lay my hand on his back, returning the hug.
“Well, now that everyone’s gone…do you think we still have some ice cream left?”
We do, so after gathering the remaining clean plates and deciding that we’re gonna clean everything up in the morning, we settle in the living room. Misha chooses his favorite movie-the one that Sasha doesn’t like for being too dark for his age-and we snuggle together on the couch.
Misha finds his place between us, placing his legs on my knees and his head on Sasha’s shoulder, but I don’t mind. In fact, I feel as content and happy as a man could be. My beautiful wife is next to me, resting with a smile on her face and her head on my arm, and my son-maybe not by blood but by heart-is relaxed and happy, safe from all the dangers of our life.
What else would I ever need?
I brush Sasha’s neck with my finger, and she turns to me with a lazy look in her green eyes and her blonde hair framing her features. My chest tightens, and I feel so many things at once. God, she looks as beautiful as the first day we met, and I’m still as smitten as I was that day. How can it be that she’s mine for the rest of my life?
“I love you,” I mouth to her, stroking her cheek with my thumb, and Sasha chuckles and raises her hand to mine, circling her fingers around it.
“You’re so cheesy,” she whispers, looking at me with sparkles in her eyes. “I can’t believe I love you so much.”
My heart immediately fills up with warmth, and in moments like this, I know that my life is finally complete.
*****
THE END