Loving Leo (The Romanovsky Brothers Book 3) (24 page)

“Baby?” Val whispered.

“I wanted everyone to know that I’ve decided to push up the wedding,” Zoey said, holding Val’s eyes as his face fell in shock.  “I made an appointment at the courthouse next week—”

She barely finished her sentence before Val dropped his fork and zeroed in on her, coming to the edge of his seat and locking his arms around her waist, hiding his face in her shoulder.

“Oh my goodness
,”
Bette shrieked, dropping her utensils and leaping out of her seat.

“Ay…” Tony followed suit, covering his heart with his hand.  He stood and went to Zoey and Val, following Bette’s lead by placing tender kisses on both of their heads.  Smiling, still reeling from their surprise, Gary and Leo left their seats and did the same.

Jessica, however, couldn’t move as she watched Zoey and Val across the table, in their own world, oblivious to the cheers, hugs and kisses that were rained down on them from every angle. Zoey cuddled Val close, cradling his head while rubbing his back softly.  Val’s body trembled with the evidence of his emotion, and Zoey dug her nails into his hair, pulling him to her as tightly as she could.

Retaking their seats with hands over their mouths and hearts, the family watched as Zoey pulled back and cupped Val’s cheeks, their teary eyes meeting.

“I’m sorry I’ve been so difficult,” she whispered.  “But I never want you to feel like I wouldn’t marry you today, tomorrow, right this second.  I would marry you right now, Val, if we had a minister to make it official.  I would marry you anytime, anywhere.  You are my life, and you always will be.  Screw the big wedding.  Screw the dress.  Screw the party.  All we need is us, and our family.”

Jessica was speechless at the sight of tears spilling out of Val’s eyes, wetting Zoey’s hands where she clutched his cheeks.

“All I want in the world is to be your husband, Zo,” he gasped.

“All I want is to be your wife.”

“Next week?” he begged, raising his eyebrows.

“Yeah.” She laughed.

He tugged her in so close, he nearly broke her spine.  “I love you so much.”

“I love you, Val.  I can’t wait to be your wife.”

Their lips met softly, for the first time with no objection from Tony.  Val pulled back and met Zoey’s eyes, laughing with her when she reached up and wiped the tears from his cheeks. When his face was clear of the moisture, they kissed again.

Jessica watched the exchange, and felt sick to her stomach.

***

By the skin of her teeth, Jessica managed to make it to dessert without emptying her stomach.  After popping two bottles of champagne to raise a toast to Val and Zoey, the entire family was good and tipsy, and Jessica found herself pouring a third glass, realizing alcohol was the only thing that would get her through this dinner alive.

“So, Ashley.” Bette’s voice rang in from the end of the table.  After spending the better part of the dinner fawning over Val and Zoey, she’d begun surreptitiously watching Jessica and Leo, catching everyone’s attention.  Her eyebrows rose when Jessica’s eyes met hers.  “
Four
weeks in a row…” Her teasing tone spurred laughter all around, and everyone broke into applause, wiping the smile from Leo’s face.  His palpable displeasure only made the claps grow louder.

“You guys are the worst,” he said, even as Jessica rubbed his arm.  “The actual worst.”

“Val and Zoey getting married next week, same girl on Leo’s arm four weeks in a row, Lord Jesus!” Gary raised his glass.  “Is it the Armageddon or what?   I really think this all deserves a toast.  Am I right?”

Every glass at the table lifted, laughter picking up and lingering with the glasses that were now raised high in the air.

Leo groaned.

Jessica couldn’t fight her smile.

“To Leo and Jessica,” Gary said.  “May we continue to see you both together, week after week, for many family dinners to come.”

“Cheers!”

With a bashful smile, Leo begrudgingly lifted his own glass, holding it halfheartedly in the air.  He let his family come to him to clink their glasses against his, and they all did, some having to stand and lean across the table just to reach.  He was still shaking his head when Jessica clinked her glass to his before pressing a kiss to his cheek.

“Have I mentioned you guys are the worst?” he asked.

“Once or twice,” Zoey teased, taking a sip from her glass of apple cider.  The two chairs next to her that unofficially belonged to Roman and Angie, were empty.

This time, Roman and Angie’s absence didn’t soothe Jessica.  It hurt her.  Just another awful reminder of who she really was and why she was really there.

“Congrats, bro,” Val said, a shy smile pushing his lips up.  “Well done, Ashley.”

Jessica sat taller when Val smiled at her for the first time ever.  Finally, she understood the constant fuss over Novsky’s founder and CEO.  She understood the media obsession, the countless magazine articles, and the lovely woman who’d agreed to marry him.  For the first time, Jessica saw Val Romanovsky in his most real, most open form.  Zoey agreeing to push up their wedding had clearly dropped all of his guards, and he was no longer working overtime to hide his hand from everyone around him.  He was
happy
.  For the first time, Jessica almost felt guilty
that she was very close to ripping it all away from him.

Almost.

She returned Val’s smile just as Bette spoke again.

“So it’s official?” Bette asked, motioning between them.

Leo and Jessica’s eyes met and he raised his eyebrows.

“Yes,” Jessica said, looking away from him and taking in everyone around the table.  Each new face her gaze hit made her stomach sicker than the last, because what was bestowed upon her was nothing but kind eyes, welcoming smiles, and deep love––abiding love.  Love without mandate or obligation.  Love that just
was
.

Even Val had a softness in his gaze that had never been present there, at least not when directed at her.  He wasn’t the warmest person, but he was now welcoming her simply because Leo welcomed her.

Jessica’s eyes fell to the table, only because she couldn’t stand to see the love for another moment.

“Yes, it’s official,” she finished, her voice breaking.  “Leo’s officially my
dude
,” she said, keeping her eyes lowered even as the second celebration of the night rang out around the table.

His voice warmed her ear as the applause died down.  “I’ve never been somebody’s dude, Wednesday.”

“First time for everything right?” She kept her eyes lowered.

“Why does he call you Wednesday?” Zoey smiled.

Jessica rolled her eyes with a groan.

“Wednesday Addams?” Gary took a shot.

Leo snapped a finger and pointed at him.

“I see it,” Val said, smiling at Jessica.

“Totally see it.”  Bette lit up.

“So everyone is in agreement that I have perpetual bitch face.”  Jessica nodded.   “Awesome.”

“Perpetual bitch face,” Gary roared.  “That’s great.  And you definitely do.”  He pointed his fork at Jessica.

Jessica could only shake her head, even as she felt Leo’s tender smile on her.

“Will you be at the courthouse?” Zoey asked.

Jessica’s head lifted at the question, and when she met Zoey’s eyes, her heart fell.

Zoey nodded, keeping her eyes on Jessica even as Val pushed a piece of hair behind her ear.

“I want the woman who stole Leo’s heart to be at my wedding.”

Jessica’s wet eyes went from Zoey to Val, who was still watching her with adoration, running his fingers slowly through her hair.  Several seconds passed before he finally looked across the table and met Jessica’s eyes.

“You have to be there,” Zoey insisted.

Jessica met her eyes once more.  “I wouldn’t miss it.”

Zoey clapped her hands with a whoop, turning to meet Val’s eyes.  He leaned in and covered her lips with his, eyes closing with a look that was mixed with both pleasure and pain.

Jessica breathed in relief when the two of them looked away from her, knowing that, by the time this was over, their love would be all but dead.

***

The dining room in the King mansion went silent, save for the uneven clattering of solid gold utensils to plates.  The marble table sat ten, but since it was just Reggie and his father, often went empty.  They sat at each end of the table, leaving eight empty chairs between them.

The chef knew not to speak, moving in and out of the room without a word, taking empty plates and re-filling glasses.  Reggie made it a point to say thank you where his father refused, understanding when he only received a hesitant smile in return.

“We have to do something about the Romanovskys,” Victor said when they were alone once more.  “Tony pulled me aside again at the rally last night.  He’s getting anxious, and his sons are getting sloppy.”  Victor threw down his napkin with a disgusted look.  “All they had to do was keep their mouths closed.”

“Maybe that won’t be necessary,” Reggie said.  The words “we have to do something” didn’t mean the same thing to his father as they did to other people, and Reggie knew his father had no qualms about “doing something” about the Romanovskys, just like he’d “done something” about Knox Jefferson.  His stomach turned at the thought.  “I’m going to get Novsky, Dad.”

Victor laughed.

The sound reached across the table and hit Reggie like a knife to the appendix.  “Once we have Novsky, it will cripple the family.  They will never be powerful enough to touch us.”  Reggie felt his cheeks heat up when Victor’s laughter rose.  “Val will sell Novsky to me, because I’m going to threaten to tell Zoey everything about the Blacks.”

Victor’s chortles floated away, but a condescending smile remained.

Reggie sat taller.

Victor set down his fork and cradled his elbows on the table, meeting Reggie’s eyes as he pressed his fists to his lips.

“That’s the stupidest thing you’ve ever said to me, and that’s really saying something, Reginald.”

“It’s not stupid.”

“Threatening Val will never work.”

Reggie abandoned his utensils, as well, lamb chop forgotten.  “It will work.  Not only will it force Val to sell Novsky to me, it will force him to do it immediately.”

“What happened to sneaking up underneath him?  A slow acquisition?  Taking controlling interest by buying up his market shares?”

“Novsky is growing too fast.  A creeping acquisition would take too much time.”

“And you’re just realizing this now.”
Victor cackled.  “How the hell are you mine?”

“Dad, listen to me.  If I threaten to tell Zoey who killed the Blacks, Val will sell Novsky to me without another
word
.  He will.”

“How quickly you forget who else was in the car that night.”

“I haven’t forgotten,” Reggie said.  How could he?  He still had nightmares about the Blacks.  He could still see their skulls smashing into the windshield, their bodies flying.  Some nights, when he was fourteen, he would wake up screaming, the visions still so vivid in his mind, it was as if the crash had happened all over again.  Some nights, his wails only calmed when his father burst into his bedroom and found his wet jaw with the back of his hand.  His tears would dry in an instant then, for fear of getting more.  As the years passed, Reggie’d learned to control the tears, but not the nightmares.  He wondered if he ever would.  His eyes became vacant.  “I haven’t forgotten.  I never will.”

“If you threaten Val, he will threaten you just the same.  What’s to stop
him
from telling the world that you were in that car too?  That you saw the whole thing happen?”  King’s voice rose.  “What’s to stop the
world
from asking
who protected you both that night?  Who made it all go away?  What’s to stop your insipid threat from spiraling into something that will destroy not just you, but me, as well?  My entire campaign.”

“I’m not an idiot!” Reggie lowered his voice, eyes wide. “I’m not an idiot.  Of course I would never actually tell Zoey.”

“He’ll call your bluff.”

“He won’t.”

Victor shifted.  “He’ll tell Zoey you were in the car too.”

“He won’t let it get that far.
 
There is nothing he won’t sign, nothing he won’t do
,
to keep Zoey in the dark. He would die to protect his family.  If anyone knows that, it’s you.”

Victor considered Reggie from the corner of his eye.

Reggie knew he had him.  If they’d learned anything about Val Romanovsky it was that the love he had for his blood made him viciously loyal.  His claws came out in an instant, not to maim, but to shield, shelter, and safeguard.  He would put his own skin on the line, every time, to shield his family.

Victor knew that.

He always had.