Chapter 13
After Mikhail steered his motorcycle into the driveway of a well-kept older home, Amy rode in behind him and parked her bike next to his. Her hands trembled as she turned off the engine and dismounted. As nervous as she had been about meeting Mikhail’s mother, it might have been safer to drive her car, but he’d wanted to ride their bikes. In the end, she’d opted to follow his example, partly because the weather was bright and sunny. The other reason was that it allowed her to hide her anxiety from him for a little longer.
As she took off her helmet, she noticed Mikhail was frowning big-time. “What the hell is he doing here?”
She glanced back down the driveway to see who he was talking about. A pickup truck had just stopped in front of the house. It took her a second to remember where she’d seen it before. That same truck had been parked in Mikhail’s driveway the day he’d called in reinforcements to finish their fences. Her guess was proven correct when Jay got out and started up the driveway.
“Maybe he’s here to see your mom, too.”
“That seems obvious. The question is why.”
She didn’t take offense at the growl in his voice, knowing his displeasure wasn’t directed at her. But why would he be mad at Jay? She trailed after him down the driveway to meet Jay halfway. As they drew closer, she realized the former Seal looked different for some reason, but then she realized she’d never seen him wearing long pants and dress shoes before.
“Jay, it’s good see you.”
He nodded but kept his eyes firmly on her companion. “I hope you don’t mind, but your mom called and invited me to join in on the dance lessons with you and Amy.”
Mikhail didn’t immediately answer, which had the other man looking more than a little uncomfortable. Amy wasn’t happy with Mikhail’s attitude right now and considered punching him on the arm for being less than welcoming. After all, Jay was a family friend. Why wouldn’t he want him there?
Rather than waiting for the grumpy blond giant next to her to come to his senses, she answered for both of them. “Of course we don’t mind. It’s going to pretty much be a beginner’s class, though. I hope you don’t get bored watching me stumbling around.”
Jay patted his leg. “Even before this happened, I was never great shakes when it came to dancing, and I haven’t tried it at all since. Marlene said she wouldn’t mind giving me some pointers.”
His smile brightened up a bit. “Actually, she and Tino both offered, but it was no contest. He’s good-looking enough, but he’s really not my type.”
“Good decision,” Amy said, laughing. “Besides, I’m betting Tino would insist on leading all the time.”
Mikhail finally rejoined the conversation. “Yeah, he’s a jerk that way.”
An attractive woman, who looked to be in her late fifties, stepped out on the front porch. “I thought I heard voices. Are we dancing out here to entertain the neighbors, Misha, or are you going to bring your friends inside?”
She laced the words with a warm smile.
Mikhail shifted his helmet to his other hand to take Amy’s hand in his as they started toward the steps. “We were headed that way.”
Jay had already started up the steps to the porch, stopping to kiss Marlene on the cheek and give her a quick hug as he walked by. Amy took the opportunity to whisper a quick question to Mikhail. “Misha?”
His cheeks flushed a bit. “It’s the diminutive form of my first name. My birth mother was the only other one to call me that.”
Amy gave him a head-to-toe look. “I like it. The name suits you.”
Even if there was nothing diminutive about him at all.
His pale blue eyes stared down into hers with palpable intensity as they headed into his mother’s house. “You can call me that, too, if you’d like.”
His offer pleased her. The name clearly had a special connection to the two most important women in his life. She’d never heard his brothers call him by anything other than Mikhail or a friendly obscenity of some kind whenever she’d been around them. Maybe she was overthinking the significance of his offer, but she didn’t think so.
The inside of the house matched the outside. Well cared for, comfortable, and inviting. Mikhail guided her into the living room, where his mother was waiting for them.
He gave her a quick hug before performing the introductions. “Mom, you’ve heard me talk about my neighbor. Amy Short, this is my mother, Marlene Lukash.”
Amy stepped forward and offered the older woman her hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Lukash.”
“Please, it’s Marlene. Any friend of Misha’s is a friend of mine. I know you’ve already met my other two sons, and my grandson. By the way, Ricky raves about your baking, and he’s not easy to impress.”
She glanced at her son and then back at Amy. “As I recall, Ricky mentioned being jealous of the special cookies you made for Misha here. Something with chocolate kisses and peanut butter.”
Mikhail crowded closer to where Amy stood, as if he felt the need to defend her. “Mom, you’re embarrassing her.”
