Chapter 10

Andrei:POV

Today, I had promised Maxim and Lina the ultimate adventure—the Divo Ostrov amusement park.

"Higher, Andrei! Push me higher!" Lina shrieked from the swing, her golden hair flying behind her like a banner.

I obliged, giving her another gentle push. "Any higher and you'll touch the clouds!"

"That's scientifically impossible," Maxim informed me seriously from the adjacent swing. "Clouds are approximately 6,000 feet above ground level. This swing's arc is perhaps 10 feet at maximum."

I laughed. "You're absolutely right, Professor Maxim. My mistake."

That was the thing about these kids—they were wickedly smart, always catching me off guard with their observations and vocabulary. Maya said they had been reading since they were three.

"Can we go on the roller coaster next?" Lina asked as her swing slowed.

"The Dragon Tail? Are you sure you're tall enough?"

Maxim jumped off his swing with athletic grace. "We measured ourselves against the height chart on the website. We're exactly two centimeters above the minimum requirement."

"Well, if you did the math, who am I to argue?"

They exchanged a triumphant high-five and raced ahead of me toward the roller coaster. I followed, marveling at their boundless energy.

After conquering the Dragon Tail (which, I must admit, made my stomach lurch more than theirs), we moved on to the Ferris wheel. As our cabin rose slowly into the sky, offering a panoramic view of St. Petersburg, the twins grew unusually quiet.

"What's on your minds, troublemakers?" I asked.

Lina and Maxim exchanged one of their telepathic twin looks.

"Andrei," Lina began carefully, "we've been talking."

"About Mom," Maxim added.

I felt my pulse quicken. This wasn't the first time they'd broached this subject. "What about her?"

"She likes you," Lina stated with the confidence of someone declaring the sky is blue.

"And you like her," Maxim continued. "A lot."

"We want you to be our dad," Lina concluded.

I swallowed hard, caught between amusement and a deep, aching want. "It's not that simple, guys."

"Why not?" Maxim challenged. "You're already with us all the time."

"And you can make Mom laugh," Lina pointed out. "She doesn't laugh like that with anyone else."

"And you know how to fix things when they break," Maxim added, as if this was the ultimate qualification for fatherhood.

"Plus," Lina said, lowering her voice to a conspiratorial whisper, "we've decided we like you enough to share Mom with you."

Their earnestness nearly broke my heart. "I'm honored," I told them honestly. "But your mom needs to make that decision herself."

"She's scared," Maxim said with surprising insight. "Because of our real dad."

"He hurt her," Lina added, her small face suddenly serious. "Made her sad."

I treaded carefully here, respecting Maya's privacy. "Sometimes grown-ups need time to heal before they're ready to trust again."

"But it's been forever," Lina groaned.

I sighed, looking out at the cityscape spread below us. The truth was, for all their optimism, I wasn't sure Maya would ever see me as more than a friend.

"Can I tell you something?" I said quietly. "I don't think your mom likes me the way I like her."

The twins stared at me, identical expressions of disbelief on their faces.

"That's not true," Maxim said firmly.

"She looks at you when you're not watching," Lina insisted. "I've seen her."

"And she keeps the flowers you give her until they're completely dead," Maxim added.

"She even wears that bracelet you gave her for Christmas every day," Lina pointed out.

I smiled sadly. "Those are nice things friends do for each other."

"But she gets nervous around you sometimes," Maxim argued. "Her cheeks get pink."

"And she fixed her hair four times before you came over for dinner last week," Lina said triumphantly. "I counted."

Their observations were touching, but I knew Maya better than they realized. "Your mom has built walls around her heart," I explained gently. "Very strong walls. I don't think she wants to let anyone in."

The twins exchanged another of their mysterious looks.

"We'll help," Maxim decided, his expression serious.

"Get Mom to Marry Andrei is officially launched," Lina declared, her eyes sparkling with determination.

I laughed despite myself. "Maybe hold off on that operation for now, okay?"

But they were already planning, whispering strategies as the Ferris wheel completed its rotation. Their scheming continued through ice cream and the dinosaur exhibit, snippets of their plot reaching my ears.

"We could accidentally lock them in the storage closet..." "Maybe if we pretend to be sick, and only Andrei can help..." "What if we set up a romantic dinner and then just... disappear?"

I let them plan, finding their enthusiasm both amusing and touching. They truly wanted me in their lives, and that alone warmed my heart, even if Maya never saw me as more than her children's favorite babysitter.

After lunch at their favorite pizza place, we headed to the shopping mall. Maya's birthday was coming up, and the twins were determined to find her the perfect gift.

"It has to be something she'll love," Lina insisted as we browsed through boutiques.

"And something she wouldn't buy for herself," Maxim added wisely.

"What about jewelry?" I suggested. "She designs it, but rarely wears much herself."

The twins shook their heads in perfect unison.

"She says she looks at jewelry all day," Maxim explained.

"It has to be special," Lina emphasized. "Something that makes her smile every time she sees it."

We ended up in an upscale women's clothing store, where the twins approached their gift selection with the seriousness of art critics at an exhibition. I excused myself to use the restroom, leaving them debating between two dresses.

When I returned, I was surprised to find them engaged in what appeared to be a standoff with a couple—a tall, imposing man and a blonde woman who looked vaguely familiar from fashion magazines or movie premieres.

The man had an unsettling presence, radiating power and authority even in casual clothes. But what really caught my attention was his resemblance to Maxim—or rather, Maxim's resemblance to him. They had the same jawline, the same penetrating gaze, even the same way of standing.

An uncomfortable suspicion formed in my mind. I'd never pressed Maya about the twins' father. She made it clear early in our friendship that the topic was off-limits. All I knew was that he was someone powerful.

Could this be him? The jerk who broke Maya's heart.

I approached quickly, forcing a casual smile. "Lina, Maxim, have you chosen? Your mom said she had finished her meeting and is waiting for us outside. "

"Yes! Oh,Mom is coming. That’s great." Maxim held up a green dress triumphantly.

I nodded. "Then let me pay for it."

After paying, I ushered the twins toward the exit. As we stepped through the doorway, I glanced back one last time and caught the man still watching us, his brow furrowed in concentration. A chill ran down my spine.

As we melted into the crowd of pedestrians, I could still sense the man's gaze following us. Upon turning around, I discovered his eyes were fixed intently on Maya. An overwhelming sense of foreboding came over me. I placed my hand upon Maya's shoulder, exhibiting an intimate demeanor, while gesturing for Maya, who was cradling Lina, to walk ahead of me.