“Self-sabotage,” Alyx declared half an hour later. They were at the Grachyovs’ garden, enjoying juice in porcelain teacups and a tiered-tray filled with an assortment of sweets that would have made the Duchess of Cambridge proud. Fredericka had tried asking for tea, but since that was bad for her, this was the next best thing.

“It’s a defense mechanism,” Alyx continued, “brought about by feelings of insecurity and fear. You’ve lived all your life alone and afraid of commitment, and now that you are in a relationship---”

“I am?”

“Yes, you are, don’t bother denying it.”

“But I didn’t take his ring.”

“It’s just a matter of time, and we both know that, too, so stop lying to yourself. Let’s get back to the real issue at hand, and that’s you about to do something stupid and crazy so you could justify your paranoia.”

“You sound like a shrink,” Fredericka accused.

Alyx popped a macaroon into her mouth, saying, “That’s because I am. I minored in psychology, remember?” Her eyes closed as she savored the mouthwatering taste of the Grachyovs’ home-baked macaroons. Jesus Christ, these were so ridiculously yummy, it was a good thing she didn’t live here or she’d end up gaining a thousand pounds.

When she opened her eyes, it was to see that her cousin was nibbling depressingly on a scone, and Alyx sighed. “You have a really great thing going here and you know it. Don’t let your paranoia – and the past – win. Only an idiot does that, and you didn’t survive this long by being an idiot.”

Fredericka shook her head with a wry smile. “You really have a unique way of words, Alyx.”

“As long as I make sense, you have no reason to complain.”

“True.” She sighed. “And I know you’re right.” Fredericka squared her shoulders. “So no more thoughts about leaving.” For now, she added silently.

Alyx’s gaze narrowed at her cousin’s face, thinking pregnancy has completely lowered Fredericka’s defenses. She was ridiculously easy to read now, and she saw that Fredericka was still entertaining thoughts of leaving.

I’ll text Sergei about it and then it’s up to him, Alyx decided. But for now, she decided to change the subject, asking, “Have you seen the Beasts article?”

Fredericka flushed. “Yes, and I’m so sorry.” Some anonymous entrepreneurial tabloid writer had written an article titled Fredericka Spears’ Six Degrees of Beasts, and the humorous piece had gone viral as soon as it went live. The article showed how all six “beasts” were related to Fredericka, and the list included Sergei Grachyov, the Russian Beast, as the father of her unborn child, Marco Ravelli – the Italian Beast – because he was married to her friend Anneke, Jeremy Al Rashid – the Arabian Beast – because he was Sergei’s business partner, Nathan – the Greek Beast – because he was going out with Alyx, her cousin, and finally Christien – the French Beast – because he recently ended up being her client.

In the article, ‘beast’ was a reference to how they were insatiable animals in the bedroom, as disclosed by their ex-girlfriends. In Sergei’s part, it had been Elsa Nilsson, a Swedish YouTube sensation who had met Sergei when they were both in college. Although the two had only been together on and off for a year, it was still the longest relationship that the billionaire was known to have.

“I’m not bothered by it,” Alyx dismissed. “What I’m worried about is that it could affect your pregnancy. You’re not supposed to get upset, right?”

“I’m not upset. So far.”

“So far?”

“As long as I don’t see her in person, I can pretend she doesn’t exist.” Fredericka grimaced. “Pathetic, right?”

“Just remember you’re the one Sergei wants to marry. That makes you winner by knockout.”

Alyx’s words surprised a laugh out of her. “It’s not a competition, Alyx.” Shaking her head, she asked, “What about you? How are things between you and Nathan?”

“So-so.”

It wasn’t like Alyx to be anything but blunt, and Fredericka gazed at her cousin in concern. “What’s wrong, Alyx?”

Her cousin popped two scones into her mouth.

Okay, something was definitely wrong. “You still haven’t told Nathan then?”

“About you know who?”

Fredericka nodded.

“No. I haven’t.” Alyx took a deep breath. “He just thinks I’m a bitch to him because I’m wired that way.”

“Oh, Alyx. Do you really love that man?”

“Nathan’s a huge help in making me forget,” Alyx admitted, “but I’m…terrified. What if it’s not enough?”

Fredericka impulsively reached for her cousin’s hand to give it a comforting squeeze. “You haven’t done anything wrong, Alyx.”

Alyx bit her lip hard. “I just…I just don’t get it. Why did this have to happen?” Anguish darkened her gaze. “It’s so stupid, and you know how much I hate being stupid, but I’m the idiot in this case. I’m the idiot because I still fell for him when he was hers from the very start.”

Pulling her hand away, Alyx wiped her teary eyes furiously. “I even hated him at first, but somehow, it just happened. The more time I spent with him…I just…” Her chest rose as she dragged oxygen into her lungs. “Can I ask you something?”

“Anything,” Fredericka stressed, wanting to help her cousin in any way.

Alyx swallowed. “Would you…would you want to know about how I felt – if you were her?”

Ah. Fredericka said quietly, “No.” She thought about Alyx being secretly in love with Sergei and knew it would hurt too much, even if she could understand that Alyx hadn’t meant to fall for him. “I wouldn’t want to know, and especially if you don’t plan to let anything happen beyond…beyond loving him from afar.”

Alyx smiled shakily at her. “Thanks, Freddie. I needed to hear that.”

“But that’s just me,” Fredericka cautioned gently. “It could be she’d choose differently.”

When Sergei returned home long past dinner, it was to find Fredericka curled up in the armchair in her study, a lost, pensive look on her face as she stared at the darkness outside the window.

Frowning, the billionaire swiftly made his way to her, and hearing his footsteps, she turned to him, a smile slowly forming on her lips.

He crouched down in front of her. “Everything okay?” He pressed a protective hand on her bump just before reaching to cup her face. In a rare gesture of dependence, she turned her face to his palm, her eyes closing, and Sergei’s frown deepened. “Something is wrong.”

“It’s nothing.”

He swept her off the chair so he could take a seat instead and place her on his lap. She immediately curled up against him, and his arms around her tightened. “Is it about living here?” It was, in truth, his greatest fear, that she would not appreciate living with the rest of his family. And if she didn’t, he knew she had a right to feel that way, just as he knew that if she chose to leave, he would leave with her.

She raised her head, making a face at him. “Stop worrying about that, seriously,” she chided him gently. “I know you’re thinking I could be like other women, wanting a house of my own, but that’s never been my dream.” She traced his lips, whispering, “I didn’t even know what my dream was until you showed it to me.”

“Am I your dream then?” he asked lazily.

“God, you’re so cocky.” But the way she was staring at him told the billionaire that she loved him that way. “My dream is to have a family again, and you gave me that by sharing your family with me. So for the last time, please stop worrying. I love it here. I would love it if we could all live together forever.” She paused. “There’s also the added bonus of seeing how unbearably cute you are when you’re doting on Seri. It just makes me want to steal her away from you so I can make you cry.”

“Pregnancy,” the billionaire said mildly, “has made you remarkably weird.”

Fredericka laughed.

“You still haven’t told me why you looked so sad.”

“It’s Alyx,” she said. “That’s all I can really say.”

Ah. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

She laid her head back on his chest. “If you ever end up falling for someone else---”

“It will never happen,” he interrupted flatly.

“But if it does,” she insisted, “but you also think it’s just a passing thing, then…don’t tell me, okay? Just let it pass and then come back to me.”

“Is this about the Beasts article?”

She asked in a small voice, “You know about that?”

“It broke the Internet, pchelka,” the billionaire said dryly. “It would be impossible for me not to know it when the article’s considered more viral than a woman’s naked butt.”

“Are you still seeing Elsa Nilsson?” she blurted out.

“No.”

“What about Madeline Carter? Or any other woman that---”

“If that’s a serious question,” he said easily, “then I just might strangle you.”

She laughed.

“Or I can just take that little box out---”

She gasped.

“And make your heart jump in terror because if you see me go on bended knee, you know I’ll just make you swoon and I’ll have my family record every damn second---”

She wrapped her arms around him, laughing harder even as her heart tried hammering a hole out of her chest. “Shut up.” Her voice was muffled against his neck. “I hate it, you know.” She hugged him more tightly. “I hate it that so many women know your body, and I hate it that they’re all prettier than I am.”

“They’re not.”

“Liar.”

“I’m not lying, pchelka.” His voice was matter-of-fact. “You are the only woman who turns me on. Does that not make you the only beautiful woman in my eyes as well?”

She pulled away, sniffing, “Oh, Sergei.”

He smiled at her. “Do you think I can propose to you now?”

She quickly hugged him again, hiding her expression from his gaze. “No.” He always asked this question every night, and it hurt that always had to turn him down. Swallowing, she added haltingly, “Or at least…not just yet.” Fredericka squeezed her eyes shut. Please God, please, please, please help me trust him.