Reclaimed By My Alpha (Natalia and Andrei) novel Chapter 153

Chapter 153

Natalia & Andrei

Natalia

“So where do you two want to go today?” Damon asked, ruffling Jane’s hair. “Uncle Andrei-” His voice tightened slightly, but he maintained his smile- “is coming to spend time with us.”

Jane’s face lit up immediately. “Can we go to Wonderland Park? Please, please, please?”

The amusement park. Of course. I should have expected that, I thought with a smile as I sipped my coffee. The twins had always loved that park, and it was a good place to let Andrei meet them–officially–for the first time. It was public enough to at least feel safe.

Max, predictably, just shrugged and pushed his scrambled eggs around his plate. “I guess.”

Max, for his part, had been wary about meeting Andrei. Jane had insisted so much that he had finally given in, but he wasn’t happy about it. I assured him that it would just be this one time, and if he still felt uncomfortable being around Andrei, then he wouldn’t have to see him again.

But deep down, a part of me couldn’t help but feel happy that Andrei was going to spend time with the twins. That part, of course, was the same part that was naive enough to think that the note Mila had found had just been a big mistake.

We wouldn’t know for certain until she did some more digging for us. So for now, Andrei was “Uncle Andrei”.

Andrei arrived at ten o’clock sharp, looking surprisingly casual in jeans and a dark green t–shirt. I was used to seeing him in leathers or formal suits. This version of him caught me off guard.

“Ready for some rides?” he asked the twins, crouching down to their eye level.

Jane immediately bounced over to him. “Are you going to ride the Ferris wheel with us?”

“Absolutely,” he said without hesitation. “I might even try the roller coaster if you’re brave enough.”

Max hung back behind me, eyeing Andrei warily. I placed a protective hand on his shoulder.

“Max takes a while to warm up to people,” I said quietly.

Andrei nodded. “That’s okay. We have all day.” His understanding took me by surprise, but it was a welcome one. Even Max seemed to relax a little.

The drive to the amusement park took about thirty minutes Jane chattered nonstop about all the rides she wanted to try, while Max stared out the window in silence. I sat in the passenger seat, hyperaware of Andrei following behind us in his car, wondering if I had made a mistake.

But spending a family day together, not having to hide the twins… It felt nice. At the very least, it was the first step in making up the weeks we’d spent apart to Max and Jane. I was glad to not have to hide them away anymore, even if everything felt precarious.

The amusement was packed with families enjoying the weekend. The smell of funnel cake and cotton candy filled the air, mixed with the sounds of children laughing and carnival music.

“Where to first?” Andrei asked as we passed through the entrance gates.

“Games!” Jane said, pointing toward a row of carnival booths. “I want to win a stuffed animal!”

We spent the first hour at the game booths, and I was stunned by how patient Andrei was. He helped Jane aim at the ring toss, cheered when she knocked down three bottles with a baseball, and even convinced the booth

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Chapter 153

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operator to let her pick a larger prize than she’d technically earned.

“Here,” he said, handing her a massive purple unicorn. “For my favorite… niece.”

Jane giggled and took the unicorn, squeezing it tightly. I exchanged a look with Damon. Niece. How long, would they have to believe that lie for? Forever? I didn’t want to think about it. 1

Max, meanwhile, remained firmly attached to my side. Every time Andrei tried to engage him, Max would just grunt or give one–word answers.

“How about the carousel?” Andrei suggested after we’d exhausted the games.

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