Total pages in book: 49
Estimated words: 47716 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 239(@200wpm)___ 191(@250wpm)___ 159(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 47716 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 239(@200wpm)___ 191(@250wpm)___ 159(@300wpm)
Viviana huffed, arms crossing over her chest. “Stop laughing, Anton, or I swear to God you’ll sleep on the couch for the next week.”
Anton sobered instantly, glancing down at his pretty little mischief maker with her jet black curls and brown eyes. “Ana, shit is a bad word.”
“Anton!”
“Sorry. That word is a bad word and we don’t say that word, princess. Okay?”
“Okay. Ya tozhe tyebya lyublyu, Papa.”
Anton smiled. “I love you, too. Now, go play.” Once Ana was out of sight, he turned to Viviana and asked, “Did she not notice Rocco was gone when she got home?”
“She did, but she’s easily distracted, unlike your son. Speaking of which, where is Rocco? Because I know you didn’t send him off to be cremated.”
Anton shook his head, eyeing his wife. The woman knew him so damn well. “Demyan begged me. What the fuck was I going to do, break his heart? I bet he would’ve had bad dreams for weeks after just thinking about the poor dog in the incinerator. I’m not a complete monster.”
Viviana smiled, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “How proud of him are you right now?”
Without a doubt, Anton was bursting with pride for Demyan. It’d been one hell of a day. The boy, without fuss or argument, had willing let his father put his animal to sleep because he understood it was better for Rocco. Demyan was not a selfish child who thought his wants and happiness were more important than a sick and suffering animal’s. Beyond that, he had his morals and stuck to them, so Anton couldn’t refute or refuse the kid.
“Very proud,” Anton admitted to his wife. “Sometimes I think he doesn’t hear a thing I say to him, and then there are times like today when he knocks me flat on my ass.”
“And Rocco?”
Anton pulled Viviana into his side, burying his face into her silky hair so he could forget about the rest of the world for a minute. “Easy for him, I think. But me? It was terrible, Vine. He just ... closed his eyes and that was it. I know Rocco didn’t feel pain and he went seeing my face, but it was so fucking hard for me. Worse than I expected, honestly.”
“It was best for him, Anton. You said it yourself. Where is he?”
Sighing, Anton stood straight again. “In the back of the SUV wrapped up in a blanket. They wanted me to put him in some kind of clear garbage bag thing for sanitary reasons. Fuck that shit. He’s not sitting in a trash bag. I have to figure out something—”
Two of Viviana’s fingers pressed to Anton’s mouth, shutting him up. “Just take him out back, Anton. And please let Demyan do whatever it is he needs to do. I tried talking to him, but he mostly ignored me. I can understand why, of course. Cut him some slack for tonight, huh?”
“What do you mean, ignored you?”
Viviana shrugged. “He had to do it his way, so I let him. Just ... go out to the backyard. And Ivan’s out there, too.”
“Why is Ivan here?”
“Demyan needed someone to supervise him while you were finishing up the paperwork at the vet. He also needed a shovel, something you don’t have, but Ivan did.”
“I’m the boss, Vine. I’m not the man who digs the hole if it’s needed,” Anton said quietly.
“Well, apparently your son is.”
*
Anton found Ivan sitting on the back steps. It had taken the two men a good couple of years to regain the solid foundation that had one been their friendship built on trust and faith alone. Anton was grateful for his friend, and he harbored no resentment over years past. But it took a hell of a lot to get there for both men.
Demyan, out in the backyard by his mother’s favorite rose bed, sat on the edge of what looked to be a small grave. He’d dug it out pretty deep, considering his legs were resting inside the hole as he stared down into it.
It must have taken him a little while to get it done, and he had the small mound of dirt ready to go and covered with a small blue sheet. All over again, that heavy painful sensation pressed down on Anton’s shoulders while his sadness doubled. It was going to be a long night.
And tomorrow? Tomorrow was going to be so different without Rocco.
“Isn’t it illegal for me to bury my dog on any property in Oceana?” Anton asked. “How am I supposed to tell him we can’t bury him here?”
“Bylaws are complete bullshit,” Ivan said when Anton sat down beside him. “That bylaw came into effect after your home was purchased. If you didn’t own the land your house rested on, it would be a different story. When Nicoli purchased this house, the owners had full possession of the land it rested on as well, and it too was transferred over into your name. The house was here before Oceana was ever a gated community. Most places around here only own the home sitting on the land. Sure, someone could try to kick up a fuss, but it’s a loophole we’ll use if they do. And they can shove the loophole right up their asses while they’re at it.”