“He’s been through a lot tonight,” she informed the large hockey player. “He can cry if he wants to.”
“It is not Russian way to cry so many tears.” He frowned down at Pavel. “I see Fedya did not teach you to be man in all things. This is something I will correct.”
What. The. Hell.
“Are you kidding me with this man BS?” she hissed at Nikolai. “He’s been through more in four days than most kids go through in a lifetime! You might want to cut him a little slack.”
Something ticked in Nikolai’s jaw, but to his credit he abandoned the subject of his eight-year-old nephew’s masculinity… in favor of the subject of her guardianship.
“This should not have happened. You did not keep him safe.”
Pavel stiffened inside Sam’s embrace and pulled away from her so he could address his uncle. “Mama was only trying to protect me. You can’t be mad at her.”
A new tension entered the air and Nikolai’s eyes turned to her. “Why he is calling you mama?” he asked.
Okay, and now she was embarrassed on top of feeling defensive.
“Because… Well, I’m not exactly sure, but it’s one of the things I definitely plan to address as we progress with his healing. You see I’ve been counseling Pavel in the aftermath of this traumatic event and—”
Nikolai cut her off with a dismissive sound. “You Americans and your therapy.”
Sam came to her feet then, no longer able to keep herself from fully confronting this asshole. “So what? You want him to stay traumatized?” she asked him.
“I want him to be safe!” Nikolai roared, coming toward her with his finger pointed down at the ground. “Do you know what could have happened to both of you if I not come here?”
“It’s not her fault, Uncle!” Pavel insisted, coming forward to get in between Sam and Nikolai. “Don’t yell at her!”
“It’s okay, sweetie,” Sam said to Pavel, her heart beating faster as all the alternative scenarios of how this night could have ended unfolded inside her head. Both her and Pavel dead. No one to take care of Back Up. He was right. If he hadn’t come here…
An icy wind blew through their haphazard triangle and Sam shivered.
“Your uncle’s just upset. As anyone would be if…” she trailed off, trying and failing to come up with some kind of silver lining for the situation. “But it’s okay now.”
Sam must not have been very convincing, though, because Back Up pushed her face into Sam’s legs, as she often did when she sensed Sam was troubled and might need a cuddle session with her favorite bullie.
“It’s okay,” she said, bending down to stroke Back Up’s short coat. “We’re all okay.”
Nikolai regarded her with those cold, green eyes. “My nephew will not stay here. You cannot keep him safe. Now he will come with me.”
“No! I want to stay here with Mama!” Pavel screeched. “And Back Up. I can’t go with you. I have to stay with Mama! I can’t...”
As much as Pavel seemed to relish having his favorite hockey player turn out to be his uncle, he now seemed on the verge of hyperventilating at the thought of being taken away from his new home.
His rising panic diverted all of Sam’s attention away from Nikolai and back to the little boy. She squatted down in front of him, looking directly into his stricken eyes.
“It’s okay, sweetie. It’s okay. Just breathe. Match what I’m doing.” She breathed deep, in and out through her nose. “Match my breath, honey. You can do it.”
The boy did as she said, his breaths coming out short and too fast. But eventually they slowed and deepened, the panic fading from his expression. Which Back Up took as an invitation to trot forward and begin licking the tears off his face.
“Back Up!” Pavel exclaimed with a laughing screech. “No, don’t lick me. Now isn’t the time for licking. Tell her, Mama.”
Sam shook her finger at her overly affectionate bullie. “You heard him. Back off, Back Up.”
Back Up whimpered, but her words sent Pavel into a fit of giggles, making him look his very young age.
“Back off, Back Up,” he repeated, appreciating the goofy word play in a way that only a child could.
She glanced at the hockey player who looked more than a little confused now, like he didn’t quite know what to make of the scene or how to handle it.
“You name dog Back Up. What sort of name is this?” he asked her.
Sam shook her head at him, truly disappointed. “You haven’t seen Veronica Mars either?!?! No wonder it got cancelled too soon.”
More confused looks, then Nikolai’s mouth drew back into an impatient sneer. “Pack his bag,” he snarled at her. “He will come with me.”
“No!” Pavel cried out. He clung to Sam’s neck. “Tell him he can’t take me from you, Mama!”
Sam took his hands before he could start panicking again. “Do you trust me?” she asked the little boy.
“But—” Pavel started.
“Pavel, it’s a yes or no question,” she said. “Do you trust me? Yes or no?”
A frown quivered on Pavel’s lips but nonetheless he answered, “Yes.”
Right answer. She gave him a reassuring smile and said, “Okay, good. Then stand by my side while I talk with your uncle.”
“Okay,” Pavel said, his voice still watery with tears.
This time when she stood up to talk to Nikolai Rustanov, she kept her arm around Pavel’s shoulder and she didn’t let the dark scowl on his outrageously handsome face intimidate her. Pavel needed her and there was no way she was going to let him go home with a man who thought it was unmanly for a boy who just lost his father and had come close to being killed just a few minutes ago to cry.
To his credit, Pavel stayed quiet this time, burying his face in her waist.
As if to affirm her assessment of him, Nikolai said to Pavel. “Get your face out of her waist, boy. You are too old to hide in woman. I have much to teach you.” He said this with a sneer, like the sooner he got Pavel away from her, the better.
To Sam’s surprise, Pavel actually did as he said, standing up straight beside her like a soldier.
The whole situation made her want to cuss Nikolai out for being an insensitive bastard. But instead, she kept her hand on Pavel’s shoulder, letting him know he could lean on her whenever he needed.