Cameron sat next to his dad and stretched his arms, and immediately Rose came bumbling onto his lap sniffing at the bag full of the bakery stuff. Her little tail wagged wildly as Cameron laughed and pulled out a bit of a sweet and gave it to her.
Ava moves the bag to the crook of her arm in favor of scooping Kreja up like a baby. “You’re a momma’s boy, aren’t you?” Pressing a few kisses to his face, she realizes how crazy it is that she missed the dogs so much and she was only gone for a little while. She heads into the living room and sits on the couch, still cradling her pup.
Cameron chuckled at her, relaxing as Zore hopped up on his lap too, sniffing for her own little piece of sweet. He gave her a small bit and snuggled his pair of pups, smiling.
"You guys are so cute," He cooed softly, stroking their heads and gently kissing their noses.
Ava smiles at the puppies, shifting Kreja around so she can have a free hand. “Look what we got you.” Pulling out the toys from the bag, she passed them out to the dogs. She yelps when Kreja launches himself off of her lap and grabs the toy. “So rude.” With a roll of her eyes, she snatches the toy from him and tosses it across the room. “Hey, can we talk now?” She asks Cameron quietly.
Cameron pulled out the puppies' toys and tossed them for them to catch, watching Rose fling after the squirrel and sniff at it, as Zore meandered over close to the third toy. He glanced at her when she whispered to him and nodded, standing up and going upstairs, excusing himself with the excuse of dropping off his boots, which he still needed to do.
Ava watches the puppies for a moment longer before she stands up, putting the bag back on her arm. With a quiet sigh, she heads up the stairs and enters the bedroom. “So I um….I got an email earlier…..from my father,” She begins, chewing nervously on her lower lip.
Cameron sat on his bed and untied his boots, pulling on the laces to loosen them up so he could get them off. By the time she joined him, he had them off.
"An email? What about?" He prompted gently, his eyes carefully emotionless.
“He’s going to retire once the babies are born.” Ava decides to just spit it out. It came as a big surprise since she knows that he hadn’t wanted to retire for several more years. This means that she’s stuck taking over whether she wants to or not. She’s not looking forward to this in the slightest. It’s a lot more work and it’s a lot more dangerous.
"Shiiiit…" Cameron drawled, standing up slowly. "We can't take it over, Ava. We're in a whole different country! We're wanted criminals." He also didn't want Ava going deeper into this type of dangerous work. He was worried enough about her.
“Yeah, my point exactly.” Ava brushes a few strands of hair out of her face with a sigh. “There’s really not much I can do about it but I’m trying to talk him out of it.” It’s not like she wants to do this but she has no choice. “He gets what he wants when the twins are born. One to take over the company and one to take over everything else. Those kids are his safety net which means he can retire and relax while Chris and I take over.”
Cameron sighed and rubbed his face. "Of course they are." The only person in her family that he disliked was her father. He was so cynical. And the first thing he said to Cameron was, "He'll be good for the business.". As though he were some type of object to Ava, which he wasn't. He hated her father, and he just didn't want to tell her.
“I’m really hoping that he’ll come to his senses and figure out that this is a horrible idea.” Ava isn’t stupid, she knows that everything her father does is perfectly thought out so the chances of him backing down are low. They’re screwed. “There’s a chance that my father is going to be randomly sending a jet to collect me in the next few months.”
Cameron rubbed his face with a low noise, shaking his head. This whole thing felt like a giant dream shifting between nightmare, good, and nightmare again. He had just got here with her, to his childhood again to try and make this new life, and her father just sauntered in and told her she was coming back.
"I can't go with you." He shook his head in his hands.
Ava bites down on her inner cheek and nods her head. “Yeah, I figured as much.” The last thing she wants to do is leave him but she doesn’t have much say in the matter. She glances down at the ground. “This really sucks but I don’t know what else to do.” She can try talking to him all she wants but she can’t make him change his mind if he’s dead set on it.
Cameron sat up again, biting his own lip and crossing his arms. He still wanted to be with her, but if she was going to be hours and hours away from him, he didn't want her to leave. He desperately wanted to go back with her, but something smarter snapped at him to stay.
"I can watch the dogs. And… and just do other stuff here."
Ava runs her hand down the side of her face. It just won’t be the same and she knows it. She doesn’t want to leave him. Just thinking about this is causing her stomach to knot up. “I…..I need some air,” She murmurs, needing a few minutes to clear her head.
Cameron nodded and buried his face back into his hands. He didn't know what to think. He knew that she wouldn't leave her brother to do all of the work, but they were trying to make this new life for each other. To actually form a legit relationship that is close to a… marriage.
He jerked his head up out of his hands, an idea slapping him across the face.
Ava slips out of the room and heads downstairs. Without grabbing her coat, she exits the house. She’s so wrapped up in her thoughts that she doesn’t even notice the chill. The move to Russia was supposed to be the start of something great but that dream is crumbling down around her. She sighs and wraps her arms around herself. For once, she would love it if things could just go according to plan.
Was he honestly sure that her dad was this really overpowering masculine figure? Well, probably, honestly. But he wasn't sure how he'd react to him literally forbidding her to go because he proposed to her. He was unsure if Ava would want to get married, but fuck it, Cameron could give it a try. It would make things a bit easier and save Ava a lot of time here with him.
He thundered down the steps and outside to where she was, taking off his coat to wrap around her as he thudded out to her standing in the snow.
"Ava, I had an idea!"
This is a disaster. Her father is really screwing everything up. It would be so wonderful if he could just butt out of her life for more than a few months. The sound of Cameon shouting causes her to nearly jump out of her skin. She was so lost in her thoughts that she hadn’t heard him until he called her name. Turning, she frowns slightly. The fact that he’s this wound up about his idea has her a little worried. “What’s your idea?” If it means her not having to take over the Kosci than she’s willing to try almost anything.
He wrapped his arms around her with his thick fleece jacket, hugging her close. "It might sound a little far-fetched, and honestly I'm not prepared at all, but… we can get married," He gently suggested to her. "And before you explode telling me how bad of an idea that is, I got to thinking about how your dad is. He's someone who is super… well… let's say classic. He believes the man has the upper hand in a marriage. And not because I believe it, but because I'd rather use that against him." He sounded breathless and nervous, but willing to try anything to keep her here.
With a quiet sigh, she snuggling up against him, happy with the hug. She sharply looks up at him, surprised. “What?” Is she delusional or is he seriously suggesting that they get married? After a moment, she decides that he’s actually serious about this. She about two seconds away from asking what the hell has gotten into him when she realizes that he actually has a good point. As she tries to figure out an answer, her mouth opens and closes several times. It honestly could work. “Okay, let’s get married.”
"And you could just– really?" He asked softly as she interrupted him. He smiled a little and leaned his head against hers again. "I know we've only been together for a couple of years, but… I just really want you to stay here. I'll be willing to spend any type of money, do anything in the world. I love you, Ava," He murmured softly, leaning his head down to gently kiss her cheek. "Thank you for understanding. I wanted to propose a lot later than now, so I don't have a ring, but you and I can look for one on our trip to the Black Sea. We can find you a nice one to wear… and just… just be engaged and happy together."
“Really,” She confirms with a nervous smile. “I love you too.” Looking up at him, she studies his face. Marriage isn’t something she ever expected. “Cameron, I don’t need a ring, I just want to be with you.” The fact that he was planning on proposing at all surprises her even more. Today has been a whirlwind of craziness and she’s not even sure that she’s fully processing all of it. For the moment, she’s just focusing on the fact that she can stay now. Her father does believe in more traditional roles in marriage so they may actually be able to pull this off. She’s going to hold onto that one strand of hope.
Cameron squeezed her hand gently. "I think it's good to have one anyway. We need to be 100% foolproof," He murmured to her, pressing more kisses to her cheeks. "Besides, I'd like it if we at least had rings. We don't need a full wedding or anything," He assured her. He had his stress with weddings once in his life, and that was enough.