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***Alexei's POV***

"Let's go." Sebastain is pulling me out of the car. I am irritated. This doesn't have to be this way.

"Why are you rushing? We have all fucking day." I grumble. I wanted to relax. That was the whole point of this shit.

"Because we are going to be late. I let you have your fun. Now, come on." Sebastain attempts to reign me in, dragging me toward the entrance to the spa.

"Let me have my fun? He's my fiancé for fuck's sake." I remind my best friend. I don't have to ask permission to bed him.

"Yeah, and in a few days, he will be your husband. Doesn't mean you had to fuck him in the shower, on the bed while you were headed to the closet and while you were in the damn closet. You're an adult. Get your hormones in check." Mark is on his husband's side. Go figure.

"He was going to be away from me for over an hour! I can't help it. He is so damn sexy." I adjust myself, thinking of the way Gavin looked pressed against the closet door. It was amazing.

"DADDY!" Gavin runs, landing in my arms. He had to get his nails done while I was busy getting my suit fitted.

"Let me see, Baby!" I grab his hands, staring at the beautifully painted acrylics. They are perfect. He is stunning.

"Where is your ring?" I ask. It's hard not to notice when millions of dollars are not perched on his petite finger.

"Mak is holding it. He said not to wear it in the water." Gavin points to his best friend. Mak lifts the ring showing it to me before he puts it in the locker for safe keeping.

"Good job, Love." I give him a kiss because I missed him. He was away for over an hour. It was hell.

"Come on, we are booked in the steam room." Grey nudges my arm, pulling me toward his husband and the girls.

"Angela have Cara?" I ask Mak. He smiles, nodding before releasing a breath.

"Thank God. I needed a day of rest." Mak makes exhaustion look like a full-time job as he slumps against Grey.

We follow the leader toward the room that has been booked for our party. Separating into small groups, we all change into towels. I carry Gavin to the table with our names on it, placing him face down before laying down beside him.

"Couples massages. I am so into this." Mark groans. I roll my eyes. He is such a princess.

"Not everyone is in a relationship!" Stephanie screams from across the steaming pool in our front view. I laugh. So much for relaxing. I don't know what I expected with this bunch.

Stephanie and Gail came down at the beginning of the week. They have been staying at The Pierre. It's close enough that Gavin has been with them until the wee hours of the morning when I drag him home, practically falling asleep in my arms before we get in the door.

"Some of us don't even have prospects." Tatyana cries out. I feel bad for them. Being in love is the fucking best!

"I said we were hitting the club later. It might bring you something magical." Gavin is trying his best to set these girls up with somebody, anybody. Although, he has gathered more interest for himself and not so much for the girls. At first, it pissed me off.

Now I realize it's inevitable. My cherub is fucking incredible and people recognize that. They can't have him and that will be enough for me.

"If it's another gay club, I swear to God!" Gail threatens us. It didn't start off as a gay club last night. We sort of morphed it into one by bringing our group into the empty establishment.

"It's a karaoke bar sort of. Ish." I calm them down with my statement. We are giving it our best go. At least, I hope we are.

"Are we eating?" Kip groans. He is always worried about fucking food. Me too though, seriously I am famished.

"If we aren't, no one wants to deal with me." I warn everyone. Ever since I started running in the mornings, to make sure I was in my best shape for my honeymoon, I have been practically starving to death.

"Yes! We are eating. I am not an amateur." Martin pipes up putting all our worries to rest.

"Are we drinking?" It's Mario who chimes in making me chuckle. He is not usually the one to encourage our drinking.

"We are. I'm not an amateur!" Martin bellows again. The look of relief on Mario's face is comical. His current state reminds me of the days before his wedding.

"Why are you so worked up?" Gavin looks at our friend, worry shines in my love's eyes. Gav reaches his hand over, taking Mario's large wrist in Gav's petite fingers.

"I don't want anything to stand in the way of you two saying I Do. I am stressing enough for all of us." Mario responds. I laugh. Not happening. We are getting married whether we must do so in a damn morgue. It is happening.

"I promise. Everything will be spectacular. Please enjoy yourself." Gavin reassures Mario who looks instantly relieved. I smile at my kitten. He is stellar, absolutely divine.

"I love you." I whisper. I stare at him, allowing the man behind me to massage the knots out of my back while my focus stays trained on my entire world.

"I love you, Daddy!" Gavin winks at me, blowing me a kiss. I swear, I cannot wait to get him alone tonight. I have not gotten my fill of him. I know I never will.

"It's time to roll over." My masseuse informs me. I laugh.

"Maybe give me a sec." I offer. No one wants to see the state my cock is in right now. I am sporting Gavin's campsite at the moment.

"Daddy, you aren't supposed to be horny." Gavin giggles. He isn't helping the situation at all.

"You say that as you sit beside me looking like the rest of my life." I groan. Jesus, I can't turn myself off. Gavin keeps me hard. "Say something to make me deflate." I plead.

"No, thanks." Gavin smiles cheekily, declining. I know he loves how my body reacts to him.

For a little bit, I am just caught in my bubble of Gavin. I don't give two fucks what is going on around me. The world could burn for all I care. My kitten is captivating, entrancing as he holds my attention by just being in my presence.

"Alexei." My name is called. I barely pull my eyes away from my love, choosing to care nothing for whoever wants my attention.

"Daddy." Gavin whispers. I stare at him, smiling. He really is all that I need in this world.

"Lexi?" The name makes my skin crawl, dick instantly turning the consistency of wet clay. I turn over, sitting up with a hiss rolling off my lips.

"Lexi?" Gavin sits up, standing abruptly with a look of absolute astonishment falling over his features. I groan. Fucking perfect.

"Daddy, what is going on?" Gavin asks me. He looks between me and the man standing in front of me, growling when Logan places his hand on my forearm over my tattoo. I shake it off quickly, snatching Gavin into my side.

"Is this your son?" Logan questions me. I want to throw him into the fucking pool.

"I'm his fiancé. Who the fuck are you?" Gavin steps in front of me, pulling my arms around his chest possessively. I smirk. I like it.

"I'm his ex-fiancé." Logan lies. I let an expletive fall disgracefully from my lips. I will not have this asshat starting shit before my wedding.

"Alexei, what is going on? What is Logan doing here?" Mama comes to stand beside me, popping her hand over my wrist with a comforting touch.

"I'm trying to figure that out myself, Mama. You should enjoy your massage." I plead with her. I do not want my mother getting in the middle of this mess.

Unfortunately, a scene is starting to form. Everyone has stopped their relaxing massage, gathering around us in a circle. I wish I could disperse this congregation quicker than it began.

"I have been trying to get in touch with you." Logan informs me. That is news to me. I can't imagine what he might want to contact me about.

"I do not know what for." I breathe out. "You shouldn't be here." I interject.

"I feel like I will regret this if I don't say it." Logan wrings his fingers, staring at me directly. I feel like I will regret it if he does. Whatever the fuck it is, I don't want to hear it.

"By all means, let's not leave regret on the table." Gavin waves his hand out in front of him, giving Logan an opportunity to air out his information.

I laugh when Mak's hand comes through the crowd, pushing my baby's ring into Gavin's hand. Gavin slips the rock onto his ring finger, smiling at me as he fans his fingers out. I lift his hand, kissing his finger gently. I want Logan to see it.

"Can you hurry this along? We booked a private room for a reason." Mario grunts out. I agree. I think they need tighter security.

"Well, I own this spa so I don't think anyone could keep me out." Logan attempts to break the tension.

"Negative, ghost rider. Your father owns this spa. You work here. Not the same thing." Mak interrupts Logan's lie. I hide my chuckle, enjoying Mak's tenacity.

"Logan, please continue." I urge. I want to continue my day. I don't want my ex-boyfriend to ruin my pre-wedding plans.

"I made a mistake, Lexi. I was too young. I didn't realize what I wanted, needed. We were good together. I wanted to inform you that I have grown. I have not been able to move on because I cannot get you off my mind. So, I wanted to let you know that I am willing to give us a do-over if you want to think about that before you make a huge mistake." Logan confidently states his offer. I want to punch him in the fucking face. Seriously, I am plotting violence.

"Get the fuck off with that noise." Steph comes from behind me, curling her fists as she faces my ex. I feel amusement in this part of the situation.

"Two things." My kitten starts. He puts up two fingers. He is so fucking cute. I smile at him.

Pressing my palm against the small of Gavin's back, I push him forward to let him air out his grievance with this situation. He deserves a go.

"One. The only one who has made a mistake is you. Two mistakes if you count that bold embellishment of ownership. Alexei, not Lexi because he hates that, doesn't need you to offer him a moment of reflection on your relationship. We have generously donated our time discussing how you hid him away as if he was an embarrassment. Rest assured, you will see him again. He will be everywhere, next to me. Alexei will be loved loudly and proudly because that is what he deserves. I suggest you move along, move on and maybe find a way to reconcile your mistakes within yourself." My baby takes a breath.

Logan mistakes Gavin's breath for a reprieve. He opens his mouth, daring to say anything at all. I am about to correct his mistake.

"Two, because I warned you there were two. Alexei Carson belongs to me. Don't get it twisted, I will beat the fucking brakes off you if you attempt to ever contact him again." Gavin pulls me forward, kissing me until my head actually starts swimming from a lack of oxygen. I pick him up, letting him feel how fucking aroused I am over him. He is so damn sexy.

"I love you so damn much, My Joy." I whisper across his swollen lips. I kiss behind each of his ears, sucking against his tattoos to darken my permanent marks.

"I know you do, Daddy. I love you equally." My heart makes my world spin on its axis.

"If you two need a minute." My masseuse offers. I honestly couldn't do what needs to be done in a minute.

"I need a lifetime." I rebuttal. My kitten doesn't need to have his desires rushed.

"Lay down and relax Daddy. Reflect on the fact that he still wants you. Reflect on the fact that I will kill you if you give it a second thought." I chuckle as Gavin threatens me. He has nothing to worry about.

"How is he so damn sexy when he is offering to murder me?" I ask while I relax onto my back. Mario laughs, high-fiving me before laying back down beside Gav.

"All we need is Nic to come profess his love, again." Kip groans. I growl. I will drown him this time. Gavin can see me during conjugal visits.

"Let him." Gavin huffs out. He turns, facing his head toward me. "I will kick his ass too."

"Baby, all this violence is not helping my boner." I warn him. I alert my love of the issue that is steadily trying to lift the towel from my lap.

"I can't help it, Daddy. When I think of anyone coming between us, I see red." Gavin shrugs, closing his eyes and allowing his masseuse to work him over. She is doing a great job.

Luckily, the rest of our massage goes off without issues. We are ushered into the steaming pool, offered drinks that we take with pleasure. As we all face one another, I pull Gavin close, holding him against my chest.

"What's the plan for tomorrow?" Mama asks. She has been dying to find out what we are doing. Gavin has been keeping it a damn secret, only him and Mak know.

"Separate Bachelor parties. Daddy and I are going to spend the next day away from each other." Gavin informs me. I choke. My drink goes down the wrong pipe, fucking me up. I can't breathe.

"Um, Alex?" Seb pats me on the back, looking closely at me while I stare at my heart like he has gone insane.

"What the fuck did you just say?" I bellow out. I thought we nixed that idea months ago. That was a damn joke. We played around; I persuaded. It's not fucking happening.

"Daddy, it's tradition." Gavin calmly argues. He curls up closer, obviously not feeling the way my heart is trying to explode from my chest.

"Not happening." I turn him around so he can see my resolve. I won't make it.

"It is though. I decided. I want to do this the right way." Gavin lifts to kiss my lips. I let him but my mouth is wobbling. Something is wrong.

"Gavin, Sweetie, I don't know if you should make that choice alone." Mama tries to talk some sense into my cherub.

"I didn't." My soulmate excuses himself. "I talked it over with Oupa. He recommended it. So did Babushka."

I feel fucking betrayed.

"Предатели. Они меня не любят. Что они сделали?" (Traitors. They don't love me. What have they done?) I am garbling in Russian. My blood pressure is skyrocketing. I knock my drink back, taking Kip's drink when it is kindly offered in place of my empty one.

"Alexei Edgar. Не говори таких вещей. Они тебя любят, моя радость." (Don't say such things. They love you, My Joy.) Mama chastises me. I do not care.

"They do not know love. Fucking backstabbers." I spit. I do not wish to talk of them.

"ALEX. My Son. We love you tremendously. I will not listen to you speak such things." Mama is over to my side of the pool, offering her finger to my face.

"Daddy, this is absurd. It's not even two days." My heart is looking at me, imploring me to see his side. I am trying to be blind to his manipulation. I do not wish to look at his persuasion.

"I need a moment." I stand abruptly, dripping water as I snatch a robe from the hooks behind me. I wrap myself up, stomping off to the corridor. I need air.

Mumbling all the way to the outdoors, I am practically vibrating with fear. I cannot make it a day without my heart. I have not. I cannot. How does he expect me to exist without his presence? It is impossible. My breaths are staggered, scraping their way from my chest. I feel like acid is in my nostrils. My eyelashes are sticking together making it very difficult for me to see without distortion.

"Alex." His voice does not make me happy. I do not want to hear rationale.

"Go AWAY!" I growl. I don't want anyone to tell me I will live. I will not live!

"He wants to build the anticipation for when you see him walk down the aisle." Grey whispers. I don't know why he had to tell me that shit. I don't want to give in to my kitten. I don't want to.

"I don't want to be without him." I admit as I slide down to knees. I have never been a day without him. I don't know how to do it.

"We are going to be with you." Mario is here now too. I don't care. I don't give two fucks about everyone else.

"I have never slept without him since I got him." The thought alone makes me sick. My heart hurts.

"It's only two days." Seb is softer than normal, whispering beside me.

"Why is he doing this to me?" I can feel my eyes leaking. He has reduced me to fucking tears.

"Because he loves you." Martin is beside me, rubbing my back. I don't want to feel better. I want to know that I am going to see Gavin tomorrow night.

"He can love me in my arms." I explain. It's easy. We do it all of the time.

"Daddy." Gavin's voice sets my butterflies to flight. I turn, immediately drawn. God, even the minutes that passed without him felt like too long.

He runs to me, immediately alleviating the fracture I feel. The distance was too much. It's suffrage, unnecessary.

"I can't." I admit. I can't.

"I don't need space, Daddy. I don't even want it." Gavin promises me. It doesn't make sense.

"Then why are you proposing we have it." I argue. It is unintelligible.

"Let me choose you again." My heart pleads. I know I should want to give him his desires. This time, it feels like it is too much.

"You choose me every day. We choose each other." I remind him. Every day, I wake up. He is there. We choose to be there.

"Are you afraid I won't show up?" My heart asks. It makes me think. Am I?

It's not. I love us. I love the feeling of us. I want to feel it every moment of every day. I do not see the point of pushing me away.

"No. I am afraid I will not thrive with you so far away." I confess. It doesn't have to be this way.

"You aren't, Daddy. You know you will. You have. Before me, you existed. I think that is what scares you. But this isn't me choosing distance. This is me choosing you. I want to know what happens when you are not there and then remember what it feels like to end up back where you are." Gavin's words are soft, honest and bullshit.

"We don't need that." I contend. We need one another. That is facts.

"We've never had to find each other. We've just... stayed." My love breathes. "I want one moment where I have to come back to you."

"What if you don't need me?" I finally admit my actual fear. It is there, real and raw. My soul is screaming, fighting to hold on before I lose him.

"If 48 hours can change this, then we never had what we proclaimed to have. And if it can't...then you'll finally know that I am not here because I stayed. I am here because I choose you. Again." Gavin offers.

I am mulling it over. I am thinking. He is saying all the right the things. What he is proposing makes some sense. Yet, I am struggling to rationalize it in my heart. I still want him right beside me.

"I don't know if I can." I whisper. It's my only truth.

"Let me miss you on purpose, Daddy. Just this once." Gavin pleads.

I know I have lost. I cannot withhold his desires. It is a gift I must give because my heart has made his request. But.

"Joint Bachelor Party. Twenty-four hours. And then you never leave my sight again." I relent. That is all I can give.

"Never Again." Gavin seals our deal with the softest of kisses as he wipes my tears from beneath my eyes.