She pushed the dish into my sister’s hands. “Take these to your papa, Samara,” she instructed. “I’ll be up in a moment.”

“Someone’s in trouble,” Samara singsonged as she started up the stairs.

Mom waited until my sister was out of sight before blasting me with the full force of her glare. “This is getting ridiculous, Ryan. You need to tell Nova how you feel about her and explain all the plans you’ve made for your future together before she decides to move on.”

“She knows about my plans.”

“So, you’ve told her—in detail—how you want to marry her when she turns eighteen?” I shrugged. “That’s not an answer, l’venok.”

“No, not in detail,” I admitted. “But—”

“She’s not a mind reader, damn it. And you can’t expect her to be. Listen to me, Ryan. You can’t just assume that she knows how you feel or what you foresee in regard to your relationship.” She shoved the rest of her cookie into her mouth, chewing angrily, before swallowing. “Call her. Tomorrow is New Year’s Eve. Sort this out and ring in the new year with her the right way.”

“Yeah, okay.” I pulled my phone from my pocket. “I’ll call her now.”

“And to make it up to me for not being here Christmas morning when you could have been, you have to stop by Iron Hand and make sure they got that shipment of extra champagne for tomorrow night.” She stood on tiptoes to kiss my cheek. “Text me when you have confirmation.”

Groaning, I nodded and watched her climb the stairs to the second floor.

“Goodnight, l’venok,” she called before disappearing.

“Night, Mom,” I muttered, pulling my phone from my pocket as I exited the house. Pietro was already waiting by my SUV, the back door open, his hands folded in front of him. Even inside the compound, he was ever vigilant. When Nova moved to New York at the end of this school year, Pietro would head her security detail because I trusted no one with her safety but the fucking best.

“Iron Hand,” I told my driver as Pietro slid into the front passenger seat. “Pietro, I have a…mission for you to oversee.”

That piqued the huge man’s interest, and he shifted in his seat to look back at me. “Sir?”

“Nova is being difficult. This not seeing her as I’ve grown used to over the years is distracting me.”

“I’ve suggested many times putting CCTV in her home, sir,” Pietro reminded me.

“Yes, well, I was being considerate of her privacy back then. Now, I don’t seem to give a fuck. Make it happen.” I lowered my gaze to my phone, trying yet again to call her. Again, getting nothing but her voice mail. “Without her or her family knowing about the cameras.”

“I will be done by the new year, sir,” Pietro assured me.

“And find out where the fuck she is,” I growled. “Her location is turned off on her phone. All I know is that she’s helping one of her cousins with something. I want to know where she is and who she is with. As soon as you know where she is, have the jet readied.”