Sinful Promise (Koslov Bratva #6)

32. Emily

32

EMILY

“Zara, please. Stop fussing.”

My sister keeps looking at me as if she expects me to burst into tears at any moment, which isn’t entirely impossible, but they would be tears of relief rather than sadness.

Zara wraps a blanket around my shoulders, a frown appearing between her brows. “I will do no such thing. When did the doctor say she was coming back?”

From the dark purple bruising beneath her eyes, my sister looks like she hasn’t slept in days, and guilt eats at me for what I’ve put her through over the past twenty-four hours.

I never meant for any of this to happen, and I hate I worried her so much.

I was expecting her to give me a lecture when she met Danil and me in the waiting area of the hospital, or at least an ‘I told you so’ look. But I think she was so overwhelmed by the fact that I was alive that she just started crying instead.

But I am under no illusion that the lecture will be coming once I get the all-clear from the doctor.

I’m beyond exhausted, and I’m in desperate need of a shower.

Thankfully, Zara brought me some clean sweats, which I changed into. That alone has made me feel marginally better, but I can’t stop thinking about my dirty green dress that is sitting on the bottom of Zara’s bag.

I had been so excited to wear it for my date with Danil because I know he loves it when I wear green. It felt like tonight, or I suppose, yesterday? I honestly have no idea what time or day it is... But it felt like our date marked the official start of our relationship, and I wanted everything to be perfect.

I had hoped to spend the night in Danil’s bed, where he no doubt was planning on exploring every inch of my body with his tongue. Or at least, that’s what I was planning on doing to him…

That was until Igor decided to make his move against the Koslovs.

The fact that he’s still alive has my body breaking out into a cold sweat.

How someone could speak about murdering innocent children in cold blood is something I will never be able to comprehend.

I just hope that Danil and his brothers give Igor Ivanov the ending he deserves.

I catch Zara placing her hand on the swell of her belly, and I can’t fight back the sobs as they hit me once again.

“Emily, what is it?” She climbs onto the bed beside me and places a comforting arm around my shoulders.

“I-I’m just…” I bury my face in my hands and try to take a steadying breath.

But all I can think about is Igor coming after my sister and her unborn child, and the wave of devastation hits me all over again.

A warm hand covers my knee, and my heart rate calms at Danil’s touch.

“Everyone is safe, Em.”

He can read me so well that I don’t even need to tell him what’s bothering me. He just knows.

I swallow a sob as I lift my head to look at Danil who is sitting in an armchair beside my hospital bed.

He looks just as exhausted as I feel. He’s managed to clean most of the blood off of his face, but his dark hair is still caked with it.

The doctors gave us both some very suspicious looks when we walked in covered in blood, but I left all the talking up to Danil.

“The doctor should be here in a few minutes.” Danil offers me a smile.

I nod and try to take a few calming breaths.

Zara gets to her feet. “Hmm… I don’t like how long this is taking. Maybe I should go and talk?—”

“Zara!”

My sister blinks and when she looks at me, her face softens.

“I’m sorry, I just…” Her voice cracks, and I instantly feel bad for getting annoyed.

I should be grateful that I have a sister who cares about me as much as she does.

I pat the spot on the bed beside me. “Just sit with me.”

Zara looks at Danil. “I hope you know what you’re getting yourself into, Danil. My sister is incredibly stubborn.”

“Really? I hadn’t noticed. It’s a good thing it’s one of the things I love most about her.” Danil flashes me a wink.

Zara gasps. “Love? Wait, since when do we love each other?”

“Uh…” I look to Danil for help, but he holds his hands up.

“You’re on your own with this one.” He chuckles as Zara throws her arms around me.

“Oh, my god! This is amazing!”

“Asshole,” I mouth at him over Zara’s shoulder.

“I love you,” he mouths back, and I can’t help but grin.

A knock sounds at the door, which has Zara untangling her arms from around my neck in time for a middle-aged woman with dark red hair and thick-framed glasses to appear.

This was not who I was expecting.

“Where’s Dr. Brooks?” My heart rate spikes.

Is something wrong? Why have they sent in a different doctor?

“Hi, Emily, I’m Dr. Weisman. I’m the OBGYN on call.”

I stare at the doctor. “I’m sorry, what?”

“Did Dr. Brooks not tell you I was coming?”

“Uh…” I look at my sister, who shrugs.

Zara places a hand on the slight swell of her stomach. “I don’t need checking out, if that’s what you’re here for. Perhaps Dr. Brooks got confused.”

Dr. Weisman looks down at her clipboard and frowns.

“No, I have an Emily Mullens on the chart. It’s been noted that a urine sample has come back positive for hCG.”

My blood drains from my body. “What? How? I’m not pregnant.”

Dr. Weisman looks a little startled by my reaction, but she approaches the bed nonetheless.

“There is a chance something may have gotten mixed up at the lab… Why don’t I just take a little look at your uterus just to be safe.”

I look at Danil, but he seems so lost in his own thoughts that I don’t think he’s been paying attention to the conversation.

I can’t blame him. He’s been through hell and back in the past few hours.

Zara takes my hand and squeezes it once. “It’s okay, Emily. Ultrasounds aren’t painful. Just try to relax.”

“You’re joking, right?”

Zara gives me a look that reminds me so much of our mother that I almost laugh.

She hops off the bed, but she doesn’t let go of my hand as I lie back and adjust the sheet over my legs.

“It’s okay to be a little nervous,” Dr. Weisman says kindly as she wheels a portable monitor over to the bed and picks up a wand-like instrument and starts covering it in jelly.

I glance anxiously at Zara, and she smiles.

“It won’t hurt, I promise, Emily.”

I nod, feeling relieved that Zara is here with me. Not that Danil isn’t comforting, but this isn’t exactly his area of expertise.

“Are you expecting?” Dr. Weisman asks Zara as she readies the probe.

Zara smiles. “Yes. I’m about ten weeks along.”

“Congratulations.”

I smile at my sister. “She has three-year-old twins at home. Plus, Dimitri.”

Zara chuckles, and the sound eases some of my anxiety.

It feels good to talk about something positive after everything that’s happened.

“I have my hands full, that’s for sure.” There’s such joy in my sister’s eyes as she talks about her family that I feel a little pang of envy.

What if there hasn’t been a mix-up, and I really am pregnant?

I can’t deny that the thought of having a child with Danil fills me with so much joy that I might burst into tears again.

The thought had crossed my mind over the past couple of weeks, considering the fact that Danil and I failed to use protection, but I was so sure we were past my fertile period that it would be okay.

I guess I could have calculated wrong…

Dr. Weisman gets ready. “Okay, Emily, if you just relax for me.”

I squeeze Zara’s hand as she inserts the probe, and then the room falls silent.

I watch the doctor’s face closely for what feels like hours, but when I catch a slight hint of a smile tugging at her lips, I know that there has been no mix up.

I’m pregnant.

“There’s your baby.” She turns the monitor around to show me.

“A baby?”

“It’s still very early, perhaps not even four weeks. But you can see the gestational sac forming on the monitor.” Dr. Weisman points at the screen. “And that is your baby.”

She points to a tiny dot on the screen, and my heart might just explode out of my chest.

“Oh, my god. That’s a baby?”

She smiles. “It sure is. I take it this wasn’t planned?”

Dr. Weisman looks between Danil and me.

“No, but…” I look anxiously at Danil, who is yet to say a word.

He’s moved to stand beside Zara and is staring at the monitor in what seems to be complete disbelief.

“This seems like a moment for just the two of you…” Zara mutters, but I grab her hand before she can leave.

“A baby,” I whisper.

Zara’s eyes fill with tears. “You’re having a baby.”

“This is good news, right?” I look at Danil who is still staring at the monitor. “Danil?”

He blinks and when he turns to look at me and his beautiful brown eyes meet mine, a huge smile spreads across his face.

“It’s the best news.” He steps around Zara to lean down and kiss me on the forehead. “We’re having a baby.”

Zara squeals, clapping her hands together. “Ah! This is amazing! Our babies are only going to be a few weeks apart!”

Before I even have a chance to take a breath, my sister’s arms are around me, and I feel like I’m being crushed by how tightly she hugs me.

I catch the sound of Dr. Weisman chuckling under her breath.

I know how ridiculous this must all seem to her, but if she only knew the truth about what has brought us here tonight, she would know why everyone in this room is beyond overjoyed.

This baby is a blessing.

A few hours ago, I thought I would lose everyone I ever loved. And now, I get to bring a baby into the world with the man I love by my side.

I don’t think I could be happier if I tried.

Dr. Weisman removes the probe. “Now, Dr. Brooks might want to do one last check, but you’ve got the all-clear from me. However, I suggest you start taking a prenatal vitamin as soon as possible, and I can get you booked in for a twelve week scan.”

“That’s great, thank you.” I’m now crying so hard that it comes out as more of a mumble.

“Congratulations.” She leaves, closing the door behind her.

Zara hugs me again. “Oh, Em, I’m so happy for you. You’re going to be a wonderful mother, and I’ll help as much as I can.”

“Zara—”

“And Bianca, of course,” Zara pulls back just enough to look at me. “Oh, the rest of the family is going to be so pleased! Especially Sasha. She keeps asking when Auntie Emily is going to have a baby for her to play with.”

I groan.

The sound of Danil clearing his throat has Zara and me breaking apart.

Though when I look around for Danil, it takes me a moment to notice why exactly he was trying to get my attention.

My heart stops, then goes rampant when I find him down on one knee beside the bed. “Oh, my god! What are you doing?”

He grins. “Something that I’ve wanted to do for a long time.”

“Danil…” My voice cracks as I look down at my best friend, the father of my child, and the man I love more than anything in the entire world.

“Emily, I started falling in love with you the moment I met you, and I’ve been falling harder and harder ever since.”

I wail as I bury my face in my hands. “I can’t cry anymore. I’m so dehydrated!”

Danil laughs, and I lower my hands so I can watch his eyes crinkle in that way that makes my heart flutter.

“Every day I’m so thankful that my idiot of an older brother managed to get Zara to marry him because it was at their wedding that I realized I was falling for you. When we stole that bottle of tequila and sat in the corner drinking and judging everyone’s dance moves.”

I laugh. “Mikhail’s were the worst.”

“You made me laugh so much that night, more than I ever had in my entire life, and I realized then that there was something special about you. That perhaps fate had worked its magic and brought us together somehow. I’m just sorry that I didn’t act on my feelings sooner.”

I wipe my eyes. “Me too.”

He shrugs. “I guess we’re both a little stubborn.”

I laugh.

Zara sniffs. “Oh, god, now I’m crying,”

“I don’t have a ring yet, but?—”

I hastily wipe my tear-stained cheeks. “That doesn’t matter. I don’t need a ring. I just need you, Danil Koslov.”

Danil bows his head, and I see his shoulders shake as he, too, is overcome with emotion.

My throat closes up. “That wasn’t meant to make you cry!”

“I promise I’m crying out of happiness.” Danil’s face breaks out into a smile as he looks up at me under his dark lashes.

“You need to ask the question, Danil,” Zara whispers, and both of us start laughing.

“Oh, yeah.” Danil chuckles. “Emily Mullens, would you do me the greatest honor of becoming my wife?”

My throat is so thick with emotion that I’m not sure I can answer. So, I just nod and hope that it’s enough.

From the way Danil climbs onto the bed and kisses me, it seems that it is.

When his lips find mine, my world is finally complete.

“Okay, I’m definitely going to give you two a moment now!” Zara squeals as she makes a swift exit from the room.

We don’t bother to break the kiss at the sound of my sister’s voice. Instead, I throw my arms around Danil’s neck and pull him closer.

I kiss him as if my life depends on it, and when his tongue brushes against mine, the tears start to fall once more.

A few hours ago, I thought I was never going to get the chance to tell him how much I love him. To ever be happy and get to openly love the man of my life. And now here we are, engaged, and about to start a family.

“This was one hell of a first date,” Danil mutters against my lips and, despite everything, we both start laughing.