Epilogue
Kirill
18 Months Later
L ights flash, and music blares. The crowd claps as the models return behind the stage.
I bounce our baby boy, Zavier, on my lap and point, murmuring, "Look, there's Mommy."
Fiona's off to the side in the corner of the stage. Her face lights up, and she waves at Zavier.
"Gah, gah, ma," he babbles.
I pin my forearm against him, bouncing my leg, loving every second I spend with our nine-month-old.
Fiona wanted to name him after me, but I wasn't overly thrilled with the idea. One day she'd declared, "Zavier means new beginnings."
"Zavier," I'd mumbled, liking how strong it sounded.
She'd beamed. "Zavier Kirill Petrov. That's perfect!"
I'd caved, and didn't argue about my name being his middle name.
The music changes, the lights darken, and flashes of gold ignite.
More excitement fills me. I whisper, "Here are Mommy' s designs."
Fiona's worked so hard for this moment. She created her line while pregnant and kept moving forward even after she had Zavier.
Several models wear her clothes, strutting down the runway.
The crowd erupts in cheers.
I rise with Zavier, cheering with others.
A horrified Fiona points at me, mouthing, "Sit down."
I can't. I'm too proud of her.
She puts her hand over her face, laughing and shaking her head.
Skylar glances over at me and then rises along with Adrian, Blue, and the rest of their family. I look to my other side. Bridget and Dante, Sean and Zara, and Valentina and Brax also stand, cheering. I look behind me, happy to see that not one person is sitting, making me giddier.
Fiona's models continue to swagger down the runway, and it's over not long after it started. The lights change, and the next designer's models get ready to strut.
Everyone sits, but I move through the crowd, entering the backstage area. I shout, "There's Mommy."
Fiona turns, excited. "That was good, right?"
"You knocked it out of the park," I assure her, then kiss her.
She beams at me and then leans close to Zavier's face, cooing, "Hey, sweetie. What did you think?"
He tilts his head. "Gah."
She laughs and then reaches for him, holding him to her chest. He buries his face in the curve of her neck, settling in, and my heart squeezes, filling with more love .
I put my arm around her and kiss the top of her head, praising, "I'm so proud of you."
She grins and teases, "Well, you made me do it."
"I didn't make you do anything," I claim.
"Don't you think you had a little bit of influence?"
"Nope. It was all you," I say.
She laughs.
"Excuse me, ma'am," a woman says.
We turn toward the voice.
She has a lanyard around her neck, and the name of a popular fashion magazine is on the card inside the plastic. She holds out her hand. "I'm Lynette from Fashion Gone Crazy Weekly ."
"I love Fashion Gone Crazy !" Fiona exclaims, then quickly adds, "It's great to meet you!"
The woman gushes, "Yes! I'm new, but I love your line. I think we should feature it in the next issue of the magazine. I'm thinking of a four-page spread."
"Really?" Fiona asks, stunned.
The woman enthusiastically replies, "Absolutely! Those skirts were flipping incredible. My editor will fire me if I don't secure you for an exclusive."
Fiona laughs. "We wouldn't want that to happen."
"No, this is my dream job. So, can we do it? I'll make sure it's fabulous!"
"Yes, of course, I'd be honored," Fiona tells her.
"Awesome." Lynette pulls out a business card and hands it to her. "These are my contact details. "
I reach into my pocket and hand her Fiona's card. "These are Fiona's."
The woman glances at me and smiles. "You're her husband. Kirill, right?"
"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to be rude. Yes, this is Kirill," Fiona introduces.
Lynette studies us until I get uncomfortable.
"Sorry, did we do something wrong?" I ask.
She tilts her head, staying silent.
Fiona glances at me nervously.
The woman puts her hand on her hip, asking, "You know what I think would be even more awesome?"
I shake my head. "What?"
She wiggles her finger between us. "You two. We should do a piece in our exclusive on you two and your new baby."
"No, I don't think that's a good idea," I state.
"Why not? Everybody in Chicago, New York, London, and Paris will be talking about you. You'll be the 'it' couple of the fashion world. It'll be fabulous," she claims.
"Thank you. But we're private about our family," Fiona interjects, holding the baby closer.
I put my arm around her. "Yes. That's a very nice offer. But can we stick to the fashion line?"
Lynette's face falls. She sighs. "Okay. But I think?—"
"It's not going to happen," I repeat sternly.
She sighs again. "Okay, but I will need to interview you, Fiona. It's fine, as long as it's about the clothes? "
"Yes. Of course," Fiona confirms.
"Am I able to mention how cute your baby is?" Lynette questions.
Fiona laughs. "Yes, that's fine. He is super cute, isn't he?" She kisses him on the head.
"He sure is," Lynette says.
"Fiona," Blue calls out.
"Okay, I'll call you later this week if that works for you?" Lynette asks.
"Sounds perfect. Thank you," Fiona replies.
Blue comes bouncing over and tosses her arms around Fiona. "Oh my God, that was freaking amazing."
"Aw, thanks," Fiona states.
"Hey there, you've missed me, haven't you?" she gushes at Zavier.
He perks up and smiles.
"Come here," she says, taking the baby from Fiona.
I grin.
Blue's been our babysitter and is obsessed with Zavier.
The rest of the family comes over and surrounds us.
At one point, Fiona takes Zavier back, hugging him to her chest.
All I can do is feel happy, wondering again how I got so lucky and truly hit the jackpot.
Fiona isn't just The Underworld's queen.
She's my queen. Strong. Powerful. Smart. Fearless.
Her father saw it when she was young, and while he didn't arrange our marriage, deep down, he knew she would be queen someday. Every day that goes by convinces me more that he knew all along what her role would be. And that's why he set it up so she had every advantage to earn the coveted crown.
But against all odds, Sean O'Malley Sr's only daughter fell in love with me, the broken king who hid behind his mask. Not once did she ever see my scars or the vileness of the blood that runs through my veins.
The only thing Fiona ever saw was the man her father claimed I could be; the one I strived to become even when my demons tempted me to give up on life.
Her love for me is something I'll never take for granted.
For the rest of eternity, I'll stand by my wife...my bride...my little bird.
She's Fiona O'Malley Petrov.
She's queen of The Underworld. And she's mine.
A note from Maggie Cole
Thank you so much for reading Bride by Coronation.
I couldn’t wait for you to read Fiona and Kirill's painful love story weaved into a happy ending.