Chapter 56
NIKOLAI
Song- Levitate, Sleep Token
We’ve spent the last few days resting and making our next plan of attack. I know as well as Mila does, this isn’t over. As long as my father is still alive, until he meets his end, we all have to watch our backs.
But, I trust Mikhail’s judgment more than anything.
For now, I’m happy living in my bubble for a little while longer. We have Jax and Sofia coming over soon so we can meet Maverick, their new baby boy.
It makes me think about the possibility of expanding our family. And the thought of Mila being pregnant with my child gets me all kinds of turned on.
“Come on little one, time for bed.”
“One more song?” Elena pouts at Mila. But, Mila herds her toward the stairs, sneaking a look in my direction.
Elena has been helping Mila with cleaning, by singing and dancing to her. It’s cute to watch.
“How about, I braid your hair so when you wake up in the morning you have the most beautiful curls?”
Elena’s eyes light up and she squeals, darting up toward her room.
I chuckle as Mila saunters toward me, clearly pleased with herself.
She should be.
She loves my daughter as fiercely as her own mother did.
A sharp pang shoots through my chest, enough to have me stumbling backward.
“Niki, what’s the matter?”
Her face fills with concern as she stops in front of me, framing my cheeks with her hands.
I can’t fucking believe this.
I shake my head and she taps my cheek.
“What’s the date?” I ask, my voice hoarse. Maybe I’ve got it wrong. No.
“September 14th last time I looked. Why?”
“Katerina. Fuck,” I hiss, backing away from Mila.
The guilt eats away at me.
How could I forget?
I can see her face in my mind, but I haven’t seen this since I fell for Mila. I let the memory of my wife die.
There’s a tug on the back of my shirt. As I look up, Mila is standing over me with a frown.
“Talk. Now.”
Running my hand over my face, I let out a slow breath.
“I forgot her birthday.”
Mila’s eyes go wide. “What, Elena’s?”
She taps my bicep and shoots me a glare as I shake my head.
“Niet. Katerina. My wife.”
Mila’s face softens, as she brushes my stubble with her thumb. “You didn’t forget. It’s still her birthday, right this second, isn’t it?”
I blink a few times. “I should have done something, for Elena.”
Mila nods.
“And we can, tomorrow. It’s not just special occasions we remember the ones we’ve lost, it’s every day. We never forget them, we simply have to live our lives without them. What would your wife say about your life right now? If she’s watching over us?”
A small smile creeps up on my lips. “She’d want to murder me for finding someone else.”
That earns me one of my favorite sounds, Mila’s laughter.
“I see her point. I’d make sure I haunted you so hard you’d never be able to move on.”
I lean forward, brushing my lips along her jaw. “Ditto. You belong to me in this life and the next. No one else.”
She pulls back, her eyes glistening. “But seriously, I bet she would be thrilled that you found love. Not that grumpy shell of a man I found you as, right?”
I nod slowly. I know Katerina would have wanted me to be happy.
But most of all, there is one other thing she would be looking down on us and smiling about.
“Do you know what else she would like? The fact that Elena finally has someone to look up to.”
“Oh, stop it. You know I love that little girl.”
I brush a stray strand of hair away from her beautiful brown eyes. “She would be grateful that you love our daughter as fiercely as she did.”
I watch as Mila swallows. “I do, Niki. I really do. She’s a great kid.”
“She is. And she loves you. Just as I do.”
“I love you too, d’yavolitsa.”
Her soft lips brush over my own, and my fingers find their place around her throat as I deepen it.
That fire. That passion. Every damn time sends me wild for her.
My love for her will never fade. It will never die.
She has healed me in ways I could never explain. Despite the grief I have lived with for years, I channeled every part of that into bringing up Elena in a way Katerina would have been proud of.
Now, I have given Elena another reason to smile. Mila.
And maybe one day, a big family. I know, if anything ever happens to me, Mila will step up. Elena is forever safe with her.