22. Chapter 19
X iomara
Being invited out by the girls feels wonderful.
The boutique smells like clean cotton and vanilla — soft, expensive, and soothing. Light streams through the tall glass windows, glinting off racks of cashmere baby blankets, cream-colored bassinets, and price tags that would give most people a heart attack.
I walk in first, adjusting the strap of my handbag, eyes drifting over a display of ridiculously cute baby booties shaped like lambs. I’m half-smiling to myself when I hear the familiar sound of heels clicking.
“Now there’s a face I haven’t seen in too long,” Scarlett calls out.
I turn as she enters, dressed in effortless elegance as always. Alina trails behind her in something soft and pastel, glowing the way only a woman happily growing a child can.
They both wrap me in warm hugs, and I suddenly realize how much I’ve missed this—the warmth of having female friends.
“You look gorgeous,” Alina says, stepping back and giving me a quick once-over.
“So do you,” I reply, smiling. “Though I think we all know who’s stealing the spotlight today.” I glance at her belly.
She rolls her eyes playfully. “Blame Lev. The man doesn’t believe in personal space.”
Before I can laugh, the boutique door swings open again, and another version of Alina walks in.
Almost identical — same dark hair, same bone structure, but with an energy that crackles instead of glows.
“Yelena,” Scarlett says with a smirk. “Finally.”
Yelena shrugs, sunglasses still perched on her head. “Traffic. And I had to change twice. Didn’t want to scare the baby boutique crowd.”
Alina snorts, pulling her sister into a side hug. “This is Mara,” she tells Yelena. “Our sister-in-law. And the only reason Zasha hasn’t turned fully feral.”
Yelena gives me a long look, then a quick grin. “So, you’re the reason he hasn’t growled at me in three months.”
“I’ve been told I’m very calming,” I say with a dry tone.
The ladies laugh, sounding real, open, and easy.
Scarlett loops her arm through mine. “We’ve given you space these last few months to settle in, Mara. But today? We’re dragging you into the circle.”
And for the first time in a while, I feel like I belong, not because I am Thiago’s daughter, but because I am wanted for me.