Chapter 47
CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN
KIRILL
“This house is ginormous!”
Milo presses his face to the window as the car rolls slowly up the long driveway.
“Are you rich?” he asks with complete seriousness.
I laugh under my breath at the bluntness only a kid can get away with. “Some have called it that.”
“Wow…” He leans forward between the seats, looking from the house to Sloane beside him and back again. “Will I really live here with Mommy?”
“That’s right.”
I catch Sloane’s gaze in the rearview, and the pure happiness on her face makes this all worth it. She deserves everything she has never been given. And I will make sure she gets it.
When the car stops, Milo hops out the second I open his door. He looks at the stretch of the house, trying to take in the entire place in one glance.
“This is so cool. I bet playing hide-and-seek here is epic.”
Sloane laughs, peering over with glassy eyes.
As we head toward the front steps, Milo looks up at me again. “Do you live here alone?”
“Not exactly. I have a son,” I tell him as we reach the door. “And lots of people who help keep this place clean.”
His eyes widen immediately. “Is he my age? What’s his name?”
“His name is Lev, and he’s nine.”
“Cool. I’ll have someone to play with!” His excitement becomes contagious, and a smile pulls at my mouth.
“You will.” I open the door and lead them inside. “But Lev sometimes plays a little differently than other kids.”
Milo looks curious, his features bunching up. “How?”
I glance over at Sloane, who nods.
“Do you know what autism is?”
He shakes his head.
“It means Lev’s brain works a bit different. Sometimes he likes to be by himself because too much noise or too many people can be a lot. Other times, he’s happy to play hide-and-seek or build things, but he usually likes quiet activities like reading or puzzles more than rough games.”
Milo squints. “Well…” He shrugs. “He sounds cool.”
I chuckle. “I think so too.”
“Hopefully he likes me.”
“I’m sure he will.”
Inside the house, the staff begins appearing. I texted Katya to let her know we will have Milo here with us from now us. She appears, stepping forward first, with about ten others on the cleaning staff. Milo takes them all in, completely unfazed.
“Hi,” he says brightly. “I’m Milo.”
Katya laughs. “Oh, I’ve heard all about you. Welcome home.”
“Thanks.”
“Come,” I say. “Let me introduce you to Lev.”
“He’s in the den,” Katya tells me.
We move out of the foyer, and I already know what we’ll find before we even reach the doorway. Lev is curled into the corner of the couch with his headphones on and a book open in front of him, completely absorbed in whatever world he’s inside.
When we step into the room, he senses the movement and glances up. His eyes move across the three of us. First me, then Sloane, then Milo. He removes his headphones carefully and sets them down.
“Hi.” Milo steps forward with that same fearless energy he’s had since we picked him up. “I’m Milo.”
“Hi,” Lev whispers.
A brief silence settles as the two boys study each other before Milo suddenly reaches into his backpack.
“Do you want to see my Legos?”
I already know the answer before Lev does. He loves Legos.
The second Lev nods, Milo breaks into a grin. “Okay.”
He strolls over, drops his backpack onto the floor, and pulls out a bag packed with pieces, dumping them across the rug in a bright, colorful pile.
Sloane starts to step forward immediately. “Milo, I don’t know if you should do that.”
I stop her with a hand on her arm. “Let them be.”
She glances at me, then seems to relax when the boys lower to the floor together.
“We can make a spaceship,” Milo suggests as they begin sorting through the pieces and deciding what they want to build.
Lev considers it, then says, “Tower.”
“Let’s make a tower spaceship!”
Lev nods.
Sloane lets out a soft laugh beside me. I slide an arm around her waist and pull her into my side, pressing a kiss to her temple as we stand there watching them.
The boys sit on the rug, surrounded by scattered bricks, their heads bent close together while they build something bigger than either of them understands.
I peer at Sloane. “This thing they’re building, that’s a family. And there’s no one else I’d rather build one with than you.”
She lets her head rest against me with a soft sigh. And as she does, I can’t help thinking of my father—of his rage, of the way he ruled through fear, of everything he tried to beat into us.
But he didn’t win. He lost that power a long time ago.
Because I have something he never did: a family who loves me.
SLOANE
“I know this room doesn’t look like much yet,” Kirill tells him. “But you can make it into anything you want.”
Milo turns toward him so fast his sneakers squeak against the wood, his eyes going wide like he just heard the best news of his life. “Really? Anything?”
Kirill lets out a laugh, glancing back at me, and I know with a deep-rooted certainty that I love this man.
“Well…” He drags the word out a little. “Within reason.”
“I want a space room!” Milo blurts.
Kirill doesn’t even hesitate. “We can arrange that.”
My baby’s whole face lights up in a way I’ve never seen before, and it chokes me up. I’ve spent so long wishing I could give him more, dreaming of a better life for him, and maybe now he can finally have it.
“I already love living here.” Milo circles slowly in the middle of the room. “This is the best house ever.”
Kirill ruffles his hair. “I’m glad you think so.”
“Alright, you two,” I interrupt. “How about we change into our pajamas and go brush our teeth?”
“Me too?” Kirill teases.
“Sure.” My gaze drifts over him—gray sweats, a simple black T-shirt—before he drags me into him. “Though I do like what you’re wearing right now.”
My teeth catch my bottom lip, and he leans in, brushing a kiss against it.
“Ew!” Milo giggles, already darting toward the dresser, where his clothes have been neatly folded and put away.
Kirill goes serious now, the back of his hand brushing along my cheek. “Are you doing okay? I know today has been a lot.”
He’s not kidding. I haven’t had this much excitement in a long time. My sister. Eli still being a problem. Moving here.
And…
My stomach flips.
Oh my God. The wedding. I forgot.
“I’m okay.” I lean up, catching his mouth in a quick kiss. “But are you really sure we need to rush and get married?” I lower my voice so Milo doesn’t overhear as he dresses himself in the corner. “Don’t get me wrong, I want to marry you. Of course I do. I just…it’s so soon.”
His gaze grows heavy-lidded as he cups my cheeks, kissing my forehead.
“I’m sure.” When he stares back at me, there’s no hesitation in him at all. “You will be my wife. And Milo will be my son.”
I can’t deny how much I like the sound of that.
“Besides, I’ve already arranged everything.”
I arch a brow. “Like what?”
“Your gowns will arrive tomorrow morning for you to try on.”
My jaw drops. “Jesus. I didn’t even know you could plan a ceremony in a day.”
He scoffs. “With enough money, you can plan it in an hour.”
“Yeah…I wouldn’t really know anything about that.”
His lips return to mine in a slow, reverent claim. “Well, now you do. Whatever I have is yours, Mrs. Marinova.”
The words send warmth cruising straight through me, lighting up every cell in my body.
I shake my head, laughing under my breath. “You know…minus the Mafia part, I could get used to this life.”
“I’m very happy to hear that, solnishko.” His palms settle across my hips.
We stay that way until Milo is ready, teeth brushed, crawling into bed with excitement.
“Tomorrow, we can start planning your space room,” Kirill promises as he tucks the blanket around his shoulders.
“With rockets on the ceiling?” Milo asks hopefully.
“Of course.”
“And planets?”
“Sure.” Kirill chuckles.
Milo grins, and it makes me smile too.
“Goodnight, baby,” I whisper, kissing him all over his face as he giggles.
“Goodnight, Mommy.”
Kirill switches off the lamp as we close the door behind us. We head down the hall toward Lev’s room, who’s already in bed with his book, headphones resting on his nightstand. When he sees us, he sits up slightly.
Kirill moves first, brushing his hair back. “Time to go to sleep, synok.”
Lev drops his book on the nightstand, then his eyes slide to me and he reaches his hand out. My heart squeezes as I step closer and take it. As I do, he tugs me down into a hug, arms wrapping around my shoulders.
“I love you,” I whisper.
His grip immediately tightens, and I know that’s his way of saying it back. “I see you tomorrow.”
“I’ll be here.”
Lev draws back. “Milo?”
I smile. “Yes, Milo too. He’ll be here every day.”
He seems satisfied with that, sinking all the way down under the blanket, then reaches over and clicks off his lamp, leaving the room wrapped in darkness.
Kirill and I stay there another moment, neither of us in a hurry to leave, before we finally step back and pull the door shut. We make it down the hall in silence, and when his hand slips into mine, it’s like stepping into the forever I’ve always been too afraid to hope for.
But now that it’s here, I can’t stop fearing how easily it could be taken away.