Epilogue
The cry comes from very deep within me.
“It’s okay, zayka, we’ll be at the hospital in fifteen minutes,” Lev tries soothing me.
But I don’t have fifteen minutes.
The baby is coming.
“You need to stop the car,” I cry to Feliks. “I won’t make it to the hospital.”
Twenty minutes ago, my water broke without warning, so Lev had Feliks drive while he sat with me in the back of the Escalade. We weren’t worried to begin with. After all, I didn’t get my first contraction until I climbed in the car. But ever since that very first one, they’ve come on hard and fast.
I let out another roar. It’s like I’m being pulled apart from the inside out.
How is it that my contractions have gone from zero to a thousand in mere minutes? Isn’t labor supposed to take hours? How is it that I wasn’t even thinking about contractions an hour ago, but now I’m wondering if I’m going to give birth on the side of the road?
Oh my God, I’m going to give birth on the side of the road.
“Pull the fuck over,” I yell in a voice I don’t even recognize.
Feliks looks at Lev in the rearview mirror for guidance. “Don’t look at him,” I growl. “He’s not the one about to squeeze a goddamn watermelon out of his vagina.”
Lev squeezes my hand. “My love, we need to get you to the hospital.”
“There’s no time. She’s coming.” I reach down between my legs. “I can feel her.”
Lev looks at Feliks. “Pull over and call the hospital. Tell them what’s happening and where we are.”
Feliks does as his cousin tells him to and immediately calls the hospital while Lev tries to make me comfortable in the back seat.
Panicked, I look up at him. “Lev, tell me I’m not about to have our baby in the back seat of this car.”
He gently parts my thighs, and even though his face remains calm and unreadable, his eyes tell a different story.
“It appears so,” he says calmly. “But it’s going to be okay, my love. I’ve got this.”
Another contraction racks my body, and I let out an almighty cry.
I start to pant. “Do you know what to do? Have you ever helped a woman deliver her baby?”
He gives me a charming grin. “There is a first time for everything.”
I grab him as another contraction hits and grit my teeth. “Now is not the time for first times.”
Oh God.This is really happening.
Feliks, who is standing outside the car, clears his throat. “As it happens, I do have experience in this area.”
“What do you mean?” I snap.
“My family might be bratva, but before that, we were farmers. I grew up on a dairy farm and helped deliver more than my fair share of calves.”
“I’m not a cow,” I cry, tears and sweat sliding down my face.
Feliks grins. “I have experience bringing human babies into the world too. When I was sixteen, I had to deliver my neighbor’s twins sons. Long story. The short version is we were in a flood and miles from medical help, and I was the only one around who could do it.” He shrugs. “Sometimes you’ve just got to do what you’ve got to do.”
“You’re not delivering this baby,” Lev says possessively.
“Why not?” I demand between gritted teeth.
“I’m thinking of your modesty, zayka. You might feel different about it later.”
I’m a sweaty mess whose insides feel like they’re being pulled out of her. I don’t have time for his possessiveness.
I grab his collar. “I don’t give a rat’s ass if the entire team of the New York Rangers is down there having a look at my coochie right now. You let him get down there and help get this baby out of me.”
He looks pained. I know he’s trying to protect me from whatever embarrassment I might feel later. But right now I need him to back away and let Feliks do what he’s got to do.
He reluctantly agrees and moves aside so his cousin can deliver this baby. He walks around to the other passenger door and slides in behind me. I lean against his powerful body and feel instantly safer. I can do this.
Crawling into the backseat, Feliks does the sign of the cross and gives the man above a nod before looking between my legs.
“I need to push,” I pant.
He nods. “I can see the head, so I’m going to need you to take a deep breath and then push. Can you do that?”
I nod and suck in a deep breath, then push with all my might.
“We have the head,” Feliks says with a big smile. “Next will come the shoulders, so I’m going to need you to give me another big push.”
I do as he says. I push hard. And then again.
“Okay, you’re doing really good, Brooke,” Feliks says. “We’re almost there. But I need another big push from you.”
I shake my head. I’m too spent.
But Lev takes my hand and presses it to his lips. His eyes are full of love and affection and pride. “You can do this, my queen.”
I nod and grit my teeth, and with a long, loud roar, I finally bring our baby into this world.
Feliks laughs and holds the baby up. “Welcome to the world, little girl.”
He places her on my chest, and I am immediately in love.
Lev pulls off his shirt and wraps it around his daughter, tenderly caressing her delicate face.
Thankfully, the ambulance arrives only moments later, and the EMTs immediately get to work, checking on our beautiful daughter, and helping me.
As they’re loading me into the ambulance, I turn my attention to Feliks.
“Are things going to be awkward between us?” I ask as my daughter makes adorable noises in my arms. “I mean, you got to see more of me than you probably ever thought you would.”
He grins and gives me a wink. “I’ve already forgotten.”
An hour later, sitting up in my hospital bed holding my daughter, I can still hardly believe I am a mother.
“Are you ready to hold her?” I ask Lev.
He grins and takes her from me and nestles her in his strong arms. He’s still shirtless, but he’s wearing his suit jacket over his naked torso. He refused to go home to get a new shirt because it would take precious time away from his newborn daughter.
“Hello, my angel,” he whispers gently to her, gazing down onto her sweet face with complete affection.
“That’s it, that’s her name!” I say, sitting up straighter.
Since arriving at the hospital, everyone has been asking me her name.
Lev looks over at me. “You want to call her Angel?”
It seems crazy that we’ve never discussed names before now. Although, at the time we were caught in the middle of a mafia war. So I suppose there’s that.
“It seems pretty perfect to me, don’t you think?”
Lev’s gaze drops to his daughter, who stirs in his arms and then settles. “Angel.” He smiles, and I can see the love he already has for her in his eyes. “It’s perfect.”
I can’t help but smile. “Angel Zarkov. It has a good ring to it.”
“Angel Ivy Zarkov,” Lev adds.
I feel a wash of emotion come over me. “You want to give her my mother’s name?”
He nods, and I have to fight back tears.
If my mom and dad were still alive, they would play a huge role in Angel’s life, and in the moment, I feel the ache of their absence right down to my core. But then I am reminded that Angel will be surrounded by a big circle of uncles and aunts, not born of blood, but still family. Uncle Feliks just helped bring her into this world, and I can’t imagine that bond ever breaking. Plus, Igor and Enya, not to mention Henry and Elsa, and Samantha and Chloe. This kid is going to be spoiled with love.
I swipe away the tears. “Thank you,” I whisper.
He looks from me to his daughter, and the look on his face makes me fall in love with him all over again.
I have never felt so content. So happy.
I look at them together. My perfect little family.
And I know I couldn’t want for anything more.
Bonus Scene
Igor and Enya get married, and Brooke has some surprising news for Lev.