Epilogue
CARA
“Alright, I think that’s it for the day!”
I clap my hands together as I survey their bedroom, which has been, for the time being, at least, brought into some state of tidiness.
With Max and Nina insisting on sharing a room, things can get a little chaotic around here pretty easily, but I’ve tried to teach them the importance of tidying up after themselves.
“You want to go get washed up?” I tell them, as I hustle Nina in the direction of the bathroom. “Your dad’s going to be home soon, and we can all have dinner...”
Max and Nina thunder off to the bathroom before I can say another word, and I can’t help but laugh as I watch them go. They’re so enthusiastic about every little thing, and it’s hard not to get caught up with that, especially when it comes to Alexei.
Sure, we might not have sat down and had the conversation with them about the fact that he is actually father to both of them, but the way he has stepped up to take the role for Nina too, I don’t think we have to.
Since we have moved into the townhouse together, it feels like everything has just fallen into place, Alexei spending his days at the mansion keeping on top of his business, and the nights here with us, as we prepare for the arrival of our third child.
Which is only a few weeks away now, as hard as that is to believe. I mean, nit’s not hard to believe when I look at the size of my belly, which feels like it has been growing exponentially these last couple of months.
Nina is the most excited, I think, about her new little sister—she’s certain it’s going to be a girl, though we have not checked the gender yet.
It doesn’t matter to us one way or another, nor does Max seem to care, as he has been helping out in decorating the nursery.
I know the two of them are going to be such amazing siblings to their new best friend, and it’s crazy how far-removed this pregnancy is from my first one.
The knowledge that I’ll be cared for and provided for in the midst of all of this, that the man who got me pregnant is there at my side to help me raise our child. None of the doubt, none of the fear, none of the questions about how I’ll cope with anything.
And Alexei has proved himself a hundred times over to be as dedicated to this as I am.
He has been pulling back from work, allowing Ilya to step up and cover for him wherever possible, and it seems like things have calmed down since Vinski was dispatched; after what he did to him, nobody dares cause any kind of trouble, not without risking his wrath coming down on them.
Though it’s hard to imagine he is capable of such a thing, given the side of him I’ve come to know.
The sweet, fatherly side, the side that has proved him to be an amazing partner and father to our kids—the part that has gone out of its way to show my sister that she has nothing to worry about, and that this new life he is making for us will not close off things to us but rather open them up.
It has taken Sophie a while to come around to him, but the moment she saw that he adored Nina as much as she did, it was clear that the two of them had found some common ground.
I head downstairs to finish serving up dinner; I’ve been learning to cook, taking a few lessons from Marsha to make sure I’m a bit more capable this time around.
And, just as I take the pot of stew off the stove, I hear a car in the driveway, and the rushing of footsteps down the stairs as Max and Nina go to greet Alexei.
“There you are!”
I laugh as I hear him greet them and stick my head out of the kitchen to see him pulling them into his arms, stooping down on their level and squeezing them close.
When he smiles now, it does not seem to come with the same weight that it did before, as though he has finally let go of something he’d held too long.
“Smells great,” he remarks, as he straightens up to come say hello to me, making his way into the kitchen and wrapping his arms around my waist. “You guys, go set the table, will you?”
“Hope so,” I reply. “I’ve been cooking all day...”
“You shouldn’t be straining yourself like that,” he murmurs, hands on my swollen belly. “You need to rest.”
“I can get plenty of rest when the baby comes along.”
“I think you’re the first person in history to say that,” he teases, and I laugh.
“No, I mean, when the kids start school,” I reply.
Nina and Max are due to begin their formal education at the end of the summer this year, at a beautiful, fancy private school that will hopefully give them a chance to set themselves up for life.
It was tough convincing Alexei to let them sign up for the next term, but he knows it’s the right choice, to let them out into the world, where they can begin to experience everything anew.
“Hmm, right,” he murmurs against my neck, as he drops a kiss there. I can hear the kids clattering around in the next room, getting everything set up for dinner, but when Alexei touches me like that, it feels like everything else drops away for a moment.
“And how long do you think it’s going to take them to set the table?” he adds, as he turns me around to face him so he can kiss me properly. I grin against his lips.
“Probably not long enough,” I remark, and he chuckles, bringing his hands to my hips.
“Guess I’ll just have to make the most of you while I have you then,” he replies.
And, as he kisses me again, a warm rush of happiness passes through me.
Kids in the next room, dinner on the stove, and this man who loves me determined to show me in any way he can.
It might have been a messy, looping path to get to this moment, but now that I’m here, I know that I wouldn’t have it any other way.
My future, my family, my life. All contained in this perfect home, with the man who has crafted my world with joy I couldn’t even have imagined.
And a life I can’t wait to live out at his side.
The End.
My dearest reader, thank you for reading Nanny for the Mafia King!
If, like me, you couldn’t get enough of Cara and Alexei, then click here to get your bonus epilogue.
P.S. If you enjoyed reading Nanny for the Mafia King, then I think you’ll enjoy The Pakhan’s Secret Babies! Swipe to the next page for a quick sneak peek…