Epilogue
Nikita
Ican’t believe I’m about to marry the beautiful, amazing woman walking towards me.
She looks like an angel with her white dress and long, blonde hair.
She’s wearing the jewelry I bought for her, and even though it looks gorgeous, that’s not what’s making my chest ache right now.
It’s the dimple that’s impossible to hide with how huge her smile is, the way her blue eyes are already shiny with tears, and the small baby bump the dress highlights.
I’m obsessed with that tiny bump, and I love that she didn’t try to hide it today.
When they’re finally in front of me and Phil puts his daughter’s hand in mine, I feel my throat tighten, because I know he’s just handed me the world.
I know it for the gift it is, and when I meet his eyes and nod, he understands what I’m telling him.
His daughter will be safe with me, she will be loved by me, and she will always be the center of my life.
“You’re so beautiful, Van,” I whisper when it’s just the two of us facing one another.
Tears are already running down her cheeks, and when it comes time for her to say I do, I’m right there with her. This woman always cracks me wide open. I can’t help it, though. She’s my wife, and she’s carrying our baby.
I cup her face, using my thumbs to gently brush the tears away, and then I lean in and make our marriage official with our first kiss as husband and wife.
Everything about Savanna always feels like I’m returning home, and this kiss is no different.
It may be our first one as a married couple, but it feels like I’ve spent lifetimes doing this with her.
Our family cheers, and I know this is the happiest I’ve ever been and that every moment after this is only going to get better.
Her mouth is soft against mine, her pregnant body pressing into me, and when I open my eyes, the first thing I see is the sparkle in hers.
My wife is glowing. She looks so goddamn radiant.
I’m not sure if it’s because she’s as happy as I am or if it’s the hormones and I don’t care.
She’s stunning, and she takes my breath away.
“I love you, Van,” I tell her as I scoop her into my arms and turn to face our families.
She laughs and wraps her arms around my neck. “I love you, too.”
I carry my wife and our baby into the crowd. Everyone surrounds us, excited and eager to congratulate us. We spend the night eating and dancing and laughing and watching the others drink way too much.
When she starts to get tired, I sit my wife on my lap and we watch everyone let loose. Damien and Ev come over to sit down with us. Damien hands me a plate of fruit and cheese in case Savanna’s hungry. She gives him a big smile and pops a grape in her mouth.
Ev laughs when Dominic is pulled out onto the dance floor by Isabella.
She twirls around in her frilly pink dress, and soon Vitya joins them with a smiling Samantha.
Luka carries Mira out, Val grins and walks over with Veya, and soon my brother joins them with a tiny Lyra.
My niece is sucking on a pink pacifier and has no idea what’s going on, but as long as her daddy is holding her, she’s happy to go along with it.
“Damn, the family is growing, and it’s becoming very female-dominated,” Damien says while raising a brow at me.
I laugh and caress the small baby bump that my palm is pressed against. “I have no control over the sex of our baby, Damien.”
“Well, you’re having six, so the chances are high that at least one or two of them will be boys,” he says.
“Maybe,” Ev says with a laugh. “Could be all girls.”
I smile at the image, but then panic when I think about them dating. “I want girls, but they need brothers to protect them.”
Savanna pats my hand and kisses my cheek before grabbing a strawberry. “I’ll do my best, babe,” she says before taking a bite.
I grin at her and let out an exaggerated groan when our Uncle Vitaly walks over with a plate full of cake.
Get the Scoop provided our wedding cake, of course, and Adele outdid herself on the flowers.
She’s getting really good at decorating, and my uncle keeps upping her salary so she’ll never quit.
She has to be the highest paid cake decorator in the entire state.
Once our uncle has finished chewing the enormous bite he just took, he points his fork at Damien and Ev. “You’re the last ones,” he tells them in case they hadn’t realized they’re the only unmarried cousins left. “Better get on it.”
“I’m too busy,” Ev says while giving Damien a grin. “It’s all you, cuz.”
“Can we talk about something else?” Damien asks. He looks at our huge family and then asks our uncle, “Isn’t that enough? I mean, look at how big our family is.”
“Of course it’s not enough,” Uncle Vitaly says, making it clear he thinks the very idea of too much family is ridiculous.
“Find a girl, make some babies.” Not giving Damien the chance to argue, he turns back to Ev.
“You can’t hide behind your degree forever.
You’re smart enough to multitask, and we all know it. ”
With those parting words, he takes another bite and walks off to where our Aunt Katya is waving him over from the dance floor.
“God, no pressure, right?” Damien asks with a soft laugh.
“Don’t worry about it,” Ev says. “Cindy and Sav are pregnant, so that’ll distract him for a while, and you know one of the others is going to get pregnant again soon.”
“True enough,” Damien says. He watches our family on the dance floor for a few minutes before adding, “Bran asked me to come out for a visit this summer. Maybe I’ll take him up on it.
Might be nice to escape for a little bit.
” He looks over at us and quickly says, “If everyone is okay with it. It’s been pretty quiet lately, but I can always fly back if I’m needed. ”
I know he and Bran FaceTime every once in a while so Damien can practice sign language, so I’m not at all surprised that he’s been invited to visit again.
“You should come, too,” he tells Ev. “You’re on summer break. You won’t have to worry about always hiding away when you’re on the other side of the country.”
With the sleeves of his dress shirt rolled up, he looks relaxed, not caring that his ink is on display since we’re so far out of the city.
I know he gets sick of hiding, and I’m not surprised when he nods and says, “I’ll think about it.
It’d be nice to have a vacation before classes start back up again. ”
Knowing they’ve managed to escape the pressure of finding a wife for a little bit, they both relax and eventually join the others on the dance floor. Savanna stays in my lap, eating her fill, and smiling at the way Sasha keeps making Cindy take breaks from dancing so he can hand her food and water.
“This is perfect,” she says, turning to face me. “I’m so glad you worked up the courage to ask me out.”
“Me too,” I say, “but there was never a chance that I wasn’t going to. I just knew you were out of my league. You still are.”
She laughs and kisses my nose ring. “You’re nuts.”
With my hand still pressed against our baby, I kiss my wife and savor every second of this moment. I’m surrounded by family, holding my entire world in my lap, and I can’t think of a single thing that would make this any better than it already is.
It’s perfection.
I nuzzle my wife’s neck, drinking in the scent of her, feeling myself grow hard beneath her round ass. She feels it, too, and gives an appreciative moan, rocking her hips just enough to drive me crazy.
“You think anyone would notice if we disappeared for a little bit?” she asks, making me smile against her skin.
I nip at the crook of her neck. “The better question is would I care if they did?” The wet heat of my tongue has her rocking her hips again. “The answer is no, Van. I think they’re all expecting us to sneak off anyway.”
She turns her head to look at me. A blush has crept up her cheeks, and her blue eyes are downright hungry. “Better not disappoint them then.” The dimple I love so much reveals itself when she says, “Come on, Niki. I want to be alone with my husband.”
I doubt there will ever be a time when I don’t grin at hearing her call me that. So, with a huge smile on my face, I lift my wife in my arms and start to carry her inside. We don’t get far before an eruption of catcalls and whistles echoes around us.
Savanna laughs, and even though her cheeks turn an even brighter shade of red, she smiles and waves at our crazy family before we disappear inside.
My wife in my arms and our baby growing inside her remind me of everything I have to lose and why I keep doing what I’m doing.
They will always be protected. I failed Savanna once, and it will never happen again.
Everything I do from this moment on will be to keep our family safe, because family is everything.
Pulling her closer against me, I carry her to our room, determined to worship every inch of my wife and remind her just how much she’s loved.
THE END
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