Chapter 36
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
Kirill
Two weeks later...
It’s been two weeks since Michael and Ivan died. For the first time in what feels like forever, everyone is beginning to breathe again.
Not because the danger is gone, that will never happen in our world. Men like us don’t get the luxury of living without enemies. Kill one, and another inevitably crawls out of the shadows, eager to take his place.
But the immediate threat is over. The war that has consumed us for weeks is finally behind us.
We’re gathered in the Morozov estate’s sprawling garden, taking advantage of the warm afternoon. The long dining table is filled with food, empty wine glasses, and easy conversation.
Mikhail and Artyom’s wives are back from the safe houses.
I watch the two men as both hover over their pregnant wives like hawks, their attention never straying far for more than a few seconds.
Every time one of the women shifts in her chair, one of them is already asking if she’s comfortable, if she needs water, if she wants to sit somewhere cooler.
I can’t even make fun of them. If I’d been forced to spend weeks away from Milana while she carried my child, I’d probably be worse.
The thought catches me off guard. My gaze drifts to the woman sitting beside me.
Milana is listening to one of Irina’s stories, smiling softly.
Without meaning to, I picture her with a rounded belly. Our child growing inside her. The image is so vivid I almost forget to breathe.
A year ago, the idea would’ve terrified me. Marriage, children, a family. Those were things other men dreamed about. Men who hadn’t lived the life I’d lived.
Now the thought doesn’t scare me in the slightest. Because it’s Milana. Anything involving her somehow doesn’t feel frightening anymore.
Instead, it feels right. I wonder if she’d ever want that. If she’d want children someday. If she’d want to build that kind of life with me.
And if she doesn’t, that’s fine too. I don’t need anything else as long as I have her.
I lean closer until our shoulders brush. “You okay?” I ask quietly.
She turns those beautiful eyes on me and smiles. “I’m fine.”
“You sure?”
She nods once, reaching beneath the table to lace her fingers through mine.
I squeeze her hand before letting go, and our attention returns to the conversation flowing around the table.
Oleg, Mikhail and Irina’s son, suddenly pushes back his chair. “I want to go play ball with Boris!”
The dog, already sensing what’s coming, jumps to its feet, tail wagging furiously.
Irina laughs. “Be careful!” she calls after him.
Oleg races across the lawn, Boris bounding after him. Moments later, he’s throwing a bright red tennis ball across the far end of the garden while the dog tears after it with endless enthusiasm.
Not long after, the women begin pushing back their chairs.
“I’m done,” Irina says.
“So am I,” Milana agrees.
One by one, they stand, chatting among themselves as they wander toward the poolside patio. Their laughter carries easily across the garden.
They’re still close enough for us to see them, but far enough away to enjoy their own conversation.
A team of maids starts clearing the dishes, disappearing back into the house once the table has been cleaned.
The moment they’re out of earshot, I look across at Mikhail and Artyom.
“I need to talk to both of you.”
They exchange a brief glance before turning back to me.
Mikhail leans back in his chair. “What’s going on?”
I draw in a slow breath. “I want to ask Milana to marry me.”
Silence settles over the table.
“I came to ask for your blessing.”
The words taste foreign in my mouth. Truthfully, I don’t need their permission. If I wanted to marry Milana tomorrow, nothing and no one could stop me. Certainly not her brothers.
I’ve never asked another man for permission to do anything in my life. But this isn’t about me.
It’s about Milana. She loves these men, values their opinions, respects them. And I know getting her brothers’ approval would make her happy.
Both brothers look at me with surprise written across their faces. Mikhail is the first to recover, leaning back in his chair with a half-smile.
“Is this a joke?”
I meet his gaze steadily. “Do you see a smile on my face?”
Mikhail chuckles. “So that means I’m going to have to deal with seeing your face more often. At family dinners and all that.”
I smirk. “Trust me, the feeling is mutual. I’d rather see anything other than your face.”
Artyom finally speaks, looking me squarely in the eye. “You want to marry my sister.”
“Yes,” I say without hesitation. “I love her. I can’t imagine a life without her. So I’m going to marry her.”
They fall silent for a moment. Artyom leans forward.
“I don’t like you. I still haven’t forgiven the fact that you looked us in the eyes and lied to us for weeks while you were working with our enemy.
You should understand why I’m cautious about someone like that marrying my sister.
But you also made the right choice in the end and came clean. ”
Deep down, I smile inwardly. Whatever they say, regardless of their response, I’m still going to propose to Milana. And if she accepts, I’m going to marry her anyway.
Artyom continues, “But I’ve seen the way my sister is around you. I know you make her happy. And what I want for my sisters is for them to be happy.”
Mikhail nods in agreement. “Same here.”
Artyom sighs. “Well, I guess I would have to give my blessing. So long as that’s what my sister wants.”
Mikhail echoes him. “Agreed.”
As those words leave his mouth, a new voice creeps in. What if she says no? What if she doesn’t want to marry me? What if I’ve been reading the situation wrong all this time?
For the first time in my life, I feel a flicker of real panic. I quickly tell myself to calm down. There’s no need. I love Milana. She loves me too, she’s told me that more than once.
I’ve seen the way she looks at me, the way she reaches for me in her sleep. Of course she wants to spend the rest of her life with me. But the small voice lingers. What if?
Mikhail leans back in his chair, a half-smirk on his face. “At least Kirill has the decency to ask.”
He turns to Maxim, who has been quiet this whole time. “Unlike this asshole here, who didn’t ask but just went ahead and kidnapped our sisters.”
Maxim scoffs. “I did not kidnap them. Do you even know the meaning of kidnap? I took them and brought them to Artyom, and then took the one I wanted.”
Artyom growls, eyes narrowing. “Don’t remind me if you don’t want a bullet in your head.”
Maxim leans back in his seat, completely unbothered, a lazy grin spreading across his face. “You wouldn’t dare put a bullet in my head. Because before you did that, I would have already done it to you. Besides, Calina would kill you if you hurt her husband.”
Artyom rubs his temple, looking genuinely pained. “Why my sisters have to end up with men like you two is beyond me.”
Maxim chuckles, turning to me. “Welcome to the family.”
Milana
The cool water laps gently against my calves as I idly kick my feet beneath the surface. Beside me, Calina, Irina, and Kira do the same, our sandals abandoned on the stone patio.
A few yards away, Oleg’s laughter rings through the garden.
“Go, Boris!” he shouts, hurling the tennis ball across the lawn.
The dog bolts after it with impressive speed, disappearing behind a flower bed before racing back with the ball clamped proudly between his jaws.
I can’t help smiling.
The men are still gathered around the dining table. Whatever they’re talking about seems serious enough to keep them rooted to their seats long after we’ve finished eating.
I glance in their direction. As if sensing it, Kirill lifts his head. Our eyes meet across the garden. Heat curls low in my stomach.
God. How does one man manage to undress me with nothing more than a look? A smile finds my lips before I shake my head and tear my gaze away.
“Oh…” Calina draws the word out dramatically. “I know that smile.”
“What smile?” I ask, feigning innocence.
“The one you reserve exclusively for your ridiculously handsome boyfriend,” Irina says with a grin.
Kira laughs. “You two were practically having an entire conversation with your eyes.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Liar,” Calina sings.
I groan, dropping my face into my hands. “You people are impossible.”
Kira nudges my shoulder.
“So…” She wiggles her brows. “Tell us.”
“What?”
“What’s he like?”
Calina gasps dramatically. “Kira!”
“What?” Kira laughs. “I’m talking about as a boyfriend.”
“Oh.” Calina presses a hand to her chest.
Laughter ripples through the four of us. When it dies down, three pairs of expectant eyes settle on me.
I shake my head, already feeling warmth creeping into my cheeks.
Irina smiles knowingly. “You’re in love.”
It’s not even a question. I don’t bother denying it. Instead, I smile. “I am.”
My gaze drifts back toward the garden where Kirill is still seated with my brothers and Maxim. “I really love him.”
There’s a softness in my voice that surprises even me.
“For the longest time…” I admit quietly, “I’d watch my brothers with all of you.”
I look between Irina, and Kira.
“The way Mikhail looks at you, Irina. The way Artyom practically worships the ground you walk on, Kira. The way Maxim looks at Calina like she’s the only woman in existence.”
A smile tugs at my lips. “I used to envy that. I wanted what you had. I wanted someone who looked at me the way your husbands look at you.”
Someone who felt like home. Someone who chose me every single day. I smile to myself. “And now I have that.”
I glance toward him again, and right on cue, he looks over. It’s almost as if he can feel whenever I’m thinking about him.
“I don’t think I’ve ever been this happy.”
Warm smiles spread across their faces.
“You deserve to be,” Irina says softly.
Calina reaches over and gives my hand a gentle squeeze. “I'm so happy for you, Mila.”
Kira nods, smiling. “You really do deserve this kind of love.”
Emotion swells in my chest as I look at my sister and sisters-in-law. “Thank you.”
We fall into easy conversation after that. Irina shifts slightly, hand resting on her belly, and suddenly her face lights up. “Oh—there it is again.”
Immediately all attention shifts to her.
“Can I feel it?” Calina asks excitedly.
Irina nods, taking Calina's hand and putting it on her belly.
“Me too.” I scoot closer, placing my hand gently over the curve of her belly.
For a second, nothing. Then suddenly, a tiny thump presses against my palm. I gasp.
“Oh my God.”
Another little kick. Calina's eyes widen. “I felt that!”
“It never gets old,” Irina says, rubbing absentmindedly over her own stomach.
Kira smiles knowingly. “Give it a few months, and you’ll be begging them to stop kicking your ribs.”
We all laugh.
“We should actually get in the pool instead of just staring at it.”
Calina’s suggestion is met with immediate agreement.
“I was thinking the same thing,” Kira says, pushing herself to her feet with a small grunt.
We slip our feet out of the water and head toward the house together. Oleg is still running around the garden with Boris, while the men remain seated at the table.
We’re halfway to the patio doors when I hear my name.
“Milana.”
I glance over my shoulder. Arytom is walking toward me.
“I’ll catch up with you,” I tell the others.
I turn back to my brother. “What’s up?”
He stops in front of me. “I need to talk to you.”
A tiny knot forms in my stomach. “Is everything okay?”
His expression softens. “No.” Then he huffs. “I mean… yes. Everything’s fine.”
I raise an eyebrow. “You’re confusing me.”
Instead of answering, his gaze shifts over my shoulder. Instinctively, I follow it.
Kirill is still seated at the table with Maxim and Mikhail. Whatever Maxim is saying has him listening intently, but even from here, I catch him glancing in our direction.
His eyes meet mine for a brief second before returning to the conversation. When I look back, Artyom is watching me.
“This Kirill…”
My heartbeat picks up slightly. “What about him?”
“I know I’ve asked you before. But I want to ask you again.” He studies my face for a long moment. “Do you really love him?”
The question catches me off guard. I don’t even have to think about the answer. “Yes.”
His expression doesn’t change. “You’re sure?”
I smile. “I’ve never been surer of anything.”
He stays quiet, waiting. I know he wants more than a one-word answer.
So I give it to him. “He makes me happy. I love him more deeply than I ever thought I could love another person. I—”
“Okay.” Artyom lifts a hand. “That’s enough.” He pinches the bridge of his nose, and exhales dramatically. “The more you talk, the more reasons I find to go put a bullet in his head.”
I smack his arm. “You are not shooting my boyfriend.”
He cracks a smile. “I’m kidding. Mostly.”
I narrow my eyes at him. “If you shoot him, I’ll never forgive you.”
He sighs toward the sky. “See? This is exactly what I mean.”
He shakes his head before growing serious again. “I know you love him, but listen to me, if there ever comes a day when he hurts you…”
His eyes lock onto mine.
“If you ever decide you don’t want to be with him anymore, you come to me. If that man ever gives you a reason to leave him…”
His jaw flexes. “Just say the word, and I’ll put a bullet in the motherfucker’s head.”
I groan and swat his arm again. “Will you stop threatening to shoot my boyfriend?”
“Just saying.”
My smile softens. “I’m glad I’ve always had you. You’ve always had my back. You and Mikhail.” My voice grows quieter. “I don’t think I’ve ever thanked you enough for that.”
His expression shifts almost imperceptibly.
“But…” I continue, “…maybe it’s time you carry a little less.”
“You have your own family now. Kira needs you. Your baby needs you. You don’t have to keep carrying Calina and me on your shoulders.”
He frowns. “Neither of you has been a burden.” He shakes his head. “I don’t care if you’re both married. You and Calina will always be my responsibility, and I’ll always look out for the two of you.”
The words hit me harder than I expect, and before I can stop myself, I throw my arms around Artyom.
He stiffens immediately. I smile against his chest. There it is, the awkwardness.
Calina and I have spent years tormenting him with hugs because we know he never knows what to do with them.
After a second, one of his hands comes up and gives my back an awkward pat.
I hug him a little tighter. “Thank you. For everything.”