Epilogue
Two Months Later
Alora
I typically hadn’t celebrated my birthday in the past because it was the anniversary of Jameson’s “death.” But now, I had every reason in the world to celebrate.
Kreos had put together a small party for me of just close friends and family. He had really outdone himself with the decorations, transforming the conservatory into something out of a fairytale. The black crystal chandeliers were draped in roses and ivy, and my portfolio photos were beautifully displayed around the room. He’d even set up a photo area with a photographer to capture every single moment.
For once, my birthday wasn’t a terrible reminder of my loss. It was all about the new family I had gained.
Of course, Kreos had gone crazy with the presents, even though I’d told him not to. I was utterly stunned when I opened the deed to the abandoned church. It was mine now, and he said we could restore it to anything I wanted. That wasn’t even the wildest present, though. He got me a summer villa in Italy and a rare camera from 1955, once owned by the renowned photographer Maria Rilloka, and we were going to work with a Manhattan realtor to find a building so I could open the gallery of my dreams.
But I had my own gift for him, which I saved for last.
Jameson sat down next to me, bumping his shoulder against mine. “You’ve got that look on your face.”
“What look?” I chuckled as I took a sip of my juice.
“The one that says you have a secret and can barely contain yourself.”
It was amazing how well he knew me, even after all those years apart. I’d finally opened the blue envelope, the one he’d given to me on my eighth birthday. I’d cried so hard when I’d pulled out three tickets to the Met. Even back then, he’d known how much something like that would have meant to me. There was also a hand-drawn card inside of me, Mom, and him, which was now prominently displayed in my office.
Jameson shifted in his seat, muttering an “oh, great,” under his breath.
I followed his gaze to Bela, who had just arrived and was struggling to carry an enormous present.
“Still can’t play nice with my sister-in-law?” I teased. Something had happened between the two of them over the last two or three months, but I didn’t know what. All I knew was Jameson got really aggravated every time Bela came around. If you asked me, I would say it was more like romantic tension, and not hatred. But what did I know?
“I’m gonna go… somewhere else.” He pressed a kiss to my cheek and went in the opposite direction.
Across the room, I caught Mira, Margot, and Constantine hovering near the cakes. My eyes narrowed as they circled my special chocolate cake like vultures. A surge of irrational anger swept through me. That was my special cake from Kreos.
God, these damn hormones of mine were turning me into a cake-guarding demon.
Mira came over, her hands raised in the air. “We weren’t going to eat any of your cake, I promise.” She grinned and grabbed my hand, dragging me over to the bar. “You looked like you were about to murder us.”
“Of course not,” I scoffed. If only she knew how right she was.
“Have you heard from Dove?” she asked as she grabbed two glasses and poured us some champagne.
I shook my head as worry ran through me. There had been some new developments in Dove’s case. But that was thanks to Gavriil, and not the FBI. He had taken Dove with him on a trip, and they had been gone almost a month. Kreos assured me they were OK—it was for their own safety that they didn’t contact us too much, but he had talked to Gavriil and they were just fine.
I just hoped she would come home soon. There were so many things I had to tell her.
She wasn’t the only one missing from my party. Solene still hadn’t come to terms with my relationship with Kreos and refused to talk to me. It broke my heart that she wouldn’t give me a chance to explain. Every time I called her, it went straight to voicemail. And the one time I’d showed up at the bar, she hid in the back and wouldn’t come out. Mira told me she just needed time to accept my new life. I didn’t understand why she couldn’t see past everything that had happened. She was willing to give up all those years of great friendship, and it hurt.
As for Dylan, he’d finally called me. He’d been in hiding with his motorcycle crew because they thought Kreos was going to kill them for stealing from him. When I told him I was married to Kreos now, he nearly lost his mind. Kreos obviously didn’t trust him, so there was no way he was coming to my party.
“Cheers, birthday girl.” Mira clinked her glass against mine.
I raised my glass to my lips, about to take a drink, but then froze.
No, bad girl.
I set the glass down and reached for a bottle of water instead. Mira raised an eyebrow. A second later her eyes went wide.
“No, you’re not.” Her mouth hung open.
“No, I’m not what?” I laughed, pushing my hair behind my ear.
“You dirty girl, you. Does he know?”
Damn, she was good. I knew the women who worked at Kreos’ clubs were trained to get information out of people, and Mira worked there, but I’d had no idea she was that observant.
“No, I’m about to go tell him.” I searched around the room, looking for Kreos.
“Go on then.” She smacked my ass. “Don’t let me stop you.”
I grabbed the present I had wrapped earlier, a small black box with a red ribbon, and walked over, sitting in Kreos’ lap.
“Hmm,” he murmured, brushing his lips against mine. “I missed you.”
“I was gone for only five minutes.” I giggled, relaxing into him. “I know I’m the birthday girl, but I got you something, too.”
He eyed the box and set down his drink. “You didn’t have to do that, kotic .”
My heart raced as he opened the box. Inside was my first ultrasound, taken yesterday. I’d had to bribe Tash and Grig not to tell Kreos where we’d gone, otherwise they would have ruined my surprise.
Kreos froze for a moment as he stared inside the box. For the first time since I’d known him, it seemed he was at a loss for words.
“Is this… are you…?” His gaze snapped to mine. “Are we…?”
“You’re going to be a father,” I whispered, watching as his face transformed into pure joy.
He pulled me into his arms and then stood up, swinging me around in a circle. “I’m going to be a father!” he shouted, and the entire room erupted in applause and laughter.
Constantine shouted he was going to be the favorite uncle, which started an argument between him and Jameson. Obviously, Bela had to jump in as well.
“I love you so fucking much, milaya ,” Kreos whispered against my lips. “In this life, and the next.”
As he sat down and pulled me back into his lap, already placing a protective hand over my stomach, I realized Kreos had given me the greatest present ever.
A future I’d never dreamed was possible.
Thank you for reading Ruthless Bonds! I hope you enjoyed this dark bratva romance.