Chapter 36 Kalina
KALINA
Four months later…
Misha peered up at me with a quizzical frown.
“What?” I asked, trying hard not to laugh.
Under the late-summer sunshine that cast light shadows over the patio space where we sat to enjoy ice cream, Misha seemed to be working up the courage to ask me something else about the baby.
He admitted that he never wanted to ask Gabriella, Raisa, or Sadie about how any of it “worked”, but he was curious. And I would always welcome my son to ask me anything he wanted to know.
Learning was a wonderful privilege. I doubted I’d ever feel like I’d catch up with all the schooling I’d missed out on for fourteen years, but I was doing my best to reenter society as much as I could.
So I’d be the last person to laugh at him for wondering anything.
“Does it hurt?” he asked.
“Well, I’ve never had a child before.”
He smiled. “But I’m your oldest.”
I nodded. “You are.” But when is your daddy going to start the adoption papers to make it legal?
“However.” I cleared my throat. “From what I’ve been told, yes, it can hurt a lot.”
He winced. “A lot lot?” he asked.
I shrugged, not wanting to lie or be too blunt. I was terrified of the pain of childbirth, and it sounded like it wouldn’t be easy. But I didn’t want to scare him or have him worried about me.
Honestly, it wouldn’t be that big of a deal compared to the other things I’d endured. All those years of beatings, and I’d survived it. Having a baby was a natural thing women did. They were meant to bear children, just not to be bred.
“I’ll be fine,” I promised him.
He raised his brows, skeptical as he licked his ice cream.
“Your mother is a very tough woman,” Alexsei said, seated next to me on the loveseat out here with the mild weather.
“The toughest,” Misha agreed.
He had some authority to state that, too. Misha had unfortunately witnessed my being struck and passing out at the cabin. After that day when the Dubinin task force eliminated the Riveras, the day I’d killed Erik and Yusef, we’d all come back a little worse for wear.
The explosions had gone off just as we’d all escaped.
It was a booby-trap mechanism that the Riveras had hidden, and I was forever grateful that it had been found in time.
I suffered a few bruises and scrapes. Alexsei was a little more cut and injured because he’d blocked me from the explosion.
We were all thrown down and the debris hit his back, but we were all alive.
It couldn’t have been a pretty sight when we came home to the mansion.
The immediate medical attention soothed any worries about our being gravely wounded. And the doctors checked me and the baby obsessively until they deemed us both healthy.
Healthy. And late.
I sighed, rubbing my hand over my large baby bump. I was tied for a record with Raisa for being five days late now. Nothing was comfortable. Everything was itchy. I felt like I wanted to crawl out of my skin with how huge I felt and couldn’t move. But hey, the baby just didn’t want to come out yet.
“Are you excited?” Misha asked.
He was too cute, so curious and chatty tonight.
“I am very excited.”
“Not as excited as I am,” he said.
“Hey. I’m the most excited,” Alexsei said.
“Hmmm.” I raised my hand. “I think I get to claim that.”
I was excited to get this baby out and meet him or her. I was excited to reach my feet and put shoes on. Just being able to reach anything would be great. Yet, I wouldn’t rush it. I wouldn’t panic.
This baby would come when he or she was ready.
Unless… he or she just does not want to.
At that point, I would be induced, and I really hoped to not have to go that route.
It might’ve been silly of me, but I really wanted this to be as natural as possible.
Not forced. Not expected or under an order of medicine.
After too many years of having no control over my life, I wanted to start this little one’s with no contingent factors.
“I’m excited,” I said. “And nervous about the whole process.” Alexsei took my hand and kissed the back of it. “But I’ll be fine. It will all be fine,” I repeated.
So long as this baby wants to come out!
“You forgot impatient,” Alexsei reminded me.
I cringed. “It’s just so hot.”
Misha held up his ice cream to share with me for a cool down.
“And everything gives me heartburn.”
Misha lowered his offer.
“I can’t move. I can’t walk. I can’t even breathe anymore.” The baby kicked and stole my breath right then. “Ow.”
“Can’t you do anything to hurry it up?” Misha asked.
Alexsei and I shared a look.
“We’ve tried,” we said in unison.
That old tip about having sex and counting on an orgasm was nothing more than an old wives’ tale as far as I was concerned. For every day that I was past my due date, Alexsei had made me come multiple times, all of them as potent as ever.
And nothing was happening.
All those attempts to start labor had done was make me more eager to have sex with fewer obstacles in the way, like this belly that had definitely felt heavier with the baby officially dropping for birth.
Any. Day. Now. Please.
“Spicy food, check,” I said.
“Walking up and down stairs, check,” Alexsei said.
“Going for a bumpy ride in the car, check.”
Alexsei laughed. “Weird tea blends, check.”
“Sitting on a balance ball, check.” I sighed deeply, or as deeply as I could.
“But the baby has to come,” Misha said. “There’s so much to do!”
I smiled, thrilled about this new life we’d share. We had picked out a home, but with the changes we wanted to it, it’d be a few months before those renovations were done. In the meantime, we had a nursery ready to go here. The others in the mansion were getting ready to help me after delivery.
We had a bright, happy future to start, but this baby just wasn’t ready.
“We won’t have much time before the wedding,” Misha said.
As soon as the words slipped out of his mouth, his eyes went large. He slapped both hands over his mouth and stared at Alexsei.
“Who’s getting married?” I asked with a slight laugh. I could play along.
“Well, I was kind of hoping we might.” Alexsei chuckled.
“Misha!” Gabriella’s hiss of a whisper sounded from behind a shrub.
I leaned over, or tried to, and saw her peering at us from behind a curtain and next to the tall potted shrub on the patio. “What…”
She held her phone up, like she was going to take a video. Now she was giving Misha a stern look and he cringed.
“Sorry…” Misha said.
Alexsei was still chuckling.
“Ask her already!” Gabriella said, holding her phone up.
He smiled, turning to face me as he got down on one knee. “I was hoping to ask you when the baby was born.”
Now I was laughing. “Who knows when that’ll be!”
With love shining in his eyes, he took my hand and held it. “Hopefully soon. But now that the secret is out…” He held up a ring box and revealed a dazzling diamond ring. In the low light of the setting sun, it sparkled like the rarest gem on earth.
“Even though it’s not the big moment I had been waiting for, I would love to ask you something important.”
My cheeks hurt with how wide I smiled.
“Kalina, would you make me the happiest man in the universe and be my wife?”
“Say yes!” Misha pumped his hand in the air.
I leaned toward him with the plan to kiss him. Then I shifted and squirmed, rocking to get the momentum to sit more upright.
“Oh, just—” I pulled on his hand to get him to me. We laughed, but once I had him closer, I cupped his face and kissed him.
“Is that a yes?” Misha asked as we kissed and kissed, pecking soft presses to each other’s lips as we smiled.
“Yes. It is a yes,” I told him. Staring into Alexsei’s eyes, I sighed happily. “Yes, I would love to be your wife.”
He kissed me harder, keeping his hand on my cheek. “I love you,” he whispered as Misha ran around and danced.
“I love you too,” I replied.
“I really wanted to make the moment special,” he admitted.
“It is special,” I insisted. “No matter the timing, it would always be special because you are the man asking me.”
Happy tears filled my eyes as he slid the gorgeous ring onto my finger. Ahead, hiding in the shadows, Gabriella taped it all.
“You will never want for anything, Kalina,” Alexsei swore before he kissed my knuckle above where the ring sat.
“No? Really?” I huffed a laugh. “Because I really want this baby to come out.”
He laughed, sitting with me again and draping his arm around my shoulders. Misha came toward us and hugged us both. We were all so happy, and he was a chatterbox about all the new changes he couldn’t wait for.
“And you’ll get the paperwork, right?” he asked Alexsei. “So she can officially adopt me and be my mommy?”
He nodded. “We’ll get the paperwork done.”
“Before the baby is born?” he asked, clearly impatient to make sure I would be his mother.
“Hey!” I groaned. “It can’t take that much longer!” I hope!
“Did you try the trick about chewing gum?” Gabriella asked as she came out to join us. Others were coming closer, too, their voices nearby like they’d all known Alexsei was going to propose tonight.
“Chewing gum?” Raisa asked. She blew a raspberry as she held Roman. He smiled, amused. “That didn’t work.”
“Nothing is working,” I protested. Then I let out another light groan. “Now I need to go. Again.”
Alexsei stood, ready to help me get to my feet so I could go to the bathroom. Again.
Once I was upright, though, the women stared at the floor.
“Apparently, getting engaged worked,” Sadie quipped.
I looked down, fearing the horrible idea that I’d peed myself with how long it had taken me to get up.
“The baby’s coming!” Gabriella exclaimed.
I blinked, stunned by the liquid on the floor from my water breaking.
As nervousness and excitement returned inside me, I gave Alexsei a weak, silly smile. “You almost got the timing you wanted.”
He laughed once and joined in the rush to call the doctor.