Chapter 29 - Roman
I never thought the day would come when the estate would feel like a true home instead of just the place I retreated to. But with light spilling in through the tall windows, casting its warmth across everything, I know that day has arrived after all.
As a first for everyone in quite some time, there’s no tension. No orders being barked, and no wondering when the other shoe will drop.
Instead, there’s peace. Lighthearted laughter and contentment.
I also never thought I’d find myself sitting on a loveseat next to my wife, surrounded by my siblings and all the gifts they picked out for us.
And yet, that’s exactly where I am.
It seems odd for a house like this one to be the location of a baby shower, of all things, but somehow, it works, and I’m not going to complain about it.
Elena insisted on the main living room being completely transformed just for the event, much to my insistence that it was completely unnecessary.
Of course, I can never say no to her; thus, everything was moved and decorated.
I’ll admit, she has an eye for it.
Pale blue balloons twist around archways and the decorative columns. There are far too many cakes and desserts spread around the room, and I swear, there are enough gifts from the group to keep the baby supplies stocked for a few years.
Everything about it is wholesome and far more touching than anything I’ve experienced before. It almost makes me wonder what happened to my real family.
And Victoria…she has spent the whole day looking nothing short of divine. Like the one gift I’ve been waiting for my whole life. And now, she’s giving me one of her own.
Even my brothers managed to soften up for the occasion, surprising me with their enthusiasm over tiny socks and whatever gimmicky onesies they could get their hands on that made them laugh harder than I’ve heard from them in a long time.
“Check those bad boys out,” Sergey says, grinning ear to ear while Victoria opens up a small box containing a tiny pair of soft leather boots. “Now that’s style.”
I lift a brow at the interesting choice. “What, styling the little guy after me already?”
He scoffs. “Of course not. That’s entirely Victoria’s influence.”
I roll my eyes at that, but I end up chuckling. “You know what…I think you’re right.”
My cheeks hurt from smiling, but I still can’t stop myself as more warmth moves through my heart, reminding me of just how perfect this moment has turned out.
And more importantly, Victoria looks beyond pleased while she holds the boots up. “Maybe I’ll teach him my ways.”
Mikhail snorts. “Something involving less biting, I hope.”
Well aware of what he’s insinuating, I try to suppress my smirk, but it’s a challenge.
“And forget that crowning moment? That would be a travesty,” Sergey adds, surprising me by not being the one to bring it up first.
After the night we confronted Maxim, he made a noted effort to remind everyone of how Victoria helped us take Maxim down. He even refers to her as an ‘ honorary member of the Bratva .’
While it was certainly more than enough action to include Victoria in for both of our nerves, I can tell she enjoys the sentiment.
In a way, I don’t mind it either.
Everyone has been nothing short of welcoming to Victoria, not acting cagey or hesitant like they easily could.
Even Nikolai gifted us a book of Russian lullabies translated into English for us to read. Inside the cover, he wrote a simple note welcoming the baby to the family.
In a way, that note seems to encapsulate it all, reminding me of what the day is—a welcoming.
Once the last of the gifts has been opened, Elena stands, claps once decidedly, and smiles. “It’s time for fresh air and photos!”
At once, my brothers groan, but they still listen to her anyway, following Elena out to the backyard. I chuckle at the way she is almost like an honorary boss in that way. Everyone certainly obliges her like she is one.
As Victoria goes to stand and follow, I gently reach for her wrist, pulling her down onto my lap with ease before wrapping an arm around her back.
Her soft, appreciative gaze meets mine while I gently stroke her cheek with the back of my finger.
“You did well.”
“I did…how so?”
My lips pull faintly. “You’ve done more than just change me…”
She lifts a brow at me, curious and slightly amused. “Oh?”
Humming my amusement, I gently cup her chin to hold her face steady. “You changed this place, you changed me, and it seems you’ve managed to bring out the gentler side of my siblings, too. They never would’ve agreed to something like this before.”
Regardless of how casually I mention it, the sentiment sits with significance in my chest. I can see how it seems to do the same to her.
“I didn’t know how badly I needed this until I finally got it…I didn’t know how much I needed you.”
My words make her soften, and every note of it comes wrapped in absolute sincerity.
“As stubborn as I was about it, I needed you just the same,” she says back, letting the tenderness surrounding us settle in as deeply as it’ll go. “I still do.”
I used to be stingy about sharing my vulnerability, but in this moment, I wear it openly and freely…allowing her to see and feel it without restraint.
Lightly brushing my thumb over her bottom lip, that gentleness fills her gaze, and I lean in to ghost my words against her skin with a faint tease. “I told you to trust me…”
A shiver moves through her, but with some levity, she huffs her amusement and smiles beneath my touch. “And you proved yourself right.”
“You’re damn right I did,” I chuckle, pressing a soft kiss to her cheek before pulling back enough to hover my lips above hers. Sheer adoration moves through me. “…but it seems I’ve only ever been right when it comes to you.”
Without hesitation, Victoria sinks further into my touch, and my mouth drifts closer to hers, seeking out the familiar bliss that always comes with kissing her.
“I won’t argue with that…”
“Roman, Vic—get out here!”
Elena’s voice cuts through the house and that intimate moment, diffusing our subtle tension.
I sigh and tip his head back before murmuring, “So help me…she’s the most demanding thing…”
Chuckling, she presses a light kiss to the end of my nose, making my skin tingle briefly. “You only have yourself to blame for that one.”
My smile widens at that, and a low sound of amusement escapes me. “I created a monster, didn’t I?”
“You certainly did…and we shouldn’t keep her waiting.”
Another vaguely irritated breath leaves my lips at the thought of leaving that spot, but as Victoria goes to stand, I pull her back down once more.
She huffs. “Roman—”
But the moment my lips press against hers, full of warmth and adoration, she stays put and melts instinctively into it.
It’s unlike our usual passionate, hurried kisses—this one’s soft and appreciative, as if we have all the time in the world.
And in the moment, I believe it.
It won’t be just us for long, but for now, I’m more than willing to soak in the time we do have as a pair before we become a trio.