Page 58 of Bratva Daddies for the Single Mom
Viktor braced me on one side, and I felt the trembling of muscles when his arm came around my shoulders.
Ilya had ended Miles Kent, eliminating the threat, but part of me hesitated to let go of Annie.
Doctor Roman stood close to Annie’s head. He flipped her eyelids open one at a time and shined a light into them. “Looks like a light concussion. She’ll need to rest for a few days after she wakes up.”
“We’ll make sure she does,” Viktor answered.
Ilya and I managed to nod that we’d help make that happen.
Doctor Roman moved down Annie’s body, pausing to look at us. “I’m going to check her for broken bones. That means I need to touch her in certain places.”
A laugh rippled out of me. “Don’t worry, Doc, we’re not going to dismantle your limbs for doing your job.”
One side of his mouth hitched up in a soft smile. “Your father once said something similar when I examined you after that fall from the balcony.”
I remembered the fall, the broken bones, and the fear that I’d lost my place in the Bratva family with my foolishness. I did not remember my father having any kind of softness in him.
Doctor Roman worked with quick efficiency, poking around on Annie’s ribs and pressing his hands over her stomach. He stopped momentarily, moved his hands, and pressed again.
“Something wrong?” Viktor started forward. “Internal injuries?”
“One minute.” Doctor Roman held a finger to his lips, motioning for us to be quiet, and brought out a portable machine with a detachable wand. He ran the rounded head over Annie’s stomach and a whooshing sound spread throughout the room.
My stomach wrenched its way into my throat, threatening to choke me if I didn’t get an answer soon for the strange sound.
Ilya stood beside me with his hands on his hips. His weapons poked out from various places on his person, giving him a dangerous air that I’d almost stopped noticing through the years. I imagined him ending Kent, and the thought raised my hand to slap him on the back. “Thank you, Ilya.”
“For what?” He angled his chin toward me but kept his eyes locked on Annie.
“For Kent.” I patted him again and dropped my hand. Viktor’s arm on my shoulders also fell, the three of us bracing for Doctor Roman’s news when he replaced the machine and walked away from the bed.
“Annie is going to be okay. I didn’t find any major injuries other than the concussion. Both she and the baby seem perfectlyhealthy.” He eased his hands into his pockets. “May I assume one of you is the father?”
Good question. I tried to answer, but nothing found its way past the blockage in my throat.
Viktor looked stunned, as did Ilya. We must have all surprised the good doctor because he chuckled. “I’ll see myself out. Call me if anything changes. I’ll text you the symptoms to look for that might require a trip to the hospital.”
My phone pinged seconds after Doctor Roman let himself out of the room. I ignored it in favor of sitting on the edge of the bed and taking Annie’s hand in mine. “You’re pregnant? Why didn’t you tell us?”
“Probably for the same reason she waited to talk about the girls.” Ilya returned to the horsehair chair and placed a gentle hand on Annie’s shoulder.
It was like we’d switched brains. I had all the questions and Ilya gave me calm and reasonable answers.
Viktor took a spot on the other side of the bed and picked up Annie’s hand. He brushed his knuckles across her arm, up to her elbow and down again. “She can’t be too far along.” He grabbed his phone and tapped. “I’ll ask Doctor Roman for an estimation.”
I listened to Viktor’s side of the conversation, his grunts and nods not offering much, while I looked Annie over. Lying flat on her back with her soft shirt smoothed over her stomach, I noted the slight swell. Had I missed it or was it so new that none of us had seen it? Surely, she’d be bigger if the baby belonged to a man she’d slept with before us.
“One of us might be a father.” Ilya set his elbows on the bed and kissed Annie’s temple. “Do we ask her about it when she wakes?”
“I think we have no choice.” Viktor returned the phone to his pocket and resumed stroking Annie’s arm. “In a calm, rational way, of course. No accusations. We need to be careful how weask her. She was concerned about letting the girls meet us. She will be even more careful with a newborn.”
The fact that he understood that about her gave me hope for our future. “I don’t care if either of you is the father. Or if it’s me. We all agreed to be in this together. A baby changes nothing. We are all the father in some way or the other. It is the only way this works out for us.”
“Agreed.” Viktor never looked away from Annie, but the ferocity of his agreement spurred Ilya to nod.
The three of us were connected. We had been our entire lives. It made sense that when it came to love, we’d all fall for the same woman.
“I never thought I’d be a father.” Viktor spoke in a low tone. “I never thought Iwantedto be a father. Now, knowing our child is in her belly, I find I’m happier than I thought possible.”
