“Because I say we did it right. They should just steal our blueprint.”
“I kidnapped you.” I shake my head with a roll of my eyes.
“But you did a veryyyy good job at it,” she sings and pokes my nose. I take hold of her wrist and bring it up to my lips, kissing her hand.
“It didn’t turn out so bad for us, did it now?” she whispers.
“No,” I agree, my thumb now tracing the curve of her cheek. “It didn’t.”
She shifts closer and now rests her head against my shoulder. “What else happened at the meeting?”
I sigh, remembering the more disturbing news. “The Kuznetsovs are gathering strength again. Micky’s younger brother, Valentin, has taken over leadership, and he’s recruiting men who were loyal to Viktor.”
Arina stiffens against me. “Do you think they’ll come after us?”
“Maybe,” I say, not wanting to lie to her. “But definitely not yet. They’re still licking their wounds, and we have time to prepare.”
She reaches up to touch my face, her fingers light against my jaw. “I hope it doesn’t happen anytime soon. You’ve got too much on your plate. You look tired.”
“I am,” I admit. “But seeing you always makes me feel better.”
She laughs quietly. “Such a romantic.”
“Only with you,” I murmur, and it’s true. Before Arina, I never knew I could put my heart in someone’s hands. Her hands.
“Come here,” she says, tugging me closer.
I sink lower into bed until I’m lying flat, and she turns to face me, her body fitting against mine as if she were made for me. “I’ve been thinking…” she says, her voice tentative.
“Dangerous,” I tease, and she pokes me in the ribs.
“Be serious. Remember what we talked about? Starting a family?”
My heart rate picks up. “I remember.”
She takes my hand and places it low on her abdomen. At first, I don’t understand, but then her meaning hits me like a punch to the gut.
“Are you pregnant?” I ask, hope spreading through me like wildfire.
She nods, her eyes shining. “I found out this morning. I wanted to tell you right away, but I thought it should be special.”
“Arina,” I gasp, overwhelmed by the news. “We’re having a baby?”
“We’re having a baby,” she confirms, and I crush her to me, burying my face in her hair.
It’s too much to process—the idea that we’ve created something together, a new life that’s part her, part me.
“You’re happy?” she asks, pulling back to search my face.
“Happy doesn’t begin to cover it.” I kiss her then, pouring everything I feel into it. All my love, my gratitude, my awe at this woman who has turned my life around in the best possible way.
When we break apart, she’s smiling, tears glistening in her eyes. “Our families might actually get along now, with a baby to fuss over.”
“This changes everything,” I agree, placing my hand over her stomach once more, marveling at the miracle happening beneath my palm.
She yawns suddenly, trying to hide it behind her hand.
“You should sleep,” I say, kissing her temple.
