Total pages in book: 67
Estimated words: 63165 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 316(@200wpm)___ 253(@250wpm)___ 211(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 63165 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 316(@200wpm)___ 253(@250wpm)___ 211(@300wpm)
After a while, the nurse comes in to check my vitals and tells me I can go home in the morning. Lev refuses to wait that long, stating he has a personal physician on calls to see to all of my needs. He signs whatever forms she hands him, and by midnight, we’re in the car heading back to the penthouse.
The ride is quiet. Streetlights flash across his face as he drives, and I watch the tension in his jaw, the way his hand grips the wheel. He looks calm, but I can tell he’s still wired from everything that happened. I reach over and rest my hand on his arm.
“You don’t have to protect me every second,” I say softly. “We can breathe now.”
He glances at me, then back at the road. “Maybe you can. I don’t think I’ll ever breathe easily again.”
“Lev.”
“I saw him holding a gun to your head,” he says quietly. “That’s not something I’ll forget.”
I don’t know what to say to that, so I don’t. I just take his hand and hold it until we reach home.
When we pull into the garage, the guards stand a little straighter. No one speaks. They just nod and look away. Lev helps me out of the car, even though I tell him I can walk. My legs still ache, and I’m grateful for the steady arm around my waist.
When we get inside, he takes me straight to the bedroom and tucks me in like a child. I don’t argue. My body is so tired, so heavy, that I think I could fall asleep in seconds. But I don’t want to take for granted how good it is to be here with him, to have him taking care of me. I force myself to stay awake a little while longer.
He examines my arms, looking at the places where the hospital cleaned and bandaged all the cuts and scrapes I got in the woods. He frowns as he checks me over, at least as thoroughly as the doctor did.
“Nothing’s broken?” he asks.
“No.” I shake my head.
“And the baby is fine?” he asks again, as afraid for our child as I’ve been all day.
“The baby is healthy,” I confirm, smiling. “I heard his heartbeat. He’s so strong, Lev.”
He takes my face in his hands, gently swiping at a tear I didn’t realize had fallen. He stares at me with such adoration and love that there’s no doubt in my mind that everything Marcus said to me was a lie. Lev loves me enough to burn the world down for me. And I love him just as much.
EPILOGUE
LEV
One Year Later
The morning light spills across the terrace of our estate. Before Mari, this place felt too big and too quiet. I came here only when I needed to get out of the city, and I dreaded it. Then I met her.
Now it’s full of the good kind of noise. Usually it’s our son, Alex, crying or laughing, making his little baby sounds. Sometimes it’s Mari laughing or blowing kisses at Alex. The two of them have brought so much joy into this old house, and today is no exception.
Mari is standing near the glass doors with our son in her arms. He’s six months old now, already reaching for everything, grumpy if he isn’t within sight of me, Mari, or his uncle Yuri. He gets into everything he can reach, and screams his head off when he hears the word “no.”
He has her eyes and my scowl. Her fire and my ice. God help us all.
I watch them from the doorway for a moment, taking in the sight. She looks radiant in the soft sunlight, her hair pulled back, wearing one of my shirts. My wife-to-be. My queen.
“Lev,” she says when she sees me, that smile curving her mouth. “You’re supposed to be getting dressed.”
“I am dressed,” I tell her, even though I’m in nothing but black slacks and an unbuttoned shirt. “I’m the groom. They can’t start without me.”
She laughs softly, a sound that still knocks the air out of me. Our son squeals like he’s in on the joke.
“You’re impossible,” she says. “If you hold up my wedding day, I’m going to murder you. You realize that, right?”
“Maybe you should leave the killing to me,” I tease, and she simply rolls her eyes.
It’s strange to joke like this with her. But she accepts all of me, even the darkest parts. She hasn’t run away yet. In fact, in a couple of hours, she’ll be pledging herself to me for the rest of her life. She’s either crazy or she really, really loves me. Possibly both.
“Besides,” I say, “you’re the one who hired a whole glam team for today!”
As if on cue, her phone rings. It’s Susie, calling to tell her to get to the bridal suite ASAP. She picks it up from the nightstand and reluctantly hands Alex to me. He starts crying the second he’s in my arms, and I have to bounce him up and down for a moment to get him to stop.