Niko catches my hand, brings it to his lips. "Don't be. I'd take a hundred more if it meant keeping you safe."
We kiss.
"Speaking of that, is the baby okay when we do stuff like that?" he asks.
"The baby?"
"Yes," he says, genuinely looking concerned now.
I can't help but laugh.
"Yes," I assure him. "It's safe. The doctor said our sex life didn't need to stop. Though, I don't know if you'll be able to lift me like that soon."
He laughs and I can't help but stare at him.
"What?" he asks.
I smile and shake my head. "Nothing, I just love you so much, that's all."
"What was that?"
"I love you."
He squeezes me. "Say it again," he demands softly, his voice rough with emotion.
I shift, rising up to look directly into his eyes, my hands framing his face. "I love you, Niko Petrou. God help me, but I do."
He leans in and kisses me. "I love you too, Calli. More than anything in this world."
I rest my head back on his chest and we lie together on the couch, my body still humming with aftershocks, Niko's shirt hanging loosely from my frame.
"What should we name him?" he says, kissing the top of my head after a few moments of silence.
I pull back, eyebrows raised. "Who said it's going to be ahim?"
Niko tilts his head and grins. "Let's hope it is. Otherwise I'll end up killing a lot of men protecting our daughter."
I roll my eyes, but can't help the smile spreading across my face. "Oh please. With how overprotective you are, I doubt anyone would dare look at her wrong."
"Damn right."
"You're already planning bloodshed andshe'snot even the size of a peach yet."
"Exactly." He smiles. "But if it's a boy?—"
"Then he'll have your eyes. And my attitude."
"Terrifying."
I hit him playfully and we laugh together.
He pulls me tighter against him, and I settle back against his chest, feeling truly safe for the first time since I left Rome.
But reality has a way of intruding on even the most perfect moments. After several minutes of peaceful silence, I voice the question that's been hovering at the edges of both of our minds.
"So what do we do now?"
Niko sighs, his chest rising and falling beneath my cheek. "I don't know yet. But I need to tell my father."
