Page 65 of His Captive Teacher

"Fyodor, please…" I say, snickering. He loosens his grip but doesn't pull away.

"A baby," he says against my hair. "We're having a baby."

"We are."

He pulls back and cups my face in his hands, and his eyes are wet and he doesn't care who sees.

"God, I love you so much."

Then he turns to the entire reception and shouts at the top of his lungs, "We're having a baby!"

Chaos erupts around us. Cheers and applause and people rushing toward us with congratulations and hugs and happy tears. Inessa bursts into sobs and has to lean on Yuri, who's grinning so wide it looks like his face might split. Sasha pushes through the crowd demanding to know if he's getting a brother or sister, and when I tell him I don't know yet, he declares with absolute certainty that he wants both.

Eventually, Lazar makes his way to the microphone, and the crowd settles down to listen. He stands there for a moment looking deeply uncomfortable, which somehow makes what's coming feel more genuine.

"I'm not good at speeches," he starts, and everyone chuckles, because it's so obviously true. "But Fyodor asked me to say something, so here I am."

He pulls out a folded piece of paper, looks at it, and shoves it back in his pocket.

"I've known Fyodor for fifteen years now—since we were just kids, really. I've watched him become the man he is today, and I've been proud to stand beside him through all of it. But I've never seen him as happy as he is right now." He looks at me. "That's because of you, Noemi." He raises his glass. "To the happy couple."

Everyone drinks. Then Lazar's voice drops and the humor fades from his tone as he continues. "And to Vasili, who should be here tonight but isn't." He pauses, swallowing hard. "We miss you, Brother. Every day."

The mood shifts and a somber atmosphere washes over every single person in attendance as we bow our heads. Then Fyodor raises his glass toward the sky, and I see others around us do the same, a moment of silence for one of Fyodor's good friends we all wish could have been here today.

Then the music starts up again and people begin drifting toward the dance floor, and Fyodor takes my hand and pulls me close as we sway together under the string lights.

"Thank you," he murmurs in my ear.

"For what?"

"For giving me a family."

I lean back to look at his face. He really is the most handsome man I've ever met, but I have no words other than, "I love you." He kisses me, and I return the kiss as I hear Sasha making that gagging noise deep in his throat from wherever he's sitting and watching us, and it makes me smile against Fyodor's lips.

This is my life now. This man, this boy, this family I never expected to find.

And I wouldn't trade a single moment of it for anything in the world.