Page 163 of Healing Eleanor

I press a kiss to the crown of her hair. “No grand plans. No pressure. Let’s just… rediscover life together, one step at a time.”

She nods softly against me, and I bury my smile in her hair.

“We can start with what you’re doing today,” I tease lightly.

She lifts her face, eyes shining. “I was actually on my way to the grocery store before I decided to stop here.”

I tilt my head, eyes sparkling. “Then let’s go.”

Her brows lift. “You want to go grocery shopping with me?”

I lace my fingers through hers, giving her hand a firm squeeze as I lead us toward the parking lot. “I want to do everything with you.”

Her lips curve into a smile as we walk to my car, a sweet and steady silence lingering between us.

There will be ups and downs, like anything. But we have something stronger to hold onto. Our faith, our love, and each other. Whatever storms come, we won’t face them alone.

I thank God right then. For His faithfulness, for never abandoning me in my grief. But most of all, I thank Him for healing Eleanor.

Epilogue

4 years later

Eleanor

A sharp kick lands in my ribs, forcing me to drop the carrots I’m bagging onto the floor.

I let out a huff and clutch my side, wincing. “If you do that again, Ivan, I may just go into early labor,” I mutter to my eight-month-swollen stomach.

I stare at the carrots scattered across the tile, already knowing there’s no way I can bend down and survive it. At this stage, I’m basically a waddling penguin. Being graceful is far out of the window at this point.

So I do the next best thing. “Nik!” I holler across the house, praying my husband of three years will swoop in and rescue me from the chaos his son has caused.

He comes sprinting down the stairs, panic etched all over his face. “Are you okay? Is the baby okay?” His voice is breathless, like he’s run a marathon.

Hand on my hip—well, somewhere beneath the belly mountain—I point toward the mess where Louie is currently living in snack heaven. “Look what Ivan did.”

Nik peeks over the counter. For a second, his expression stays firm, serious. Then, he bursts out laughing. “Good grief, Eleanor, you had me thinking you were about to deliver him right here on the kitchen floor.” He covers his mouth, still chuckling. “How exactly could he have caused that? He hasn’t even been born yet.”

I give him my fiercest glare. “He’s practicing WWE moves in there. Kicked me square in the ribs. This is no laughing matter, Nik.”

He tries to smother his laugh, though it keeps spilling out. “Here, let me help,” he says between chuckles.

Bending down, he lets Louie have one last carrot while he scoops up the rest and tosses them into the trash, wiping his hands on a dish towel before turning back to me.

“Don’t you think it might be time to take your maternity leave?” he asks, a little more seriously now.

I narrow my eyes at him. “At this point, I don’t think he’s ever coming out. He seems perfectly content in there.” I gesture at my belly with all the dramatic flair I can muster.

Nik smirks and steps closer, his hand finding its place on my stomach before he presses a kiss to my lips. The one thing that always calms the storms around me. “I want you to be safe, Elenochka. To rest. And I promise you, he will come out. You can even ask Scarlett.”

I raise a brow at him, affronted. How dare he use my sister against me? Of course Scarlett would say he’d come out—she’s a professional—but I want to sulk and have Nik on my side, just once.

After I found out I was pregnant, Scarlett and I were already back in touch. The day she learned what our mother had done when I ruptured my achilles, she made it her personal mission to show me I was loved and cared for.

When the pregnancy test turned positive after what felt like years of waiting, Scarlett went full-on mom mode. She insisted on doing all my checkups herself, stepping into the role of my own personal midwife.

Her path surprised me. She left the hospital, got certified in home births, trained as a doula, and built her own small team. Now she travels from home to home, making sure every baby enters the world safely.