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I wrinkle my nose. It seems like a stretch, but I’ll take it.
“So what now?” I ask him. Part of me is afraid to accept this new, improved Lev Ivanov. He’d been such a Jekyll and Hyde before that I’m waiting for the penny to drop.
“Now, we go forward. And we love.” He has my face in his hands. “That moment I thought I had lost you forever, I swore that if you returned to me, I’d spend the rest of my life making it up to you.”
“You did?”
“I did,Solshinko. I’m never wasting another moment of your love. And I’ll return it in kind. That’s if you are still willing to take a chance on me.”
I manage a sniffling little laugh, and his eyes narrow.
“What is it? Have I done something wrong?”
I shake my head.
“No, you’ve done everything so right. I love you, Lev,” I tell him and he smiles.
“Thank you,” he says as he leans forward and gently kisses my tears away.
“Now,” I say firmly, “you need to sleep.” The heavy bags under his eyes are troubling me.
“I’ll be fine. Now that we’re through this, everything is going to be good,” he says, about to sink into a kiss when we hear someone cough at the door. Lev pulls away.
“I’m sorry for interrupting.” The doctor is back and I gnaw my lip, worried when he seems hesitant to say something. Lev feels it too, because he straightens, growing tense, his fingers tightening on my hand.
“Is there a problem?” His voice is gruff. “I told you, any tests we need—”
“Actually, the test I want to discuss is one we already ran earlier, Mr. Ivanov.” He glances between us. “We… ah… Didn’t want to raise it before, because there was some doubt…”
“Doubt about what?” Lev barks. “If there’s been something you’ve been withholding, I swear to you, I—”
“Mrs. Ivanova is pregnant!” the doctor blurts, and Lev stops short. “Our primary aim was to repair the lung, and we were certain the pregnancy wouldn’t be viable because it was so early. But…”
“I’m pregnant?” I choke out. Instinctively, my hand covers my belly, and Lev’s moves over it.
Holy shit!
I’m pregnant?
“Yes, Mrs. Ivanova,” the doctor says. “I’ve just confirmed the latest result. Miraculously, your baby made it through.”
“Holy… Lev, we’re having a baby!” I say excitedly as the doctor backs out silently.
“Solshinko,” Lev whispers in awe. His palm is splayed over my belly as though he can’t believe the news. “A gift.” I see him swallow hard. “Another gift.” I shake my head because I’m not sure what he means, but right now, everything is confusing. “First, the gift of you, and now this.” He gives a half laugh as if he’s trying to process it. “Thank you for giving me your love. And this child. A family.” His hand presses gently. “You’ll never spend another minute not knowing how safe and loved you are,” he says with a hardened resolve.
“Lev, do you remember what I told you?” I ask. I know he’s racing through the words we’ve shared, so I help him. “You deserve everything, Lev Ivanov. I’m going to love you always.” I slide his hand up over my heart and gaze up at him. “I’ve felt you here.” I move his hand back to the curve of my belly. “And now I feel you here.” His eyes move from my belly to my chest and then to my eyes, before I continue, “And as soon as I can move properly again, I’m going to show you exactly where else I want to feel you.”
A slow smile unfurls and suddenly I’m looking into the face of the man I saw across that empty restaurant a lifetime ago. A man who owned his world, and me along with it.
“Now will you lie down and get some sleep with me, husband?” I ask, sighing happily as he sinks next to me. “When the sun rises tomorrow, we have a new future to begin. And I have a feeling we’re going to need our strength.”
His lips glance over mine as he settles beside me and gently holds me.
“Solshinko, when I have you near me, the sun never sets.”
And somehow, in spite of the hurt and the pain and the confusion that’s haunted us, I know that we’re never going to look back.
EPILOGUE
