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It’s something I take great pride in. Long gone are the days of my cold, overly spacious penthouse apartment in New York. Now I much prefer our humble abode, full of color and life and noise. My little ones spend most of their time sleeping the day away, but I find great comfort in their peace and rest. My wife and children keep me grounded—something I won’t ever take for granted.
My mind is often in turmoil, working around the clock. Territory disputes, business negotiations, keeping my own me in check… It takes its toll sometimes. Sometimes I lay awake at night, always thinking about the next step. There are so many moving parts, so many allies and enemies and neutral parties to factor into my calculations.
“Here,” Aurora says, handing me a glass of whisky.
She joins me on the couch. The fireplace crackles, the warmth seeping into my skin even at this distance. Sandra and Charlotte are in their crib right beside us, always within reach.
“What’s on your mind?” she asks me, because she knows. My wifealwaysknows.
“Just… thinking about life.”
Aurora chuckles. “Heavy stuff.”
“I’ll say.”
“Would you like to tell me about it?” She leans over and kisses the curve of my shoulder. “Ease your burden a little.”
I adore this woman. I know two languages, and therestillaren’t enough words to describe how much I love her.
“Are you happy here?” I ask her. “Is this where you thought you’d see yourself?”
Aurora smiles. “No, I don’t think I could ever have imagined life turning out this way, but Iamhappy.” Her smile falls as she studies me. “What’s this about, Misha?”
“I just want to know that you don’t regret it. Being with me and what that entails.”
Aurora cups my face and presses a tender kiss to my lips. “You silly man. I don’t regret a thing.”
“You promise?”
“Have I ever lied to you?”
I grin. “No. Never.”
“And that’s not about to change any time soon.”
Setting my drink down on the coffee table, I pull Aurora onto my lap. She straddles me between her thighs, her chest pressed to mine. She hums contentedly, the corners of her lips pulling up into a mischievous smile.
“As long as I’m with you,” she says, “I’m as happy as I can be.”
“I’m glad to hear it,” I reply, kissing her with all I’m worth.
Epilogue
Aurora
My favorite days are when Mikhail gets to stay home. I’ve very quickly discovered he’sverymuch a proud girl dad. Now that our twins are old enough to crawl around, I’ll more often than not find him on the floor with them, corralling them on their large playmat on the living room floor.
By the time I finish running updates on our secured email servers and make my way downstairs, I find my husband lying on the playmat with our girls, a book propped open in his hands. Charlotte lies face-down on his chest, gripping his shirt with all the strength her tiny hands can muster. Sandra sits upright next to him, staring at the book’s colorful illustrations.
“Dada,” he reads, pointing at the word printed on the page. “Can you sayDada?”
Sandra and Charlotte babble, but they don’t form any coherent sounds.
“Come on, my loves. You can do it.Da-da.”
I laugh, joining my family on the floor. Sandra immediately crawls over to me, a big smile on her face. I pick her up in my arms and kiss her cute little cheeks. “You really want Dada to be their first word, huh?”
“You were here when they first rolled over,” he points out. “I should be their first word. It’s only fair.”
