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“I’m well. You?”
Dimitri shoves a hand through his hair and chuckles. It’s a weak sound. Defeated. “You want the truth?”
“Yes, of course.”
“I’ve been fucking miserable without you.”
His confession leaves me dizzy. “Really?”
“Fuck, Nat, I…” Dimitri huffs, the dark circles under his eyes more than apparent now that I’m within arm’s reach.
“Wait,” I say quickly. “I just need to get this out. I’m sorry, Dimitri. For everything.”
“I know. You’ve already apologized. I was too angry at the time to listen. If anything, I’m the one who’s sorry.”
I shake my head. “You had every right to be angry with me. Youstilldo. I won’t blame you if you still hate me.”
There’s nothing but pain behind his eyes. “I wanted to hate you,” he admits. “Because that honestly would have been easier.”
My throat is terribly dry. “I understand.”
“But I can’t hate you, Natalya. Not even if I tried. Because after you left, I realized… Shit, angel, I’m in love with you, too. These months without you have been a fucking nightmare. I can’t sleep, I can’t eat. What you tried to do… Yes, it’s all kinds of fucked up. But at every turn, you didn’t go through with it, which tells me it wasn’t truly what you wanted.”
Tears sting my eyes, the buildup of moisture making my vision blurry. “I didn’t want it in the end. I realized how wrong I was. I just—” A soft sob bubbles past my lips. “I’m just sorry, okay? I’m so sorry. I just want everything to be okay between us because I’m still in love with you, too, and I—”
In three long strides, Dimitri closes the gap between us. He wraps me in his strong arms and crashes our lips together. It’s a passionate, desperate, hungry kiss, one meant to make up for all our months apart. I sigh against him, all the stress in my body suddenly melting away. I’m putty in his hands; I feel safe to relinquish control.
He feels like coming home after years spent away. He’s a warm sweater straight out of the dryer on a cold winter’s night. He’s that safe and sturdy hug on a night plagued with thunder and lightning. Every kiss he gives me feels like a gift, one I’m more than happy to claim.
Dimitri is just about to pick me up off the ground when a realization hits me.
“Wait!” I gasp.
He frowns. “What’s wrong? Do you not want this?”
“No, I…” I take a deep breath. “I need to tell you something.”
Dimitri stiffens. “What is it?”
I lick my lips, struggling to gather my thoughts. “I want you to know that from here on out, you’ll get nothing but complete honesty from me. I think that’s the only way we’ll ever work.”
“Of course. You’ll get nothing but complete honesty from me, too.”
I nod. “Okay, well… I have some pretty big news. I tried to tell you a few months back, but things were a little…heated.”
Dimitri moves slowly, his hands drifting down to settle on either side of my hips. “That’s definitely an understatement.”
“I need you to take this seriously, Dima.”
“Okay, okay. What is it, angel?”
I take a deep breath. I just need to say it. Blurt it out. Shout it if I have to. I’ve been sitting on this secret for far too long, and Dimitri has every right to know.
“I’m pregnant,” I say clearly.
His face blanks. Given everything that’s happening, I’d argue it’s a very tame reaction.
Dimitri takes my hand and guides me to the bed. We sit together on the edge, our fingers laced as his brows knit together in confusion.
