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“Veronika with a K,” he muses, the smile growing wider on his lips. “It’s beautiful.”
Curiosity grips me between the bouts of pain and I give his hand a tug. “No more Bratva?” I ask. “Ever?”
“No more.” He nods. His voice is soft and sincere. “I’m sorry for everything I’ve done to you. I’m sorry that I made you feel like you were less than anyone or anything in my life. I’m sorry for keeping you in the dark. I’m sorry for not listening. I’m sorry for making you ever doubt yourself.” He looks at me, and then he adds three little words that remind me of the first time I’ve ever stared into his eyes. “Little Ms. Lucky.”
My heart would’ve melted, except the contraction makes me scream instead.
Andrei leans forward to wipe the sweat off my face and kisses me lightly on the lips. A familiar warmth spreads through me until a contraction halts it in its path.
“I didn’t want to go away,” I confess to him, my voice trembling. “I did it for our daughter. To keep her safe.”
“I know.” He nods. “You wanted to keep her safe from her monster of a father. I regret so many things in my life. But do you know the one thing I never regretted?”
Tears blur my eyes, and I fiercely blink them away so I can still see him. “What?”
“Meeting you,” he says. “I know why you would want me to stay away,” he continues, voice thick with emotion. “And I promise that if you want to leave after Veronika is born, I won’t follow. I won’t force you back to a place you don’t want to be. I just want you to know that I need you, that I love you, that I care for you more than anything else and anyone else in this world. I don’t want to lose you again. And all I can ask for—no, beg for—is your forgiveness for the sins of my past. Can you forgive me?”
“Yes.” I gasp. “Yes! Until the end of time, yes!”
“I love you, Paige.” He takes my hand and presses his lips against my fingers. “I care for no one but you, and I shall love none other than you.”
“I love you, Andrei,” I reply as I feel another contraction building deep inside of me. “Now get a nurse in here and get this baby out of me!”
My body instinctively takes over, pushing in a way I’ve never felt before. I look up at the ceiling and thank the heavens for giving me the strength to make it through. The warmth of his hand keeps me rooted, and I hear him shout for the nurse.
***
As I hold our daughter, Veronika, in my arms for the first time, a wave of love and fear washes over me. I look down at her sleeping in my arms with Andrei by my side. I’m overpowered by a feeling of love I’ve never felt before.
This is the moment I’ve been waiting for all my life, and I didn’t know it until it happened.
It was hard getting here, a daunting challenge, but I’d do it all over again for my sweet Veronika.
I risk it all again to be with Andrei.
“She has your eyes,” whispers Andrei.
“They’re dark,” I giggle. “Like yours.”
“No, my darling wife.” He kisses my forehead. “They’re sweet like yours. And I hope that will never change.”
Chapter 57
Paige
Three months later
The sun blazes bright at theResort in Bora Boraon its tropical beach, but instead of making the sand unbearably hot, the warmth relaxes my body, and I nuzzle closer to Andrei on his chaise. He lowers his sunglasses and stares into my eyes. That sexy wink sends me over the edge.
“Is that a new look?” he asks when I take off my bikini top and toss it down beside my chaise.
“It’s a private beach.” I bite my lip. “You could take off your shorts.”
Finally, he closes his laptop and sits closer to me. Andrei leans in and kisses my tanned shoulder softly. “What about Emma?” he asks. “Where is she?”
“She’s on a playdate with the baby.” I turn to face the sun. “And I gave her my credit card.”
Andrei laughs. “Not much to buy here. Unless she goes online.”
