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Leaning into my touch, a smile creeps onto her face. “Sorry only goes so far Finn… but, thank you,” she whispers.
“Don’t thank me, Sky. I should have been more aware of your feelings.” Dropping my hand from her cheek, I lay down, pulling the covers back. “Climb in.” She immediately shakes her head.
“I’d love to, but there’s so much work that needs done. I won’t be able to get it done tomorrow with Ava running around. If you’re asleep when I come back, I’ll just sleep on the couch,” she sighs softly, leaning over and kissing my cheek.
She goes to stand, but I grab her hand again. “Come on, Sky. I’ll call Declan and ask him to send Maxine over to help with everything. He knows you’ve been up to your limits with everything. Just come to bed, you’re exhausted.”
Contemplation is evident as she stands there, staring at the open covers. After a moment, her shoulders slump in relief, finally giving way to the exhaustion. She slips under the covers, trying to keep her distance, but I don’t let her. I do my best to pull her into me. She giggles, but agrees, laying her head on my chest careful to avoid my injuries.
“You know,” I murmur, raking my hand through her dark brown hair. “When I was in that basement, all I could think about was getting home to you guys. Just knowing how quickly things could’ve gone south, I am sorry that I ever made it feel like I wasn’t grateful to be alive. I am grateful every single morning that I wake up and see your beautiful face. I’m grateful that I get the opportunity to wake up next to you, be with you during the day and go to sleep with you at night. I’m grateful to be able to hear Ava’s sweet voice asking for pancakes, asking for bedtime stories, telling me about her day and when she’s having troubles. I want her to know that she can come to her daddy for anything. I’m grateful that she can, and I’m fearful that I won’t gain her trust back. I know I have work to do, but I’m willing to put it in, baby. I’m so grateful for the little one you’ve blessed us with. I’m so appreciative that you’re willing to put up with it all over again, just for us. I’m more than thankful that I get to be here for our new baby. I love you guys so much, and I promise that I’ll do better.”
“We love you too.” She tilts her head back to look at my face, leaning forward she presses a kiss to my cheek. Skylar goes to lay her head back on my chest and I place my hand on the back of her head, stopping her from pulling away. Leaning forward, I capture her lips with mine. We don’t deepen it at all, we just stay there. This woman is the one that keeps me grounded day in and day out. I don’t know what I would do without her.
Chapter thirty-five
Natalia
“Whyareyousonervous? You act as if you’ve never met someone before. They’re going to love you, Nat. You’ll be fine.” Dmitri looks over at me, leading me down the all too familiar hallway of his warehouse. My oh-so wonderful husband decided to ditch me today. He stayed at home for this visit, saying I needed to meet them on my own first, then he would meet them before they left to go back to Arkansas. To say I'm nervous would be an understatement.
“What if I’m not what they expected? How do I know that these aren’t going to be those devil kids? What if I accidentally kick one of them, like they do with puppies? What if I’m not good at this aunt thing?” I spew out, wring my hands nervously. I watch the ground as I go. I barely knew my brother was alive, now he has kids that I have to meet too.Fucking hell, am I too young for a heart attack?
“Nat. Stop it,” he scolds as we stop in front of the door. He grabs me by the shoulders, holding onto me tightly. “I’ve seen how you are with Ava. You already do so well with her. If you show my girls even a fraction of that same love, they will be the luckiest kids in the world. Don’t think too much into this. They are so excited to meet you, that you could do something crazy and they wouldn’t know the difference. Just be yourself.” Giving them one last squeeze, he finally lets go of my shoulders.
Letting out a heavy sigh, I shake my nerves off. “I’m ready.”
He opens the door and steps inside. I close the door behind me softly, silently preparing myself for what I’m about to do.
“Ans?” he calls out, taking his jacket off and throwing it on the chair by the door.
“She’s here!” Voices squeak out, and seconds later, I hear the patter of little feet as they echo down the hall. The giggles that precede it make my heart soar. As they round the corner, two little blondes come into view. From the pictures I’ve seen, they are a spitting image of their mother. Aside from Dmitri’s brown eyes, they are the perfect mixture.
I’m an aunt to these cuties?
When they see me standing behind Dmitri, one branches off to hide behind his leg while the other comes right up to me, hands poised on her hips.
“Hello there,” I smile, crouching down to her level. She raises her eyebrow as she inspects me. I sit there awkwardly, waiting for something to happen.
“That’s Harlow,” he laughs, gesturing to the girl in front of me. “She’s our little firecracker. I tell Ans that she’s gonna be our mini you. This is Sutton.” He pats the head of the one hiding behind him, smiling down at her happily. “She’s the shy one. They’re polar opposites, so you’ll know which from which in no time. Girls, this is your Aunt Natalia.”
Holding in my laugh, I watch as Harlow attempts to say my name, but all she can form is ‘Na’. I smile at the nickname Ava had given me all that time ago, when she struggled to say my name too. Looking up at Dmitri, who has an eyebrow raised, I explain. “Ava calls me Na, too. So, I’m officially Aunt Na all around.”
"Ugh! Sorry, I was trying to get the damn dog into his kennel," a soft voice grumbles. I stand, and my eyes fall upon the beautiful blonde walking out of the bedroom. Her face lights up when she sees me, teeth showing and her eyes crinkling. "I've heard so much about you," she says, walking over to me and wrapping me up in a hug. I wince slightly as she comes in contact with the gunshot wound. I don’t say anything to her, though. I return the embrace, hugging her back tightly.
Dmitri's brows furrow, placing a hand on his wife's shoulder pulling her back slightly. "Easy honey," he says softly, "remember she got shot." Her face falls, holding me at arms length and scanning me over.
"Oh my God. I'm so sorry," she rushes out and I laugh softly, patting her hands.
"Don't worry about it. It doesn’t hurt much," I assure her and shoot Dmitri a glare. "Leave her alone, she's just excited to meet the coolest sister-in-law ever."
"Oh no," he groans, shoulders slumping. "Now I have two women to yell at me. I don’t deserve this type of torture."
Ansleigh laughs, placing her hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry honey, we won't gang up on you too much." She looks at me and winks. She pats him, but it ends up sounding like a smack. He winces, glaring at his wife before a smile appears.
Harlow pulls on my hand, indicating she wants me to follow her. I oblige happily, tagging along as she pulls me behind her. Taking me to the bedroom, she sits down on the floor, looking up at me expectantly.
Sitting down beside her, she hands me a baby doll with a huge grin on her face. She immediately makes a car sound with her mouth and crashes the baby doll into the other, giggling to herself. Furrowing my brows with a smile, I tip the baby back and forth in my hand. She copies my face, shaking her head. Reaching out, she makes the same crashing noise, then does a gentle scream like the baby is falling. I crack up laughing because she really is a miniature version of me. We play for a few minutes before Sutton appears in the doorway, Ansleigh in tow.
“Hi cutie,” I say, aiming the baby at my niece. “You want to play?”
