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She throws her head back and laughs out loud. “What on earth are you talking about?” she asks. “We’re not rushing out to get married because I’m pregnant.”
“But your mom is going to be upset,” I remind her.
A wicked glint comes to her eye and she smiles. “Exactly. I can’t wait to see the look on my mom’s face when she finds out the shame I’ve brought to her.”
That’s my girl.
EPILOGUE
ONE AND A HALF YEARS LATER
Kat
“Katrina Sidorov,” the announcer calls out, and I wrinkle my nose.
I didn’t want to use my full first name, but it was the policy of the university. So I walk gracefully across the stage as I hear the cheers for me. Johnny made all his men come to this. I feel bad for them. I’m sure they have better things to do than watch me graduate from college.
They’ve become like family to me, though. They’re definitely closer to me than my own family these days. Well, that’s not true. Now when I think of my own family, I picture Johnny and our little girl. No one is closer to me than they are.
I know he’s out there somewhere in the massive arena, holding our sweet girl and clapping her hands for her. She’s still a little too young to master that skill.
My heart swells as I think of them, watching me. If it weren’t for Johnny, this moment wouldn’t have come for me. Even if I had married Nikolai Zaitsev two years ago, there’s no guarantee I would have gotten to finish my schooling. I’ve come to learn my father isn’t great at keeping his end of bargains.
And, of course, I know now how unhinged Niko really was. He was a possessive creep who definitely would’ve prevented me from pursuing my dreams. Not like Johnny.
And my sweet Lily is watching her mom achieve a goal that she’ll one day get to experience. The very first thing that Johnny and I agreed on was that our children would go to college, no strings attached. I never wanted my children to have to deal with what I dealt with.
I grab my diploma, knowing I’m carrying the legacy of my family. This is the beginning of a beautiful story for Lily and any children I have after her. And I worked my ass off to get here.
After I found out I was pregnant, I had two options. I could drop out of school and focus all of my time on being a mom, or I could get my degree as quickly as possible so I wouldn’t disrupt my child’s life. It wasn’t even a question for me. I decided to take summer classes so I could graduate a semester early. Lily will be one next month, and she still hasn’t experienced some of her biggest milestones.
I didn’t miss anything as a mother, and now that I’m done with school, I can ensure that I won’t. I’ll be there for my daughter in the way my mother wasn’t there for me. She’s already proving she has a strong will and an independent spirit. She’s nothing like I was as a child. I’m already so proud of the girl I’m raising.
Though I was a little worried when she was born and she wasn’t a boy. I knew how men were about having sons. It would seem like a dishonor that Johnny didn’t have a boy first. He didn’t see it that way, though.
The moment Lily was born, he held her and looked at her like she was the most spectacular creature to ever exist. Which is true. She definitely is. He thinks she’s brilliant, texting me any time she does anything. One time she stacked up three blocks, and he sent me a picture, telling me she’d be a rocket scientist.
He’s obsessed with her.
And I’m obsessed with both of them. I’m so happy with the family I’ve created for myself. I feel so loved when I leave the arena and find them outside waiting for me. Lily’s little face lights up when she sees me, and she holds out her arms, squirming away from her daddy to get to me.
I grab her from Johnny and kiss her face, loving the little laughs she lets out. She loves us so much, and all we had to do was be her parents. Johnny was the first person to ever show me what unconditional love looks like, but Lily is the epitome of it. I just have to exist and she’s happy. I squeeze her tight, breathing in her baby scent.
“Johnny, baby,” I call to him. “Your daughter smells like she needs a diaper change.”
I hold her out to him and she laughs, then Johnny grabs her from me and tips her back, making her laugh even harder. He tickles her little belly, and she screams out in delight. I watch them in adoration, feeling so incredibly blessed that they belong to me.
Johnny takes her to get changed, and I hear someone calling my name. When I turn around, I see that it’s my brother holding a bouquet of flowers for me. I’m shocked that he came, though I know I shouldn’t be. He’s been trying very hard to repair our relationship since everything happened with Niko.
He holds out his arms for a hug, and I embrace him carefully. It was a long road to trust him again, and we still have a way to go, but he really is trying. That’s all I can ask, really.
“You were amazing,” he says.
I laugh.
“All I did was walk across a stage, Steve,” I say bashfully. “It was hardly a feat.”
He rolls his eyes and thrusts the bouquet into my arms.
