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Although… sometimes I do use Leo for his body.
Turning towards the sea breeze, I find Yulian perched on the edge of a sun-warmed blanket, watching me with a small smile on his face. I grab two beers from a cooler and make my way towards him. It’s our first chance to connect after a hectic few days, and I’m glad we have a moment to ourselves.
“Congratulations, sis,” he says, throwing an arm around my shoulder as I settle beside him on the blanket. “You make a beautiful bride.”
“Thank you, and you make a handsome best man. Just not as handsome as my husband,” I joke, my eyes seeking out Leo as they always do.
I still feel an electric thrill every time I look at him and realize that he’s mine; that somehow we found each other again after all the insanity and chaos. And damn, he is handsome. Standing tall by the water’s edge, his broad shoulders and muscular arms are accentuated by his worn-in jeans and linen shirt, rolled up to reveal veined, tattooed forearms. His hair is pulled back into a ponytail, well on its way to shoulder-length.
In the past three months, it’s like he’s shed the weight of the world. He’s happy. And so am I.
This is the man who captured my heart, mind and soul. The man who loves nothing more than a worn-in pair of jeans, a leather jacket, and to hop on his bike and take me on adventures.
The man I now get to call mine. My husband. Forever.
Leo approaches Andrei and plucks his little niece off his brother’s shoulders, spinning her around while she shouts with glee.
“That’s going to be you soon enough,” I say to Yulian, gesturing towards Leo and Anya.
“I can’t believe it.” He shakes his head, grinning widely. I nearly can’t believe it either. Rowan and Yulian’s baby-making holiday was successful, and in a little over six months, a bambino will arrive. They don’t want to know the sex of the child, which makes it hard to buy cute baby outfits, but I’ve already threatened to go hog wild shopping after the little one arrives. “I’m a bit freaked out,” he admits after a while. “I hope I’ll be a good father… but I worry I’m going to fuck it up, that I’ll make mistakes.”
Resting my head on my brother’s shoulder, I consider his words. “There’s no such thing as perfect. We all stumble and make mistakes along the way, but you and Rowan will love your child unconditionally. You’ll be a great father. I know you will.” I take a sip of my beer and gesture towards our friends. “Andrei wasn’t exactly the poster boy for fatherhood before Anya but having a little person to care for and love, it changes you.”
He nods, but his mouth stays flattened into a straight line. The revelation about Serge Kozlov threatening my life still haunts Yulian. Serge was a father figure to him, took him under his wing after our father died and Mama was sick. We’ve spent a lot of time these past few months processing and talking about it, all of us, especially Leo and Yulian.
While I can’t say any of us feel closure, we’ve accepted that Serge was from a different time, a different world. The man was deeply flawed but it doesn’t erase some of the good he did. We are all yin and yang. A flare of light in the darkness.
“Thanks, Aly.” He sips at his beer, watching a seagull swoop overhead. “I wish our parents were here today.”
I smile wistfully. “Me too. I still miss them every day.” Papa will always be my father, blood relative or not. My relationship with Belov is still a work in progress. Leo and I have been so busy settling back in New York these past few months, as well as planning this wedding, we haven’t had time for much else.
It pains me that Kira couldn’t be here today, but she thought it best if Belov wasn’t present—not yet. Maybe I can have a relationship with him someday, but now it just feels too soon. Too raw.
I still talk to Kira regularly, but she’s guarded about her life, particularly anything to do with Belov. Is she actually happy? I have no idea. Kira is the queen of putting on a brave face. For now, I accept that she did what she had to.
Leo appears, carrying two plates piled high with a full Italian antipasto spread. He passes me one plate and keeps the other for himself.
“Hey, where’s mine?” Yulian whines.
“Dude, get your own. Since when do I fix you a plate?”
“Since you put a ring on my sister,” Yulian teases, eyebrows raised.
Leo snickers and takes a big bite of focaccia. “Being my brother-in-law doesn’t buy you special privileges.”
“I’ll remind you of that next time you ask me to help you rebuild the engine of your Harley.”
“Would you two cut it out,” I interject, though I secretly love it when they bicker, because it means things are back to normal. It took Yulian a hot minute to get used to the fact that his best friend and baby sister are head over heels, but I think he gets it now. “Do you ever tire of needling each other?”
“Never,” Yulian says, a big smile on his face as he gets to his feet. “Congrats again, both of you.” He plants a kiss on my head before wandering off towards Rowan. Coming up to her from behind, he places his hands over her growing belly and kisses her neck.
Leo watches them wistfully. “I wouldn’t mind that,” he says lightly. “Seeing you swell with my child. Fuck, it’s giving me a semi just thinking about it.”
“Down boy,” I chide, but truth be told, I want that too. We haven’t talked much about children, but now that we’re married, it might be time to revisit. Or maybe there’s no need for a discussion at all.
“Well, it is our wedding night,” I whisper in his ear. “And you know what that means.” I look up at my husband through my lashes.
“Does that mean I can have my way with you, Mrs. Kozlov?”
“Always,” I whisper against his lips.
I don’t think I’ll ever get my fill of this man. My soulmate. My everything. I’ve tried living without him, and it was impossible. He makes my life sweeter in every way. He makes my life worth living.
