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And just like that, the birthday party gains new colors. Olga is surprisingly gentle with the kids, and they all gather around her and pull her to join their fun. Soon enough, the dinner from our favorite restaurant arrives, and a new kind of chaos takes over the kitchen and dining room. The kids sneak everywhere and ask about food, the adults joke around and try to organize themselves, and it’s a total mess—but I enjoy it with all my heart.
We spend the rest of the evening together, and a few hours later the first guests start to take off. First, Olga and Sergei excuse themselves, reminding us that they have to talk to their dealers at midnight, so it would be good to have some rest until then. Next, George and Natalia gather their kids and wish us good night, and some ten minutes later Matteo bids goodbye as well.
Riccardo and Elena are the last ones to leave—mostly because we can’t find a way to say goodbye without remembering something we wanted to discuss. Max and Misha are playing a car racing game on the TV console, keeping quiet to not attract our attention.
“Ah, it’s time for us to actually go,” Elena says eventually and looks up at Riccardo, keeping her hand on her big belly. “I think I have to lie down, I’m feeling tired.”
As always when she brings up her pregnancy, Riccardo jolts up and immediately agrees with everything, wrapping his arm around her waist. “Yes, of course. Max—”
“Just one more round!”
“No, you’ve had enough. You can play some other time.”
Max whines out loud and looks at Misha with some mutual understanding happening between them before he obediently gets up and goes to his parents. Misha follows him and pushes himself between me and Sasha, looking at Riccardo and Elena with a polite smile.
“Well, happy birthday!” Riccardo says with a chuckle and holds out his hand for a handshake that Misha very proudly returns.
“Thanks for having us,” Elena adds with a smile, already reaching for her bag that Riccardo quickly snatches from her.
“Yeah, it was fun!” Max exclaims, bouncing on his feet, and waves at Misha. “See you at school. Do you remember the book I told you about?”
Misha huffs with a chuckle. “I do. I’ll try to find it.”
“Okay, thanks. Bye!”
“Good night.”
“Drive safe!”
With the last exchange of goodbyes, Riccardo, Elena, and Max leave, and Sasha lets out a deep sigh. If I feel tired after the endless circle of conversations and kids’ voices, she must beexhaustedfrom taking care of the dinner and the guests. So I reach to squeeze Sasha’s shoulder and offer her a smile when she turns to look at me.
“It was a good day,” I say, half-questioning and Sasha smiles as well and nods.
“It was. The best birthday ever, right?” She ruffles Misha’s hair, and unlike his usual annoyance with the gesture, he grins widely and nods.
“Yes! It was the best, thank you!”
He bounces on his feet for a moment before rushing to wrap his arms around Sasha’s waist to squeeze her into a hug. She chuckles, stroking his hair, and a few seconds later Misha latches on to me, and I laugh from the strength of his embrace. My heart blooms with warmth and affection, and I lay my hand on his back, returning the hug.
“Well, now that everyone’s gone…do you think we still have some ice cream left?”
We do, so after gathering the remaining clean plates and deciding that we’re gonna clean everything up in the morning, we settle in the living room. Misha chooses his favorite movie—the one that Sasha doesn’t like for being too dark for his age—and we snuggle together on the couch.
Misha finds his place between us, placing his legs on my knees and his head on Sasha's shoulder, but I don’t mind. In fact, I feel as content and happy as a man could be. My beautiful wife is next to me, resting with a smile on her face and her head on my arm, and my son—maybe not by blood but by heart—is relaxed and happy, safe from all the dangers of our life.
What else would I ever need?
I brush Sasha’s neck with my finger, and she turns to me with a lazy look in her green eyes and her blonde hair framing her features. My chest tightens, and I feel so many things at once. God, she looks as beautiful as the first day we met, and I’m still as smitten as I was that day. How can it be that she’s mine for the rest of my life?
“I love you,” I mouth to her, stroking her cheek with my thumb, and Sasha chuckles and raises her hand to mine, circling her fingers around it.
“You’re so cheesy,” she whispers, looking at me with sparkles in her eyes. “I can’t believe I love you so much.”
My heart immediately fills up with warmth, and in moments like this, I know that my life is finally complete.
*****
THE END
