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"Sounds good to me," I replied, and I slipped my arm around her waist and gave her a soft squeeze, letting her know how thankful I was for how sweet she had been about what had just happened. I knew she was going to be the most amazing mom when the time came, but in the meantime, I had her as the most amazing partner, too.
And I couldn’t have been more grateful for that. Couldn’t have been more grateful about the little family unit Solomon, Olya, and I were setting up here. It might not have been conventional, but after everything I had been through, the life I had lived, I doubted I would have been able to settle for convention anyway.
And normal was beyond overrated.
Epilogue – Olya
"Here, let me take that," Alex insisted, as he grabbed the box of books I was carrying.
"I’m not that pregnant," I huffed at him playfully, and he raised his eyebrows and shot a pointed look down to my belly.
"You sure about that?" he teased. I sighed, leaning back against the door to catch my breath, and smoothing my hands over my generous baby bump.
"I guess you have a point," I laughed. Solomon appeared from the back of the store, wiping a sheen of sweat from his forehead.
"Is that the last box?" he asked, as Alex carried it into the store.
"I think so," I replied. "That means we’re nearly done, right?"
"Nearly," Solomon agreed. "You excited?"
"God, yes," I blurted out, and he laughed, dropping a kiss on my cheek.
"I’m so glad," he replied. "I can’t believe we’re already opening tomorrow. It feels like it’s gone so fast."
"Tell me about it," I giggled, almost giddy with the thrill of what lay ahead.
Tomorrow – tomorrow was the grand opening of the bookstore that we had been working on for the better part of the last two months. I still couldn’t quite wrap my head around it, but it was really happening – I had spotted an old, run-down little storefront a few blocks away from the new apartment that the three of us had moved into in anticipation of the baby’s arrival, and had, on a whim, put in a bid on it.
I didn’t expect it to go anywhere, but, a few days later, I got the call – I owned it. I could still remember the shock as I heard those words, nearly dropping the phone in surprise, before I told Solomon and Alex.
And they had been almost as excited as I was; this was what the three of us had wanted, a business we could all work on together now that they had retired as bodyguards. It had been one of my father’s stipulations – he didn’t want them working in the Bratva world if we were going to be together long-term, worried about the trouble it might bring to their door, and they agreed at once. Seemed like both of them were ready to leave that life behind, once and for all, and embrace what came next, no matter what it might have been.
And, right now, it was all hands to deck on getting our store set up and ready for launch. I had spent days agonizing over the exact right blend of books to share on our opening day, and I had come up with a collection of obscure classics as well as new novels and collections by authors who lived in New Bratva; a few of them were already planning to come in and do readings and signings, and I was sure it was going to bring some new customers.
Alex emptied the books onto one of the stands as I stood by and watched, smiling as he worked. I was so damn proud of him. He’d come so far even just in these last few months, in opening himself up to the thought of being part of a family again. I could see, sometimes, that he struggled with the thought of losing us, the way he’d lost the families he’d been part of before, but I was doing everything I could to convince him there was nothing to fear.
And Solomon’s strong, steady presence had backed me up on that, too. He was so damn excited about the baby coming along, and, every night I slept in his bed, he rested his hand on my bump like he was making sure I was still there. As though me and our little boy – the little boy we had yet to come up with a name for, actually – would ever want to leave this perfect set-up.
Both of them loved me. I knew it. They showed me every single day, and I knew they would show that same love for our baby, too. All this time, I had been waiting for the right man to come along and sweep me off my feet – only to realize what I needed was two men to truly fulfill me.
"Done?" Alex remarked, and I nodded.
"I think so," I agreed, biting my lip. "Guess we should go home and get some rest before the big day tomorrow, huh?"
"You should," he told me, cupping his hand over my bump. "You should be in bed already."
"You guys fuss too much, I’m fine," I laughed, and Solomon slipped his hand into mine and tugged me towards the street outside.
"We just fuss because we love you," he remarked, and my heart softened.
"Yeah, we do," Alex agreed, as he locked the door behind him. I glanced between them – my two men, the fathers of my child, the men who had shown me how much life there was to be lived, how much freedom there was out there for me to embrace and enjoy. Those three little words didn’t feel like enough to encompass the enormity of everything that I felt for them, but they were the closest I had – the best I could do was show them, every single day, how much I appreciated them, how much I adored them, and how glad I was to have them in my new life.
"I love you too," I murmured.
