AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I nod, and he notes the time on his phone.
Several minutes pass. I try to focus on my breathing, just like we learned in those prenatal classes Nikolai insisted we attend even if he had to rearrange his entire schedule around them. But it’s difficult. This is my first baby, and although I’m more prepared than most women are, thanks to Nikolai, I’m still nervous as hell.
“Just breathe, babe. In and out,” he says softly.
The contractions come and go, some a dull ache, some a little sharper, each one a reminder that life is about to change in the most profound way.
Just when I think maybe it’s a false alarm, I feel a warm gush between my legs. My eyes widen in realization. “Nikolai, my water just broke.”
Nikolai is a man who has faced life and death decisions, who has run a criminal empire with an iron fist, but I see a flicker of… something… cross his face. Nervousness? No, it’s more than that.
He’s afraid.
“It’s time,” he says, his voice rising in pitch.
“Then we should go. The hospital bag is already in the car,” I say, trying to stand up and take the initiative. If he starts panicking, I need to be able to take charge.
But Nikolai doesn’t panic. The fear in his eyes is only temporary, and he helps me up, his hands firm yet gentle.
He dials a number on his phone. “Jasha, bring the car around to the garden. It’s time.”
Jasha drives through the grass, seeming almost as giddy as Nikolai is that I’m finally having the baby. Nikolai takes the wheel, and Jasha sits beside me, making sure I don’t topple over as Nikolai swerves through traffic.
The drive to the hospital feels like the longest and shortest trip of my life. Nikolai keeps talking to me, asking if I’m alright, reminding me to breathe. His deep voice is a calming presence amidst the building pressure of contractions.
We reach the hospital, and Nikolai jumps out of the car without even turning it off, rushing to the passenger side to help me out. We’re met with a wheelchair from a nurse, and I find myself being wheeled into the maternity ward, Nikolai beside me every step of the way. Jasha stays behind to park the car.
Once in the delivery room, Nikolai allows the doctor to take over. He stays in the room with me, however, his presence keeping me grounded amidst the pain.
As the contractions become more intense, Nikolai holds my hand, whispering encouragements into my ear. “You’re doing amazing, Dream. You’re such an amazing woman.”
Everything after that is lost to me. People are rushing around the room as I experience the most painful yet beautiful thing imaginable – giving birth. The moment comes quickly, and a few seconds after a final, excruciating push, I hear the most beautiful sound in the world.
Our baby is crying.
Nikolai leans over me, his eyes glistening with tears. “You did it, Dream.”
I laugh from sheer joy as a nurse places our little baby girl into my arms. I look down at the tiny, precious life we’ve created, and I’m filled with a love so overwhelming, it leaves me breathless.
EPILOGUE
Dream
The atmosphere in Nikolai’s backyard is surreal, laden with the aroma of summer rain and freshly cut grass. The yard is soaked in the golden rays of the late-afternoon sun. The sight alone is breathtaking, but what makes it truly perfect is the man standing beside me and the little bundle of joy I’m holding in my arms.
Nikolai glances over at the grill where Eddy and Jasha are trying to figure out the intricacies of outdoor cooking. He laughs. “Are those two really still struggling with that grill? We could’ve been eating an hour ago.”
“Be patient,” I reply, shifting Lila on my hip. “They’re getting the hang of it… sort of.” I watch as Eddy accidentally flips a burger off the grill. “Okay, maybe not. But they’re trying.”
“Jasha was supposed to be taking pictures, but it seems like he has other ideas,” Nikolai mumbles.
“Pictures of what?”
There’s a sudden shift in the energy, something that’s palpable yet indescribable.
Nikolai turns to me, his bright green eyes meeting mine and his expression changing drastically. It’s a look I’ve seen from him before, deathly serious but brimming with compassion. I remember it from when he told me he loved me for the first time.
The next thing I know, he’s going down on one knee. Right here in the grass, and I know how he hates getting his nice slacks all wet from the soil.
