"I'm fine." I cup her face. "It’s important for you to know, I wasn’t the one who did it. But it's over,milaya. All of it. Your father's gone. The debt is paid. You and your family is safe."
"And you still want me?" The vulnerability in her voice breaks something in my chest.
"I will always want you." I kiss her, slow and deep. "That doesn't change just because the mission is complete. That doesn't change ever."
She kisses me back desperately, her hands fisting in my shirt.
"Bedroom," I murmur against her lips. "Now."
We barely make it. I strip her clothes off piece by piece, worshipping every inch of skin I reveal. When she's finally naked beneath me, I take my time.
Slow. Reverent. Claiming her all over again, but this time without the shadow of her father hanging over us.
This time, it's just us. Starting our forever.
"Yours," she gasps as I push inside her.
The word stops me cold. "Say it again."
"I’m yours, Renat."
I move inside her, as she comes apart beneath me crying my name, I know this is forever.
She chose me. And I'll spend the rest of my life making sure she never regrets it.
Epilogue
Ava
Six months later
The coffee shop in the Korolyov Hotel and Casino is exactly the kind of place Mom loves. Cozy and overpriced, with motivational quotes on chalkboards and plants hanging from the ceiling. I smooth my hands over my dress, trying to calm my nerves.
"You're fidgeting," Renat observes from beside me. His hand finds mine under the table, warm and steady. "Relax,milaya."
"Easy for you to say. You're not the one about to tell your mother and sister that you're pregnant with a Bratva baby."
His lips twitch. "Our baby. This is just news. Good news."
I hope he's right. Mom and Brit have been... adjusting. To my marriage. To my new life. To the fact that I fell in love with the man who was sent to use me as bait and kill my father.
It's complicated.
But they're trying. After Renat paid off Mom's mortgage, set up a trust fund for Brit's college, and hired private security to keep them safe, they started trying a lot harder to understand.
Money talks, apparently. Even in matters of the heart.
The bell over the door chimes, and I see them. Mom looks healthier than she has in years, her hair freshly cut, wearing clothes that actually fit instead of her usual worn-out sweats. Brit walks beside her, seventeen and beautiful, carrying herself with a confidence I never had at her age.
They spot us and head over. Mom's smile is warm but cautious. She still doesn't quite know what to make of Renat. I understand though. He is intimidating in size alone.
"Hi, sweetheart." She kisses my cheek, then nods at Renat. "Renat."
"Karina." He stands, ever the gentleman, and pulls out their chairs. "Brit. You look well."
My sister grins. "Thanks. College applications are kicking my butt, but the tutors you hired are helping a lot."
"Good." Renat settles back beside me, his hand returning to mine under the table. "That's what they're there for."
