“Oh no, are youwokay, Nico?” A tiny voice, full of worry.
“I’m okay,” another voice replies, more determined.
And then the door swings open, hitting the wall with a thud. The room is suddenly filled with a chaos of children.
Nico, with his dark curls bouncing, skids into the room.
The kid’s grown more than a freaking sunflower since Luka’s last snapshot of them surfing. He’s not the wee thing I remember; he’s like a full-blown preschooler now.
His wide eyes light up as soon as he spots Luka.
“Papa!” Nico shouts, and he flies toward Luka, his little legs pumping as fast as they can.
Luka catches him effortlessly, lifting him up with ease, flying him upwards like he weighs nothing at all.
“How’s my littlemalen’kiy lev?” Luka grins, his eyes softening, his entire face lighting up in a way that seems almost out of character for the man I used to know.
Behind Nico, Natalya follows, her hands on her hips, looking exasperated.“Papa, Nico ran too fast. He almost knocked me down.”
Luka shifts Nico to his side, leaning down to scoop Natalya up into his free arm. He looks at both of them with a gaze so full of love it almost hurts to watch. It’s like they’re all that exists in his world—the purest kind of love, something I never thought I’d see on his face.
“Alright, alright,” he says, pressing a gentle kiss toNatalya’s forehead, then nuzzling Nico’s messy curls. “What’s all this chaos? You two causing trouble again?”
“Nico started it!” Natalya protests, though her voice holds no real annoyance. She leans her head against Luka’s shoulder, her little hand clutching his shirt.
I watch them, unable to look away. Luka—the angry, vengeful man I grew up with, the man who used to burn with rage at the world—now standing here, holding his kids like they’re hisentire world. His face is unguarded, his expression soft in a way I’ve never seen before.
And me?I’m just sitting here, watching like an outsider, my chest tightening with something I can’t even name.
Fear, maybe.
Because I know—I know I’ll never be like that. I’m not built for it.
I’m not… capable.
I force myself to swallow, but it’s like there’s a lump lodged in my throat.
And then there’s the smallest boy. Hanging back a little—Alex,his blue eyes wide, cautious, darting around until they land on me. The kid’s got my eyes—deep blue, searching, wary.
What do I do now?
A woman rushes in behind them, her face flushed. “Apologies, Mr. Ivankov,” she says, out of breath, giving Luka a sheepish smile. “Nico insisted on finding you.”
Luka ruffles his son’s hair, the smallest smile tugging at his lips. “Okay, what’s going on?”
“We were looking forDyadyaDima!” Nico announces, his voice full of excitement. He’s wriggling in Luka’s grip, trying to get down.
“I win! I found him first!” Nico’s triumphant declaration fills the room, and Natalya rolls her eyes, but there’s a smile on her lips.
I can’t help the small huff that escapes me. “Oh, is that what this is? A game?”
Luka smirks, setting both kids down gently. “They’re competitive, what can I say?”
Nico immediately runs over to the bed, his little face lighting up as he looks at me. “I won,DyadyaDima!”
I open my mouth to respond, but before I can, I feel it—a small presence near me.
Alex, my boy. His eyes are still fixed on me, and he takes a step forward, then another. His face is serious, way too serious for someone so young, and he’s holding onto a stuffed bear like it’s the only thing keeping him grounded.
