“You truly are remarkable,” I murmured, brushing a soft kiss to her temple.
“You’re not too bad yourself,” she teased.
“And I’ll show you just how remarkable you are when we get home.”
Sienna rolled her eyes, a blush rising to her cheeks. I let her go at the bottom of the stairs and waited until she was seated before returning to my own.
An hour later, after the ceremony, photos, and a tearful goodbye with Mandy, we were on our way home. We cranked the AC on full, giving Sienna some relief. Twenty minutes later, we pulled up to the house. Mariya slid out the back quietly and headed inside. On the way back, Sienna had fallen asleep, her head resting against the headrest, eyes closed, her chest rising and falling softly. I just sat there, watching her, and wondered how the hell I’d gotten this damn lucky.
I leaned over and kissed her gently. She responded then, eyes fluttering open.
“We're home,” I said as I tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear.
“Do I have to get out?” she complained playfully. “I'm so comfortable here.”
“Unless you want everyone in the house crammed into this car, I think we do.”
“Fine,” she pouted. “I don't think Vera would forgive me for that.”
I laughed. “Stay put, I'm coming around.”
I hopped out of the vehicle and, in a matter of moments, was helping Sienna out of the car and through the front door.
As soon as we reached the living room threshold, the women screamed, “Congratulations, Sienna!”
I barely moved out of the way in time, or I would’ve been trampled in their rush to hug her.
“Vera moves quickly for a heavily pregnant woman, doesn’t she?” Pyotr said, amusement in his voice.
“Where are the others?” I asked as the women led Sienna and Vera to the sofas.
Just then, the door opened, and my brothers, the Rykovs, Wexler, and three other guards walked in, hands loaded with gifts.
I raised an eyebrow. Lev laughed. “Orders from the wives. You understand.”
I laughed too. After putting down the gifts and greeting Sienna, we all settled in, chatting and laughing. By the time Sienna had finished opening her gifts, Kimberly had dropped off the video of the ceremony, as well as the pictures. Everyone wanted to watch it, and they gushed over Sienna’s accomplishments and her speech, to which she shyly thanked them.
By nine o’clock, Sienna’s eyes were drooping, and Vera had already crashed in the guest bedroom, refusing to be first to leave. After thanking everyone for sharing her special day, and rounds of hugs, kisses, and handshakes, everyone said their goodbyes and left.
And I was finally alone with my wife.
Instead of joining her on the sofa, I went to the office, grabbed a flat rectangular gift box, and returned to sit next to her. I handed it over.
“Avit, you’ve given me, like, ten gifts today already. What’s this?”
“When we go upstairs, it’ll be eleven,” I winked. She swatted my arm. I grew serious. “But this one isn’t from me. Open it.”
Confused, Sienna removed the bow and lifted the lid. Her eyes widened when she saw the letters inside.
“After Jasper died, I had my men check his place. We found these letters your mother wrote. One you never got after your high school graduation, another for after you finished your bachelor’s degree, and one for today, after you completed your master’s. And one more thing...”
I reached into my jacket and pulled out a thin gold chain with a small diamond pendant.
“I also found this in one of the envelopes and had it cleaned for you.”
Tears welled immediately. She turned to me, letting me clasp the necklace around her neck. Once on, she curled her fingers around the pendant. I pulled her into my arms, holding her close for a long, quiet moment.
When she finally opened the letters, they poured out words of pride, encouragement, and hope, reminders to never give up on love and to find a partner who truly supported her. By the time she finished, her head rested against my chest, her tears soaking my jacket. I waited until her sobs softened into sniffles, then lifted her gently and carried her to bed.
