We eat food that is, of course, incredible—nothing that comes from the hands of Viktor’s private chef is ever bad. We talk and we laugh. We plan the baby’s nursery because we know there’s a future between the two of us.
The four of us.
As the sun sets over Manhattan, as the stars begin to twinkle as though someone has strewn diamonds across the frozen night sky, Viktor comes over to me, takes my hand, and gets down on one knee.
“I made an absolute mess of this the first time, but I’m hoping you’ll give me a second chance. A chance to do better. Tobebetter. If the past weeks have shown me anything, Leah, it’s that nothing I have means anything without you by my side.”
It’s hard to keep the tears back, and they chill my cheeks as they slip down my skin and drip into my parka. They’re happy tears, yes, but they’re also tears of relief, because I genuinely thought this would never happen.
“Leah, will you marry me? Will you be my partner? My lover? My heart and my soul, my home and my wife?”
I look into Viktor’s blue eyes, those steel-blue eyes that caught and held me so tight the first moment I met him and haven’t letgo since. The eyes of the man I want to spend the rest of my life with. The man with a multiverse of people within him, each of whom I love, because I love all of him, even the monster.
Because without them, Viktor would not be himself.
“Of course I will.”
The ring is already on my finger, but Viktor takes my hand and kisses it before he grins up at me.
“I would hope your answer isn’t just so I can save face. I’ve omitted the audience this time.”
I laugh again and wrap my arms around his neck, pressing my mouth against his. His response is immediate, his fingers digging into my arms as he pulls me so close, I can feel every defined muscle as they bunch and move against me.
His tongue rakes mine, his mouth all-consuming, claiming me. He radiates his desire for me, the fire burning ever hotter as we cling to each other, devour each other. But my desire burns as hotly, and we don’t even make it to the bed before we’re entirely naked, our layers of clothing discarded haphazardly like a trail in from the veranda.
Viktor is a wild animal, as though making up for all the moments we spent apart. His mouth explores every inch of my skin, his fingers gentle yet thorough, his hands grasping all those parts of me he loves.
I can feel his love for me as he worships me from the tips of my toes to the top of my head and everything in between, driving me to heights of pleasure that make lights burst in front of my eyes and draw out cries from deep within me.
But more than that, I revel in the mirrored pleasure on Viktor’s face, the way he moans and gasps in time to my movements. We have opened to each other completely, put our trust and our deepest selves in each other’s hands and hearts. It is unlike anything I’ve experienced before, this passion and pleasure that takes up my entire body, my entire mind, my entire being.
When my orgasm comes, it’s an explosion that rocks me to my core and draws the world in until it’s just Viktor and me. Until only the two of us exist in that one liminal moment between rising and falling, as my scream echoes through my ears with Viktor’s shout.
Our hearts have become one, our bodies have become one, and soon, we will become one family, facing the world together.
EPILOGUE I
LEAH
"Careful."
"The baby's in his carrier. He'll be fine."
"That's not what I meant."
I look up and realize Viktor is holding his hand out to me. Not to take the infant, but to help me up. I'm still sore, still stitched up, still bleeding. Even though his heir is in the car behind me, Viktor is caring for me too. It makes me tear up.
Viktor’s smile lessens into a look of concern. "Are you all right?"
"I'm fine," I say, wiping away tears with the back of my hand before I take his and allow him to lift me out of the SUV. He's gentle as he sets me on my feet. "It's just the hormones."
Viktor's mouth quirks, and I know he doesn't quite believe me, but he lets it go. I reach for the baby carrier, handling it just as gently as he handled me. Our son sleeps within; his tiny hands held in fists by his tiny face. Well, not quite so tiny. He's nearly twice as big as Eliza was when she was born. But what can I expect when his father is a six-foot-four giant?
Iliya, the only person Viktor would allow to drive us to and from the hospital, steps up behind us as we slowly climb the stairs. I can tell he's making sure he's there to catch me if anything happens. I've never felt quite so smothered and so cared for at the same time.
The door opens, and there's a whispered yell of "Surprise!" to greet us.
I have to cover my mouth with my hand to stop from laughing out loud and waking the baby, because our closest friends and family are waiting in the entryway for us.
