***
That night, after Viktor and Isabella have taken their exhausted children home, after our own kids are bathed and storied and tucked into beds they'll inevitably escape from at least twice, Leonid and I stand in the doorway of the nursery.
It's ready. Has been for months—Leonid insisted, just like he insisted with all of them. Soft green walls. A white crib with a mobile of silver stars. A rocking chair by the window where I'll nurse at 3 AM and he'll sit with me because he never lets me do the hard parts alone.
"Three months," I say, hand on my belly.
"Three months." His arm wraps around me, pulling me close. "And then we do it all again."
"Are you tired of it yet? The chaos. The noise. The never sleeping."
He's quiet for a moment. Then: "Before you, I used to hate this time of night. Too quiet. Nothing but my own head." He turns me to face him, tips my chin up. "Now I can't wait for it. The kids asleep, the house settled. Just us."
"Even when Sasha puts his sister in a headlock?"
"Especially then. He's got good form."
I laugh, and he pulls me closer, kisses the top of my head.
"Remember my vision boards?" I say against his chest. "The pictures I used to save?"
"The nurseries. The family dinners. The little girl in the tutu."
"You remember that?"
"I remember everything about you." His hand strokes my hair. "You showed me those pictures and I thought—I'm going to give her all of it. Whatever it takes."
"You did."
"Not done yet." He pulls back, looks at me. "Got at least another forty years of promises to keep."
"Forty?"
"I'm planning to live to ninety out of spite."
I smile. "That tracks."
His hand finds my belly again, and the baby kicks—hard enough that we both feel it.
"Strong," he says.
"Like her father."
"Her?"
"I have a feeling."
He grins. "I'm usually the one with the feelings about that."
"Maybe I'm learning."
We stand there for another moment, his hand on the baby, mine over his. Then I take his fingers and lead him toward the bedroom.
"I thought you wanted to rest," he says, but he's already following.
"I wantyou. Then rest."
"In that case."
He closes the nursery door behind us and follows me down the hall.
THE END
