Epilogue
Three years later…
Amelia runs down the corridor, almost bumping into me. “Sorry, Sofia,” she shouts.
I smile, shaking my head. Andrei and Vera’s daughter is a handful. She’s only two years old but full of energy. It’s hard to believe these people became my family over three years ago.
The family I never had. We’re all dysfunctional and a bunch of fucking misfits, but it works. That’s what the bratva was always about, giving people that need it a family. A network to rely on. Sure, we live our lives outside the realms of the law. We’re all bad people-none of us innocent- but we’re happy.
“Careful, Amelia,” I call after her.
Vera comes dashing around the corner. “That child is going to be the death of me.” She shakes her head. “How can a two-year-old move so fast?”
I shrug as she doesn’t stop, dashing past me to chase her little girl. Nine months ago, Vera gave birth to a little boy called Aleks. Our families are growing with the next generation. I rest my hand on my stomach, smiling as I think about what’s to come for Miron and me. We struggled at first to conceive. It was hard for both of us, but in the end, we were blessed.
I’m twenty weeks pregnant. Miron is more protective of me than ever. I know he’s going to be the best father to our child. Andrei helped us find a place near to here of our own, once everything had settled down. For months, it was rumored that my father was out to get Miron and me.
I never let my guard down. Miron insists I don’t leave the house without my bodyguard, Boris. He follows me everywhere. At first, I found it invasive, but I’ve got used to it now. The discomfort is worth it to make it through the day. My father holds grudges for years. He won’t be over what happened on that yacht.
“Sofia, I’ve been looking for you,” Lyov says. “Lyov, how are you?”
He shrugs. “Good. I need you to come with me.” My brow furrows. “Where?”
He shakes his head. “No questions, just come with me.”
I watch him turn and walk away. Lyov and Miron have been conspiring with each other weeks. Something tells me I’m about to find out why. I follow him through the main corridor and out toward the kitchen. He passes the kitchen and turns right, leading me toward the library.
“Lyov, where are you taking me?”
“You’ll see.” Lyov is always a man of little words.
He opens the door to the library, and I stare at him warily. “Go on in,” he says, nodding toward the door.
I approach slowly before entering the seemingly empty library. He shuts the door behind me without another word, leaving me a little confused.
This room is by far my favorite of this house. When he let us stay here for a while, I spent most of my time here. It’s light and airy, and the books are the best thing about it. You could spend a lifetime trying to read them all. There have to be thousands.
I walk over to the left hand wall, which houses some of my favorites. Some of the books in this case, I’ve read too many times, including Pride and Prejudice. Miron can’t understand my love of historical romance at all, but I’ve loved it since I was a little girl. I grab it from the shelf and run it through my fingers. Andrei’s collection is old and beautiful-every book is leather bound.
“We are all fools in love,” Miron says from behind me.
I snap the book shut and smile, not turning to face him. “I thought you hated this book.”
“I don’t hate it anymore, because you love it.” His footsteps near me. “I can’t hate anything you love.”
I spin around to face him, and my mouth falls open. He’s wearing a tailored suit that hugs his broad shoulders perfectly. Suddenly, I feel
immensely underdressed in a cream summer dress.
“You look beautiful,” he says, lifting the back of my hand to his lips and kissing it gently. Every time he does that, it reminds me of the day our adventure started together. The day he kissed the back of my hand in my father’s dining room, before coming to my room to tell me he wasn’t going to let my father marry me to Dima.
“You don’t look bad yourself.”
He smiles that beautiful smile, eyes crinkling at the edges. The peppered gray in his hair is even more prominent than the day we first kissed. It makes me even more attracted to him-my silver fox.
“Why did Lyov bring me here?”
He tilts his head to the side slightly. “I’ve got a question for you, and it’s very important.”
I raise an eyebrow. “A question you couldn’t have asked me somewhere else?”
He shakes his head and drops to one knee. “I wanted to do this somewhere special to you, and I know how much you love this room.” He pulls a black box out of his pocket and flips it open, revealing a stunning triple stone engagement ring. It sparkles in the natural light flooding the library. “Sofia Maria Romanov, will you marry me?”
I smile down at the father of my child, pressing a hand to my growing belly. “Of course.”
He pulls out the ring and slides it onto my finger. “The other question I have is, will you marry me today?”
A band starts to play, and all of our friends appear on the mezzanine floor in the library. Even Lyov is standing there now with Milana.
“Sofia, I love you more than life. I don’t want to spend another day of my life without calling you, my wife.” He squeezes my hand gently. “I’m sorry it’s taken this long to get to this point.”
“Today?” I shake my head. “I don’t have a dress-”
Vera interrupts. “I’ve got everything sorted. You can have the perfect wedding without all the worrying about it.”
I stare up at her without blinking. Is this happening?
Miron presses his hands to my hips. “I didn’t want you to worry while you’re pregnant.” He runs his lips against my own softly. “This way, we get married without the stress of planning the wedding.”
It makes sense. It sounds perfect. As a little girl, I dreamed of meeting my prince charming. Not long after, I met him – this man who will take care of me for the rest of my life.
“What do you think?” he asks. “Yes, I’ll marry you today.”
He smiles and lifts me into his arms, spinning me around. He sets me down on the floor and kisses me. Our friends shouts and cheer, as they come down from the mezzanine to join us.
Vera approaches me. “Congratulations. We don’t have much time, so let’s go and get you ready.”
“Why? What time is the wedding?” I ask.
Vera exchanges a glance with Miron. “In one hour.”
My eyes widen. One hour doesn’t seem like nearly enough time. I can’t believe we’re going to get married today.
I RUN my hand down the beautiful white lace. Vera chose the perfect dress. It’s a trumpet, open back dress, and it is an ideal fit. I’m not sure
I could have made such a good choice for myself. I guess that’s what happens when you spend so much time with your friends, they begin to know you better than you know yourself.
Milana and Vera are my bridesmaids. I can glimpse them at the end of the aisle as I wait in the wings for the music to start. The nerves twist my gut in anticipation. It’s hard to believe I’m getting married right now.
Andrei steps up to my side. “Are you ready?” I nod my head. “I think so.”
He smiles. “A bit of whirlwind, isn’t it?”
I breathe in deeply. “You could say that again.”
Andrei grabs my hand, surprising me. “Will you allow me the honor of walking you down the aisle?” he asks.
Emotion clutches at my chest. “Yes, that would be wonderful,” I say, feeling a lump form in my throat. “Thank you, Andrei.”
He links his arm with mine. “It’s my pleasure.”
The band begins to play the wedding march. Andrei gives me a reassuring nod, encouraging me to step into the chapel. Miron picked the
most beautiful church, Church of St. Francis Xavier.
It’s a breathtaking building. The brotherhood members are all here to celebrate with us, seated either side of the aisle. It’s a long aisle. I see Miron standing at the end with Lyov by his side.
My knees shake as I take each step, clutching onto Andrei’s arm tightly for support. I’m thankful he offered to walk me down the aisle. If I’d had to make this walk alone, it would have been daunting.
The minister speaks once we get to the end. “Who gives this woman to this man?” he asks.
“I do,” Andrei says, passing my hand into Miron’s.
Miron squeezes my hand hard, pulling me to stand opposite him. The minister starts the ceremony, but I hardly hear the words. Miron’s hazel eyes hypnotize me as I lose myself in the depth of them.
“Miron, I’d like you to say your vows, repeating the words after me.” His grip tightens on my hand. “I, Miron Alenkov, take thee, Sofia
Romanov, to be my wedded wife.” He smiles down at me.
Tears spill down my cheeks as emotion overwhelms me.
“To have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part. I pledge myself to you.” He slips the ring onto my finger.
The minister turns to me, and I swallow hard, trying to get a grip of myself. “Sofia, please repeat these words after me.”
My heart swells as I feel giddy over pledging myself to Miron. “I, Sofia Romanov, take thee, Miron Alenkov, to be my wedded husband.”
The lump in my throat is making it harder to speak. “To have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part. I pledge myself to you.” I slip the ring onto his finger.
The minister shuts the book he was holding and smiles. “I now pronounce you man and wife. Miron, you may kiss the bride.”
Miron steps forward, slipping his arm around my back. His lips meet mine in a tender, chaste kiss that makes me long for more. Miron is mine now, and I’m his-forever.