Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 75209 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 376(@200wpm)___ 301(@250wpm)___ 251(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75209 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 376(@200wpm)___ 301(@250wpm)___ 251(@300wpm)
"I want to ask you about your sister Lydia. What do you know of her engagement?"
"Lydia? Oh. I don’t know much about it except that it was arranged by my father. It’s new, and she doesn’t know her fiancé that well... when she went to boarding school, we grew apart."
"Are you concerned about the plans Mikhail has?" Nikko asks.
"Yes," Viktor confirms, his jaw tightening. "Her engagement poses issues with our alliance." The men exchange a look I don’t quite comprehend.
"We’ll have to discuss this," Nikko says his tone firm yet compassionate.
Viktor nods, a brief smile breaking through his usual sternness. "I know, and I'm grateful for that. One wrong move and we could unsettle more than just family dynamics."
The gravity of his words lingers between us.
Later, as the night draws to a close and the last of the guests are leaving, I stand beside Nikko, looking out at the starlit sky. The cool breeze off the ocean is refreshing, yet my thoughts are warm with the love and support of the people around us. Despite the challenges ahead, I feel a profound sense of belonging and purpose, tinged with an air of sadness for what I mourn. Vera Ivanova is no more. Vera Romanova stands in her place.
Who is she?
Hand in hand, we begin to walk along a dimly lit path that circles the perimeter of our house. Nikko squeezes my hand gently, an unspoken affirmation of the connection that pulses between us.
“Do you think it’s really possible?” I ask, my voice barely above a whisper, “Everything we talked about—our future, the kids, even the dogs?”
Nikko stops, turning to face me, his eyes reflecting the moonlight. “Children aren’t an option. I have to catch up to my brothers.”
I laugh out loud. “Catch up? Like it’s some sort of contest?”
The look he gives me is half serious, half teasing. “You don’t really know my brothers yet. And yes Vera, it’s all possible. If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that with you, anything is possible.” His tone is earnest, filled with that deep, resonant certainty that always seems to steady my more tumultuous thoughts.
I smile, leaning into him. “I want all of it, Nikko. The bustling days filled with purpose, and quiet evenings like this, just us and the world standing still.”
He brushes a strand of hair from my face. “And we’ll have it all. We’ll build it together.”
“And the porch?” I tease lightly, caught up in the beauty of our shared dreams.
“The porch will be there, overlooking the best sunsets, with space for two rocking chairs—yours and mine,” he promises, a playful glint in his eye. “And a bunch of little ones.”
“A bunch?”
He shrugs. “Four, right?”
“Sounds right.” I grin.
We resume walking, our steps slow and measured. “I want our kids to grow up knowing they can be whoever they want and that we love them uncondtionally.”
“And with a mom who reads them more stories than they know what to do with,” Nikko adds, chuckling.
“Every fairy tale. And maybe I’ll teach them to type with more than just their index fingers.”
He grins, and my heart turns in my chest.
“What was Viktor talking about with Lydia?”
Nikko sobers. “Your marriage to me poses a problem with her affiliation with the Ledyanoye Bratstvo. It may be something we need to dissolve. But that is for another day.”
“Ahh.”
“I love you, Vera Romanova,” Nikko says, his voice low and full of emotion as we make it back to our home.
“And I love you, Nikko Romanov,” I reply, my heart swelling with an indescribable joy.
Hand in hand, we stand, eager and ready for whatever happens next, with the certain belief that as long as we are together, we can face anything.
THE END