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“Not yet. Let me hold him a little longer.”

I nod, my throat tight with unexpected emotion.

We stand together in the moonlight, three broken people forming something that feels close to whole. Alex's free hand rises slowly, hesitating before gently brushing a strand of hair from my face. His touch is feather-light, reverent.

“You've changed everything,” he confesses. “For all of us.”

I lean into his touch, allowing myself this moment of vulnerability. “We've changed each other.”

His fingers linger at my temple, tracing a delicate path down my cheek. The gentleness in his touch belies the strength I know lies beneath. There's something different about Alex, a quieter intensity compared to Z's volatility or Oscar's calculated passion. Where they burn hot, Alex runs deep, like ice that can still sear the skin.

“The others,” he begins, “they fit naturally into your world. I'm still…”

“An outsider?” I finish for him. “You're not. As much as we’ve tried, Alex, I’ve realized something over the last few days. Things work out for a reason. We didn’t, and that’s okay, because I’m not that person for you. But, I think we both know who is that person.”

Alex's breath catches. “I don't know what you mean.”

“I think you do.” I keep my voice gentle, watching his reaction carefully. “The way you look at him when you think no one's watching. How you're always the first one there when the nightmares come...”

His jaw tightens, the muscles working beneath his skin. “He needs protection. After what he's been through.”

“We've all been through hell, Alex.” I reach up, my hand settling against his cheek, forcing him to meet my eyes. “But the way you are with Luca...it's different.”

Silence stretches between us, fragile and charged. Matteo sighs in his sleep, oblivious to the tension surrounding him.

“He’s going to need you when the time comes.” I watch Alex closely, noting the way his jaw tightens.

“When the time comes for what?”

“When we go back to Boston.”

I notice his fingers tighten gently around Matteo. “Aren’t we all going back together?”

“I’ve asked Luca to run Russia as my proxy until Matteo comes of age. I can’t be in two places at once, and I know my brother will keep Matteo’s legacy safe until he’s ready. I think you should stay here with him.”

His fingers twitch at Matteo’s blanket, betraying the conflict inside him. For a moment, I worry I’ve crossed a line, pushed too far into something neither of us is ready to admit.

“You’ve thought this through.”

“I’ve had nothing but time to think with this little one keeping me up at night.” I watch Alex settle Matteo more securely in his arms. “The truth is that the Petrov empire won’t run itself, and someone needs to stay behind to make sure the transition goes smoothly. Someone I trust completely.”

“And you trust Luca with this?”

“I trust both of you with this,” I correct him. “Luca understands the business side, the politics of it all. But he needs…” I hesitate, searching for the right words. “He needs someone who understands what he's been through.”

“Like you have with Zaire and Oscar,” Alex observes quietly.

I nod, surprised by his perception. “They balance each other. Balance me.”

“And Talon?”

“Talon is...Talon is my constant. My shield when I need protection, my sword when I need strength. He is the voice of reason.”

Alex nods, a flicker of understanding passing across his features. “The four of you, then. A family.”

“Yes.” The word feels both simple and profound on my lips. “But that doesn't mean you and Luca aren't part of it too. Family isn't just blood or proximity, Alex. It's a choice. We've all chosen each other in different ways.”

Matteo stirs in Alex's arms, his tiny face scrunching before relaxing again. Alex adjusts his hold with surprising expertise, tucking the blanket more securely around my son.