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They both wrap me in warm hugs, and I suddenly realize how much I’ve missed this—the warmth of having female friends.
“You look gorgeous,” Alina says, stepping back and giving me a quick once-over.
“So do you,” I reply, smiling. “Though I think we all know who’s stealing the spotlight today.” I glance at her belly.
She rolls her eyes playfully. “Blame Lev. The man doesn’t believe in personal space.”
Before I can laugh, the boutique door swings open again, and another version of Alina walks in.
Almost identical — same dark hair, same bone structure, but with an energy that crackles instead of glows.
“Yelena,” Scarlett says with a smirk. “Finally.”
Yelena shrugs, sunglasses still perched on her head. “Traffic. And I had to change twice. Didn’t want to scare the baby boutique crowd.”
Alina snorts, pulling her sister into a side hug. “This is Mara,” she tells Yelena. “Our sister-in-law. And the only reason Zasha hasn’t turned fully feral.”
Yelena gives me a long look, then a quick grin. “So, you’re the reason he hasn’t growled at me in three months.”
“I’ve been told I’m very calming,” I say with a dry tone.
The ladies laugh, sounding real, open, and easy.
Scarlett loops her arm through mine. “We’ve given you space these last few months to settle in, Mara. But today? We’re dragging you into the circle.”
And for the first time in a while, I feel like I belong, not because I am Thiago’s daughter, but because I am wanted for me.
23
We move from rack to rack, the four of us drifting in an easy rhythm between baby clothes, strollers, and impossibly soft swaddles.
Scarlett is holding up a hand-stitched onesie shaped like a tuxedo, trying to convince Alina she needs it. Yelena is already rearranging an entire shelf to make room for “aesthetic” stroller photos.
Alina just laughs and rubs a hand over her bump. “Lev is going to faint when he sees the receipt from today.”
“He better not,” Yelena quips. “And considering how fast he’s been working on baby number two, he should be the one personally ironing every onesie.”
Alina groans, half-laughing. “You two act like I didn’t have a say in the decision that got me here.”
Scarlett raises an eyebrow. “Did you?”
We all burst out laughing.
By the time we leave the boutique, we’re weighed down with shopping bags and the kind of lighthearted exhaustion that only comes from too much teasing and too much money spent.
We find a nearby café with golden bistro tables and blush-colored cups and we settle into a corner booth.
The second the drinks arrive, Yelena leans forward with a devilish grin. “So, Alina… how many is Lev planning for? Five? Six?”
Alina gives her a mock glare over the rim of her iced tea. “Can I finish growing this one first?”
Scarlett doesn’t miss a beat. “That man looks at you like you’re his greatest accomplishment. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s already drafting baby names for the next three.”
Alina rolls her eyes, but the smile blooming across her face is pure softness. “Okay, maybe he’s a little obsessed.”
I watch her carefully, something warm tugging at my chest. There’s so much love between them, you can feel it in the way she talks about him.
And without thinking, I say, “I think when two people love each other the way you and Lev clearly do… they can have as many babies as they want. It’s a beautiful thing. Children born of a loving union.”