Page 64 of Brutal Reign (Bratva Kings #3)

FOUR MONTHS LATER

HOPE

I carefully place the last fondant dinosaur atop Kin’s cake, a towering chocolate creation that took me most of the morning to perfect. Nearby, Kira arranges fresh fruit around a platter of mini sandwiches, while Sofiya fills colorful bowls with goldfish crackers and pretzels.

The kitchen buzzes with the kind of comfortable chaos that comes from four non-domestic goddesses trying to coordinate the final details of a five-year-old’s birthday party.

“I still can’t believe you made that entire cake from scratch,” Liza says from her perch on a barstool, one hand resting on her growing belly as she supervises our efforts. “It looks like something from a professional bakery.”

“YouTube tutorials are a beautiful thing,” I reply, stepping back to admire my handiwork. “Plus, I had a lot of motivation. This is Kin’s first real birthday party with friends and family.”

Sofiya looks up from her snack prep. “First real party?”

“Yep. His other parties were just me and Kin’s nanny. I want this one to be special.”

“Well, mission accomplished,” Kira says, taking a sip of wine before gesturing toward the backyard. “Look at him out there. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a happier kid.”

I follow her gaze through the massive glass doors leading to the yard, where Kin is in the middle of what looks like an elaborate game of superhero tag with Alexei, Damien, and even little Anna, who toddles after them with determined steps.

His dinosaur-themed birthday hat sits crooked on his dark hair, and grass stains already mark his knees, but his face is lit with pure joy.

My chest feels so full it might burst. Seeing Kin like this is a gut punch in the best possible way. He and Alexei are inseparable, and they’re going to start kindergarten together next month at a nearby private school. I’m sure Pavel gave the principal a talking-to that scared him half to death.

Still, Kin’s so excited he’s planning their first day down to what they’re going to wear and eat for lunch.

A moment later, Kin breaks away from the group and runs straight toward Pavel, who’s manning the barbecue with Roman and Maxim. My husband catches him effortlessly, swinging him up into the air as Kin throws his small arms around his father’s neck. The sight makes my chest tighten with emotion.

“They’re so damn cute together.” Sofiya sighs. “Kind of makes me want to have a baby already, just to see Niko as a dad.”

“Oh.” I raise an eyebrow, putting the final touches on the dessert table. “Does that mean you’re ready to pull the goalie?”

She giggles. “Maybe, once my next dance school is up and running.”

Liza passes me the candles for the cake. “How’s Kin adjusting to… everything?”

The everything she’s referring to encompasses so much, from learning Pavel is his father to surviving the nightmare with Simon and settling into this life and our forever home. It’s been six months since that horrible night on the plane, and I’m still processing it myself.

“Better than I dared hope,” I say honestly. “When we told him about Pavel being his biological father, he just nodded and said, ‘I already knew. We have the same serious face.’ Then he asked if that meant he could call Pavel ‘Papa’ now.”

Liza presses a hand to her heart. “That’s the sweetest thing ever.”

I smile at the memory. “Pavel melted into a puddle.”

Sofiya shakes her head sadly. “What happened with Simon had to be terrifying for him.”

I take a deep breath, thinking about those dark weeks after it all went down—the nightmares, the clinginess, the way Kin would panic if Pavel or I left his side for even a moment.

“He had nightmares for a while,” I admit. “But Pavel found him an amazing therapist who specializes in childhood trauma, and we were honest with him. We explained that Simon was a bad man who tried to hurt our family, but that he’s gone now and can’t hurt us again.”

“It was scary for everyone. To think someone made it into the compound—it practically gave me nightmares.” Liza shivers, a hand on her belly.

Kira throws an arm over her friend. “It’ll never happen again.”

We later learned that the person who abducted Kin had inside help.

He was a gardener who’d only been with us a few months.

He passed every background check, but he’d been recruited by Simon’s people.

Let’s just say he won’t be a problem anymore.

Now, we use facial recognition and layered checkpoints. No one gets in or out unseen.

Kira turns to me, remorse etched across her features. “I’m so sorry about that, Hope. We’ve never had a staff member betray us before. I wish we didn’t have to learn that lesson the hard way, but it’ll never happen again.”

“It’s not your fault,” I assure her. Simon had threatened to kill the gardener’s family if he didn’t help him, because that’s the kind of evil he was. And I guess the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, because Chen was no better.

We discovered Chen’s men had murdered one of the delivery drivers bringing in supplies. Then, dressed in his uniform, he loaded the weapons into crates and walked right through the club’s back door.

Pavel’s brothers have endlessly apologized for how badly everything went down in the club, but I don’t blame them at all. We underestimated the lengths Chen and Simon were willing to go to get what they wanted.

I shake my head, clearing the bad memories.

“All that matters is that Kin’s doing so much better now, and I have all of you to thank.

” My gaze drifts out the window again, watching as Kin whispers something in Pavel’s ear that makes my husband laugh.

“Having friends, having stability, having a father who adores him… it’s been healing for all of us. ”

“And we’re so glad you’re part of this crazy family of ours.” Sofiya beams, lifting her glass in a toast.

“Jesus, now I’m crying,” Liza blurts, wiping her eyes. “Damn pregnancy hormones.”

Kira snorts and hands her a tissue. “Don’t blame the hormones; you were always a leaky faucet.” Her eyes soften as they land on me. “Seriously, Hope, I’m just so fucking happy for you and Pavel… you two were meant to be.”

When Kira starts tearing up, Liza elbows her gently in the ribs. “See? I’m not the only one.”

Outside, Kin spots us through the glass and practically vibrates with excitement, tugging on Pavel’s shirt and pointing toward the kitchen. Pavel catches my eye and grins, that slow smile that still makes my pulse race.

“I think we’ve been spotted,” Sofiya laughs, balancing her snack bowls. “I’ll go put these outside.”

“Time to face the music,” Kira agrees, lifting the fruit platter and following Sofiya out the glass doors.

I light the five candles, watching the small flames flicker to life. Five years of Kin’s beautiful existence, and somehow we’ve ended up here, surrounded by love, celebrating in a place that feels like home. That feels safe.

“You good?” Liza asks, collecting the plates and cups.

“Better than good.” I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be.

After a brief trip to Hong Kong last month, my inheritance was finally released to me. I put every penny into a trust for Kin. We don’t need the money, and after everything, it feels tainted.

I’ve also finally started researching that book about rebellious women in history I always dreamed of.

The writing itself intimidates me, which is why Pavel has been encouraging me to take some online classes.

He says I have all the time in the world now to become the writer I want to be, and I guess he’s right.

Now that my life has finally settled, I can actually plan for a future instead of just surviving day to day.

As we step through the doors into the backyard, where excited voices are already calling for birthday cake and Pavel is walking toward us with our son on his shoulders, I know with absolute certainty that this will be the happiest of birthdays for everyone.

The life I never dared to dream of is finally, beautifully real.

PAVEL

Kin’s face is flushed with excitement, chocolate frosting smeared across his chin, his dinosaur birthday hat askew, but his eyes are bright with happiness.

“Did you make a wish, buddy?” I ask, lowering into the seat beside him.

Kin looks up at me with a smile and shakes his head.

“No? Why not?”

He shrugs. “All my wishes came true.”

The words hit me like a sucker punch to the chest. This kid understands something it took me forty-three years to figure out: family isn’t just blood. It’s the people who show up, who stay, who choose to love you even when it’s complicated.

“But I would like a dinosaur as a pet,” he adds.

I burst out laughing. “What if I meet you halfway? How does a lizard sound?”

He tilts his head, thinking it over. “I guess.”

Hope comes up behind us, sliding her arms around Kin and me. “What are you two whispering about? Is this going to be my life from now on, always on the outside of your secret conversations?”

“Get used to it,” Kira calls from across the table, wiping chocolate off Anna’s face. “The boys have been plotting with their dad from the moment they could walk. Thank the Lord I’ve got this one on team girl with me.”

“Mama’s not on the outside,” Kin protests. “She’s part of everything too.”

Hope winks at me, and there’s something in her expression that tells me she knows exactly what I’m thinking. She always knows. It’s like she can see straight through to my soul, past all the walls I’ve built, to the man underneath who just wants to love and be loved in return.

“All right, birthday boy,” Yarik’s gruff voice cuts through my thoughts as he approaches the table, carrying a wrapped package. “Time for presents. And I’m going first.”

Dinara rolls her eyes from behind her father, her purple hair catching the sunlight. “Pushy old man,” she grumbles.

I watch with amusement as Yarik sets the package in front of Kin with unusual ceremony and care. He’s been nervous about this gift all week, asking me three different times if I thought it was appropriate.

“What is it?” Kin asks, tearing into the wrapping paper with five-year-old enthusiasm.

Inside are two things: a small pair of boxing gloves, perfectly sized for small hands, and a packet of heirloom tomato seeds.

“The gloves are so your Papa and I can teach you a few moves. Your mother approved,” Yarik explains, his lined face soft with affection. “And the seeds are so we can plant a garden together. A man should know how to grow things and how to protect what matters.”

Kin immediately shoves his little fists into the gloves and starts punching the air, making dramatic sound effects. “Thank you, Uncle Yarik!”

“My turn!” Dinara says brightly, sliding into the chair beside him. She sets a wrapped box in front of Kin, and he attacks it with the same wild energy, paper flying in every direction. Inside is a kid-friendly educational tablet.

Kin’s eyes go wide. “I’ll learn to do computers, too.”

Dinara grins. “Start with the basics, and maybe by the time you’re ten, you’ll be helping me hack into government databases.”

“Dinara,” I warn, tossing a balled-up paper napkin her way.

“Kidding! Mostly.”

My throat thickens as our chosen family showers my son with love and gifts.

When it’s my turn, I hand Kin a wooden box filled with professional-grade paints and brushes. “I thought maybe we could paint together,” I say. “I never took lessons, but I’d love to take them with you.”

I used to paint my demons—my guilt, my grief over Kamilla. Dark, twisted canvases that helped me process feelings I couldn’t in any other way. But with Kin, I want to paint something different. Light instead of darkness. Hope instead of despair.

I think about Kamilla often, about how much I wish she could have met Kin, could have seen the family she’s a part of.

For years, thinking about my sister was nothing but pain that poured out through my art.

But since Hope and Kin came into my life, I’ve been able to remember her differently.

To share stories about who she was. To show Kin pictures of the aunt who would have adored him.

It’s been healing in a way I never expected.

And now I want painting to take on a different meaning.

“Thank you, Papa!” Kin throws his arms around my neck, and I breathe in the scent of him, still amazed that this perfect little person is mine to protect and love.

Kin runs off, and Hope settles beside me, her hand resting on my thigh as she watches him play with his new remote-control dinosaur.

She looks relaxed, happy, genuinely at peace.

The woman who came to me broken and scared has become someone confident and radiant, and knowing I played a part in that transformation fills me with pride.

“Hey,” I murmur, leaning close to her ear. “Want to take a walk with me?”

We slip away from the table, walking hand in hand toward the edge of the gardens, where the afternoon light filters through the trees. When we reach a quiet spot away from the celebration, I stop and turn to face her.

“Hope,” I begin, then drop to one knee.

She bites her lip, staring down at me. “What are you doing?”

I pull the small velvet box from my pocket—the one I’ve been carrying for weeks, waiting for the right moment.

“The first time, I didn’t give you a choice. While I don’t regret it, I want to do this right. I want you to say ‘I do’ because you choose to, not because you have to.”

Her eyes well up as I open the box to reveal a simple gold band, engraved with the Russian words “forever mine” and beside them a single traditional Chinese character meaning “always.”

“Hope King Fedorova, will you marry me? Will you choose this life with me, this family we’ve built, this beautiful chaos we call home?”

Despite the tears, a bright smile breaks through.

“You know,” she teases, her voice thick with emotion, “I might need more convincing.”

“You want me to dress up as a Viking and ravish you? Because I can do that.”

She drops to her knees in front of me. “Yes, I’ll marry you. I’d marry you in this life and every life after. You know that, right?”

“Angel moy,” I whisper, sliding the ring onto her finger beside the pink diamond I gave her months ago. “You saved me—both of you. I didn’t even know I was drowning until you taught me how to breathe again.”

When I kiss her, it tastes like sunshine and promises. Like the life we’ve built and the future we’re going to share. Like the love that saved us both from the darkness we thought we’d never escape.

“I love you,” she whispers against my lips.

“I love you too. Always.”

In the distance, Kin’s laughter mixes with the voices of our family, and I know that this moment, this woman, this life, is everything I could have ever wished for and more than I ever deserved.

And I’ll never let it go.

Thank you so much for reading!