Page 58 of Like An Animal

THE GHOST

Two Years Later…

M y life has changed a lot in the past two years and I can’t say I don’t like most of it.

Life is pretty great. I have a husband that I absolutely adore, three beautiful children, and a family I never thought would come together.

Charlotte loves being a big sister and she doesn’t acknowledge a difference between little Max and Alexei.

Alexei was adopted but it was a special circumstance that brought him to us. Alexei is six months older than little Max and we were shocked when Silva brought her adult daughter to us, claiming Massimo got her pregnant before he died.

Tatiana, Alexei’s birth mother, told us Massimo was fully aware that she was pregnant and they had discussed what they were going to do about it. A paternity test was already performed and she came armed with the results.

She always planned to give Alexei up. Originally, she was going to sign over custody to Massimo, but with his death, she couldn’t do that anymore. Nikolai offered to assume custody, but she didn’t feel comfortable giving her child to someone she didn’t know. Tatiana knew us already.

However, when it came to naming the little boy she handed over to us, we had a hard time.

I wanted to honor Massimo’s wishes. I knew he never liked when parents named their child after someone who died so we didn’t give him the same name.

Massimo did like when people honored their heritage so, we chose a Russian name for his son.

And, when our third child was born, we named him Massimo Borza, but we call him Max just like we did his name sake.

Two of our children honor our fallen friend who left us too soon.

I still cry sometimes when I think of him, but my heart always hurts when I think of him not being here.

After we dealt with Dimitri and Jeremy took over as the Bratva, we had to clear out Dimitri’s house where we found the answers to the burning question.

Why the hell did he hate my mother so much?

Dimitri left mountains of journals, some way older than me, and it was those that gave me the answers I wanted.

Turns out, Dimitri did meet my mother when she traveled to New York, but what Cheryl forgot to mention was that my mother was only fourteen and Dimitri was already in his late forties.

He met her and became obsessed with her.

He groomed her to be his mistress, but when she turned him down for anything long term, he became violent.

She barely escaped and ran back to Texas.

Since then, he had been obsessively hating her and wanting to destroy the woman who was already dead.

It was that obsession that ultimately killed him and countless others.

Now, Charlotte and I can walk around out in the open without a fear of The Father’s finding us. The danger is gone and now we can enjoy our lives.

I pat the bed next to me, searching out my husband, but he’s nowhere to be found. Though it's a struggle to open my eyes, I do it, calling out his name.

Luckily, I didn’t wake up from a nightmare this time, but it’s still concerning that he’s not here with me.

Grabbing my robe off the chair next to our bed, I slip it on before walking toward the door.

I stop in the doorway and slowly turn around, looking at that spot.

Every time I walk past it, it’s like a cold breeze flows across my skin.

I don’t like looking back at it because it reminds me of that horrible day, but I can’t avoid it.

Massimo was gunned down in our bedroom and it’s something we have to live with.

I slip out of the room and search him out, but when I make it to Jeremy’s office, I stop. Pushing open the door, my eyes flash to the wall of mason jars full of eyeballs and I groan.

I told him he needed to move them to the compound so we don’t run the chance of Charlotte stumbling upon them.

When I first saw them, I was horrified. Not because they existed at all since I already knew he removed his victim’s eyeballs–Isaac’s eyes were in there, too–but because of how shocking the display was.

I guess I’ll need to take care of it myself. Tomorrow, I’ll make sure to box them up and take them to the compound myself.

Closing the door, I continue on my search for my husband but when I make it to the nursery, I relax.

Jeremy is passed out in the rocking chair with one of our boys laying against each shoulder. A smile tugs against my lips as I walk into the room.

My golden retriever, Val, named after my favorite actor, Val Kilmer, sleeps next to Jeremy. At first my husband did not like my dog, but he has slowly grown on him. Now, he even cuddles the sweet pooch when we watch movies on the projector in bed.

However, nothing warms my heart quite like when me and the kiddos come home from a day out with Cheryl to find Jeremy passed out on the sofa with Val on top of him.

Suddenly, Jeremy’s head pops up, sleepiness clear on his face.

“Hey,” I say and he smirks.

“Hey. They woke up and I didn’t want them to ruin your beauty sleep,” he mutters as I gently take Max from his arms, resting his little head on my shoulder. Val pops up, panting up at me, wagging his fluffy tail. Reaching down, I pat him on the head.

“You don’t have to get up with them every night, Jer. I can sometimes, too.”

He slowly shakes his head as he stands up, before pulling me into his free arm. “I will never make you get up and tend to them when I am perfectly capable of doing it. You barely sleep as is and… I missed out on all of Charlotte’s early years. I’m just happy to be included in theirs.”

He’s not wrong. Since The Fathers were dealt with, I have had constant night terrors and insomnia. It’s just a result of the trauma and my brain being on high alert.

This is much better than the alternative.

“You know I love you, right?” I ask before he gives me a soft kiss.

“It wouldn’t hurt for you to tell me again.”

I snicker under my breath before he presses another kiss to my forehead.

“Now, let’s put these two to bed. Then, we can go to our room and make another one.”

THE END…