Page 148 of Nine Months to Love

I look at him. “For what?”

“For bringing you into this. I—” He stops, shaking his head. “You should be safe. You and the baby should be far away from all of this.”

“I’m exactly where I want to be.”

“Olivia—”

“No. Listen to me.” I turn to face him fully. “I said yes, remember? I chose this. I chose you. And yes, it’s scary and dangerous and sometimes I have no idea what I’m doing. But I’m not leaving. Not now, not ever.”

His eyes search mine. “Even after this?”

“Especially after this. Elena is family.Ourfamily. And we’re going to be there for her.”

He pulls me against his chest, his arms wrapping around me so tightly I can barely breathe. “I can’t lose her,” he whispers into my hair. “She’s all I have left.”

“You have me. And the baby. And Taras. You’re not alone, Stefan.”

He doesn’t respond, but his hold on me tightens.

The airport appears ahead. Private jets line the tarmac, gleaming in the fading light. Our driver pulls up directly beside Stefan’s plane, where staff are already waiting.

We board quickly. Cami slips into a seat and Taras disappears into the cockpit to talk to the pilots.

Stefan and I take our places near the front. He’s on his phone immediately, barking orders in Russian. I catch fragments—hospital, security, lockdown—but most of it is too fast for me to follow.

The engines roar to life. We taxi down the runway and lift into the air, Florence disappearing beneath us.

Stefan ends his call and stares out the window, his knee bouncing. “Talk to me,” I say softly.

“What do you want me to say?”

“Anything. Just don’t shut me out.”

He’s quiet for a long moment. Then: “She raised me. After my father died, after everything fell apart, she was the one who held me together. She taught me how to cook, how to speak Russian properly, how to be a man instead of a monster. She looked at me and saw something worth saving.”

My throat tightens. “She still does.”

“I should have protected her better. The moment things started escalating, I should’ve sent her away.”

“She wouldn’t have left. You know that.”

He does. Elena is stubborn and fierce and completely unwilling to be pushed around. Even by Stefan.

“If she dies—” He stops, unable to finish.

“She won’t,” I say firmly. “She’s too stubborn to die. She still has to see us get married and meet her great-grandchild.”

Stefan looks at me. For the first time since he told me about the attack, there’s hope in his eyes. “You really believe that?” he asks.

“I have to. And so do you.”

He nods slowly, then pulls me against his side. I rest my head on his shoulder and close my eyes, listening to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat. Outside, the sky darkens. We’re racing against time, flying toward an uncertain future.

But we’re doing it together.

That has to be enough.

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