Page 22 of Pregnant Behind the Veil (Brides for Greek Brothers #3)

“Her parents cut off her health insurance.” The venom in his voice lets me know his relationship with his grandparents is fractured just as badly as mine.

“They withdrew their financial support so she was left with a mountain of debt for her partially finished art degree at a very expensive university. Add in the cost of giving birth to me at an inner-city hospital, and she was drowning in debt. I remember going to food banks, but so did thousands of other people.” He shrugs.

“We were one of many. Every now and then, when she would come home after midnight, I would see how tired she was. I would remember that kid’s words.

I would wonder if I was the reason why my dad didn’t stick around. ”

I surrender to my instincts and go to him, lay a hand on his arm. He jolts, looks down at my hand and then slowly looks at me. The pain reflected in his eyes is a stab straight to my heart.

“It wasn’t you.”

Slowly, ever so slowly, his hand comes up and covers mine. His acceptance of my comfort makes my heart swell even as it aches for the young boy who struggled so much. For the woman who had so much ripped away simply because she fell for the wrong person.

“Logically I know it. But I’d be lying if I said the thought didn’t come back to haunt me every now and then.” His smile is quick, bitter. “Not after I actually met Lucifer.”

He starts to move forward, his step slow.

I walk with him, matching my pace to his as we wander through the city streets.

Even as my heart aches for him, hope whispers through my soul.

I know this confession is not coming easy to him.

That he’s making the effort at all means more than I can express.

“I don’t know how many times I asked my mom if she could ask my father to come meet me, or at the very least tell me his name. I later found out he was sending her a few hundred dollars every month if she kept his identity a secret and sent him occasional photos.”

My eyes widen. “What?”

It’s hard to picture Lucifer having that kind of interest in his children, framing photos like a proud father.

“He didn’t actually care. It was like having a trophy. She still carries that guilt. Feels like she sold a part of me to keep the money he sent.”

“What else was she supposed to do? Let you starve?”

He glances down at me, a faint smile on his lips. “It seems obvious to us, doesn’t it?” His eyes drop down to my stomach. “But I imagine you and I will both face similar feelings of guilt and regret as we navigate parenthood.”

More people start to appear in the streets.

Shop owners open doors and bring out shelves, stocking them with leather shoes that gleam in the sunlight, pottery decorated with artful swirls and vivid colors, and hand-carved wooden plates, bowls and cups.

We meander for a while, always touching, not speaking yet somehow more in sync than we have been since we reconnected.

We turn down a side street. The noises of the crowd dim. Olive tree branches arch overheard, creating a shadowed tunnel as we walk.

“A day before my seventh birthday, he told my mom he would be in town and would come see me.”

I don’t say anything, keep my eyes focused on the curving path. But my other hand settles on my stomach. Maybe I’m offering assurance to my son, or maybe I’m seeking comfort for myself.

Because there’s only one way this story can end.

“I was so excited. We both got dressed up and went to a park in Soundview. Mom bought me ice cream for my birthday. We waited almost five hours. He never showed. I cried harder than I’ve ever cried before. The last time I cried.”

“When you were seven?” I whisper.

He nods. “After that, all I could feel was anger. One of the boys from my school had been at the park and saw me cry. He told everyone the next day and teased me on the playground. I punched him in the face.”

“Sounds like it wasn’t undeserved.”

“He was a nasty little bastard. But I turned into one, too. I picked fights whenever I could. People didn’t have time to tease me about not having a dad when they were trying to avoid me.

And it gave me something to focus on besides his abandonment.

It got so bad in middle school that the principal was calling my mother down several times a month.

I didn’t get it under control till almost the end of middle school.

I put my mother through hell.” His lips quirk. “Like my father.”

“Michail…” I shake my head. “I didn’t mean—”

“I know. I overreacted.” He looks down at me, covers my hand with his. “I’m sorry, Alessandra. For that and everything I said before.”

I stare up at my giant of a husband, floored by his apology.

“I am, too.” It’s the only thing I can say without my voice breaking.

“We got into a good place. I got a job as a 911 dispatcher my senior year of high school.

That led to becoming a patrol officer, and my mother enjoyed nearly twenty years as an art teacher before she retired.

I got my degree, started Sullivan Security and then it took off.

We were happy. I barely even thought of my father.

“Then six months ago, my birth father reaches out to tell me he’s dying and would like to meet me before he passes.

My mother had never told me his name. I was shocked.

I knew about Drakos Development. And then I was angry.

Angry that someone so wealthy would have let us flounder like that.

I debated on going. But I knew I’d always wonder if I didn’t. So I went.”

A shiver creeps down my spine at the banked fury in his tone.

“He told me he’d actually been at the park that day. He’d been testing me to see how I would respond to disappointment. When I cried, he washed his hands of me until I made something of myself.”

Horrified by the depths of Lucifer’s depravity, I stay silent as I tighten my grip on his fingers. A small gesture, but one meant to signal that I’m still here. Still listening.

“He was proud of it. Proud,” he says with such disgust I can only imagine how hard it must have been for him to restrain himself in Lucifer’s presence.

“And he still expected me to be happy that he was finally paying attention to me. He thought I would just agree to the terms of his will for money. I ran into some of the worst people this world has to offer my first few years working patrol, and to this day, I have never met someone as cruel and selfish as him. I left with him screaming that he would make me sorry I was ever born.”

We stop again. He places a hand on my hip, gently turns me to face him. My breath catches as his hand comes up. He traces a finger along my jaw before cradling me in his palm.

“When I walked into that bar and saw you, it felt like something was finally going right. My night with you wasn’t expected. I needed it more than I realized. Yes,” he says with a ghost of a smile, “I went back to the bar to look for you. Our time together meant something.”

“It meant something to me, too.” My words are barely a whisper.

“I know that now. When I walked into your office three months later and saw you, my first thought was that I had found you. You were cold, calm. At first, I thought you didn’t recognize me.

Then, when I realized who you were, and that you had appeared in my life right after Lucifer issued his ultimatum, the answer seemed obvious.

Even if you hadn’t been involved with him directly, I wondered if you had figured out who I was and decided to put your knowledge to use.

” A scowl darkens his face. “More than one woman has tried to trap me into becoming a father or getting married since I made my first million. It’s the reason you saw pictures of so many women.

I already didn’t trust people in general.

Why let someone get close when I had so many examples of people acting in their own interests? ”

Hearing him present it now, without anger or insult, I can’t say I wouldn’t have drawn a similar conclusion.

“When you walked into my office… I thought the same thing.” I look up at him, his handsome face that is now so familiar. “I thought you had found me.”

A muscle twitches in his cheek. He looks away. “After you read the will, I wanted nothing to do with Lucifer, my brothers, you.”

“What made you change your mind about Gavriil’s wedding?”

“My mother. She hadn’t wanted me to go see Lucifer. But as she told me, her wants and my needs were two very different things. After I told her about the will and my brothers, she told me I owed it to them, and myself, to give them a chance.”

“So you went to the wedding.”

“I did. I wasn’t happy about it, but I knew she was right.

Because I showed up, Gavriil reached out a couple weeks later when he had a problem.

” His voice drifts off as his gaze turns pensive.

“The fact that he reached out and asked for my help meant something. It opened the door for us to get to know each other better, and eventually Rafe.”

I want to point out in that moment how much that meant to him, his brother placing his trust in someone he barely knew. But I stay silent. This isn’t about me. Not right now.

“When I saw you there at the wedding, all of my suspicions came to the forefront. I was convinced you were playing a long game, just waiting to somehow use our night together. I decided to warn you off.”

He stops next to a low-lying wall with incredible views of the sea. He gently turns me to face him, running one hand up and down my bare arm as he cups my face with the other.

“I’m sorry. I still wanted you, and that made everything ten times worse. I lashed out at you, not just because I was angry and suspicious, but because I was angry at myself for still thinking about a woman I thought had betrayed me.”

I reach up and smooth a lock of hair away from his forehead. “I understand a little better now. I didn’t deserve the vitriol.”

“No, you didn’t. But I also understand a little more now.

” He leans down and touches his forehead to mine.

The simple contact makes my breath rush out in a wash.

“My whole life has been tainted by betrayal. My father betraying my mother and leaving her to fight on her own. Schools that were overburdened and didn’t help.

The women who wanted money or clothes or a ring after I made my first million.

What I saw over and over again of human nature and what we can do to each other as an officer. ”

I lean back slightly. “You don’t talk much about your time as an officer.”

“I was very proud of what I accomplished during my time with the NYPD. I gave everything I had to that job. But I wanted more, too. I wanted to make a bigger difference.”

“Do you miss being an officer?”

“Sometimes I miss the work. But what I do now fills a lot of that void. When I was working for the Special Crimes Division, I saw so many alarm systems that failed. I learned a lot. Sullivan Security was born because of those failures and the lack of affordable systems for the people who need it most.” His fingers drift up and down my jaw, his movements light even as they leave tiny sparks burning in the wake of his touch. “Good can come from ashes.”

I suck in a quick breath as the baby moves.

“What’s wrong?”

I laugh slightly at the alarm in his voice. “Nothing. He’s just very active this morning.”

Michail’s gaze drops down to my stomach. Slowly I reach up, tug his hand away from my face and guide it down. He inhales sharply. The intimacies we have shared so far are nothing compared to this moment. I place his hand on the side of my stomach.

“I don’t feel anything.”

“Give it a moment.”

And then he moves. A good roll, tiny hands or perhaps a foot pushing against my stomach. Right against the palm of Michail’s hand. His eyes widen as his lips part.

“Was that…?”

“Yes.”

His head snaps up. His eyes burn into mine. Then he leans down and kisses me. Hard, hungry, passion flowing between us in a way I never imagined. I moan his name as I cling to his arms.

There are still obstacles between us, challenges to overcome. But here, in this moment, I make a conscious choice to let down my walls, to be more vulnerable with my husband as he’s chosen to be vulnerable with me.

I don’t know what the future holds. I do know that my path forward is no longer certain. That if Michail were to ask me to stay, I don’t know if I would say no.

But that’s a question for another day. Today, I’m going to enjoy myself and this moment of happiness that we’ve claimed.