Page 79 of Sold to the Bratva

The stars are out, twinkling above the garden she’s worked so hard to cultivate. She’s wrapped in my hoodie, her paint-streaked sweatpants bunched at the ankles, a mug of tea cradled in her hands.

“Are we good parents?” she asks out of nowhere.

“What?” I ask, turning to her in confusion. “Where’s this coming from?”

She picks at a glob of dried paint on her pants. “I don’t know,” she sighs. “I’ve just been thinking of Papa lately. I thought he was a good dad at some point in my life. I must have or I wouldn’t have gone along with everything he told me.”

“I seem to remember you didn’t exactly follow his orders without a little rebellion,” I remind her.

“No, but I always did what he said. Even marrying you. At what point did he stop being a good father and start being a monster?”

I can tell this weighs so heavily on her, and I pull her against my chest, gently stroking her hair.

“You know, Mikhail’s been taking on a lot more of my responsibilities,” I tell her. “After Alina was born, I made the decision to step back as much as I could because I want our kids to always know that our family comes first to me.”

“I didn’t mean that you might end up as a monster,” she says wearily. “What if I turn into one?”

I lift up her chin to force her to look at me, and I hope she can see all the love and trust I have for her. “You are an incredible mother, Katya,” I tell her honestly. “Even though I never got to meet your mother, I bet she was just as good. She lives through you, and you continue to show that you only got the good parts of your parents. You are the least selfish person I’ve ever met. I’m not even a little worried about you becoming your father.”

She nods, satisfied, and leans again into my chest. “I’d never force Kira or Alina to marry a stranger,” she finally whispers. “Even if it does turn out to be a great decision.”

“No,” I agree. “We’ll let our kids marry for love. Or not get married at all. No matter what they want, we’ll support and encourage.”

“How did you get to be such a wonderful person?” she asks, kissing my cheek tenderly.

“I learned by watching you,” I murmur into her hair.

And it’s true. She’s made me into the best version of myself, and I’ll never be able to repay her for the beauty she’s brought into my life. Not even if we have a million lifetimes together. And I hope we do. Because I don’t want to imagine an eternity that she’s not part of.

The End