Page 162 of Sweet Deception

As I held my son, a tremor ran through me. For a brief, agonizing time, I thought I’d lost him forever. My fingers curled protectively around his tiny form, my breath uneven. Gleb’s hand landed on my back, warm and grounding.

“He’s here, Anna,” he murmured. “And he’s not going anywhere.”

I swallowed hard and nodded.

Gleb assured me it was normal for newborns to keep their eyes closed in the first few days, but worry still tugged at my heart. I pressed my lips against his warm forehead, inhaling his scent. My baby. My precious, beautiful baby.

“I swear, I will protect you with my last breath,” I whispered, holding him tighter, as if afraid he would slip away again.

“We need to go.” Gleb’s voice pulled me back to reality.

I blinked, realizing we were still at his private airport. The baby had been stolen from me in a high-tech baby pod, and now he had been returned the same way. My father, on the other hand, had been immediately sent to the Romanov family’s private prison. the same one where my brothers and cousins had once been kept.

Nodding, I followed Gleb to the car.

Inside the car, he gestured for me to pass him the baby. Since he wasn’t the one driving, he could hold him safely.

I hesitated for a second before placing our son in his arms. The way Gleb looked at him made my heart clench, his gaze was filled with something I had never seen before. Wonder. Adoration.

“He looks like you,” he murmured.

I chuckled. “Really?”

“Yeah, look at him,” Gleb murmured, his voice thick with awe. “He’s perfect.” His fingers brushed the baby’s soft cheek before moving to his tiny hand. A small gasp left Gleb as the baby instinctively grasped his thumb. He let out a deep chuckle, and I couldn’t help but laugh too.

By the time we arrived home, the doctor was already waiting to examine our baby. I was sure he was healthy, but Gleb insisted on taking no chances.

After a thorough check, the doctor smiled. “The child is very healthy. Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Romanov.”

Gleb dismissed him, looking satisfied.

I breastfed the baby, watching as his tiny hands clung to me. Once he was done, Gleb took him and played with him for a while, tickling his belly. The baby cooed softly, wiggling his tiny toes in response. But the moment didn’t last long, soon, he drifted off to sleep in Gleb’s arms.

I took him and gently laid him in his crib. We had designed his nursery together while I was pregnant. The soft hues, the plush toys, the soothing lullaby mobile hanging above it was a space made just for him.

I stood there, watching his peaceful face, my heart swelling with love.

A strong arm wrapped around my waist from behind, and I immediately recognized Gleb by his familiar aftershave. He peered over my shoulder at our son.

“I think he’ll grow up to look like me.”

I scoffed. “Are you jealous that he doesn’t look like you yet?”

“No.”

“Liar.” I laughed, placing my hand over his.

Gleb disentangled himself and led me to the bed. From where we lay, we could still see our son. A top-of-the-line baby monitor ensured we would never be too far from him, but I doubted I would ever want to take my eyes off him. His presence brought me a kind of peace I had never known before.

And now, no one could threaten that peace. Gleb had already dealt with his family, and mine.

“Your sister has been sent back to Italy,” he said, his fingers combing through my hair. “Some of my family wanted me to keep her locked up, but I refused.”

“Thank you,” I whispered, exhaling a breath I didn’t realize I was holding. “My father deserves that hole, but Maria...” My throat tightened. “I may never forgive her, but she doesn’t deserve that kind of punishment.”

He nodded.

“I got my mother’s properties too.”