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“Nothing,” I assure him, wiping at a tear that has escaped. “It's just seeing you like this with our baby. It's everything I dreamed about when you were gone.”

He pulls me into his lap, my legs straddling his waist, my belly between us. His hands cup my face.

I lean forward and kiss him, pouring all my love, relief, and gratitude into it. He responds with equal fervor, his hands moving to my back to hold me against him. When we finally break apart, he rests his forehead against mine.

“Tell me about the baby,” he smiles. “Tell me everything I missed.”

I settle comfortably in his lap. “Well, according to the doctor, everything is developing perfectly.” I take his hand and place it on the side of my stomach. “If we're patient, you might feel a kick. The baby's been most active in the mornings lately.”

“Boy or girl?” he asks, his hand splayed protectively over my bump.

“I didn't want to find out without you,” I admit. “But Dr. Daria said she could tell at my last appointment. I told her I’d wait.”

Something soft and unexpected crosses his features. “You waited for me?”

I nod. “Some things should be shared.”

He is quiet for a moment, his eyes never leaving my stomach. “Do you have a preference?”

I think about it. “Not really. I just want a healthy baby. Although...” I smile, thinking of the tiny clothes I couldn’t resist buying. “I may have purchased a few things in neutral colors. Just small things. I didn't want to jinx anything.”

“Superstitious?” he asks, a slight smile on his lips.

I shrug. “Cautious. The first trimester was difficult.”

But Dimitri knows me too well. His eyes narrow slightly, reading the things I’m not saying. “What happened? And don't say ‘nothing.’ I can see it in your eyes.”

I sigh, knowing it is pointless to hide things from him. “There was some bleeding early on. The doctor said it happens sometimes, that it wasn't necessarily a sign of trouble. But it scared me. I thought...” My voice catches. “I thought I might lose the baby too.”

I can see the muscles in his neck strain with tension. “Why didn't you tell me?”

“What would you have done from inside a prison cell, Dimitri? Break out? That would only have made things worse.” I place my hand over his, which still rests on my stomach.

“By the time I saw you for that first visit, everything was fine. The doctor had confirmed the baby was healthy, and the bleeding had stopped. There was no point in worrying you.”

He looks like he wants to argue, but instead, he pulls me against his chest, burying his face in my hair. “No more secrets, malyshka . Not even to protect me. Promise me.”

I nod against his shoulder. “I promise.”

We stay like that, the silence comfortable between us. His hands move soothingly up and down my back, and I feel myself fully relaxing for the first time in months.

“Are you hungry?” he asks eventually, his voice rumbling under my ear.

As if on cue, my stomach growls loudly, making both of us laugh.

“I'll take that as a yes,” he says, kissing my head before gently shifting me off his lap. “Stay here. I'll find us something to eat.”

I salute playfully. “Yes, sir.”

He shakes his head, smiling as he pulls on a pair of black sweatpants that hang low on his hips. I enjoy the view of his bare chest as he moves around the room, the muscles in his back shifting beneath his tattooed skin.

“I'll be back,” he promises, pausing at the door to look at me with an intensity that makes my skin tingle. “Don't get dressed.”

The door closes behind him, and I fall back against the pillows, smiling at the ceiling. For the first time in months, the knot of anxiety in my chest has loosened. Dimitri is here. He is safe. And for now, at least, we are together.

I stretch luxuriously in the large bed, enjoying the feel of the expensive sheets against my bare skin. The Avilov mansion is opulent in a way that still makes me uncomfortable sometimes. It is a far cry from my modest apartment.

I let my hand rest on my stomach, feeling a subtle movement beneath my palm. “Your papa is home,” I whisper. “I told you he would come back to us.”

Another flutter, stronger this time, as if in response. I smile, imagining the tiny life inside me, already forming its personality and will. Will the baby have Dimitri's coffee-colored eyes and commanding presence? My tendency to speak without thinking? Will it be stubborn like both of us?

The sound of the door opening pulls me from my thoughts. Dimitri enters carrying a tray loaded with food. Toast, fruit, what looks like scrambled eggs, and two steaming mugs of coffee.

“Breakfast in bed?” I beam, sitting up and adjusting the pillows behind me. “You really are trying to impress me.”

He sets the tray down carefully across my lap. “Is it working?”

I pretend to consider. “Well, that depends. Is that regular coffee I smell? Because if you're trying to give me decaf, I might have to reconsider this relationship.”

He smirks, sitting on the edge of the bed. “Half-caf. Doctor's orders. Talia told me.”

I roll my eyes but can’t help smiling. “You two ganging up on me is not fair.”

“All's fair when it comes to keeping you and the baby healthy.” He picks a strawberry from the plate and holds it to my lips. “Now eat. You need your strength.”

I bite into the fruit, the sweetness bursting on my tongue. “For what?” I ask innocently, licking juice from my lips.

His eyes darken as he watches the movement. “For when I'm done letting you eat.”

A shiver of anticipation runs through me, but I force myself to focus on the food. He’s right. I need to eat. The baby needs nourishment, and I haven’t taken the best care of myself with Dimitri gone. I had too many sleepless nights and too many skipped meals because anxiety stole my appetite.

We eat in comfortable silence, Dimitri occasionally feeding me bites from his plate. When we finish, he takes the empty tray and sits it beside the bed. His hand moves to my neck, his thumb tracing my jawline. “Remember the first time we met?"

I feel the heat rise to my cheeks at the memory. “You were being an ass,” I chuckle.

“You threatened to stab me with Aleksandr’s letter opener,” he remarks, a hint of amusement tugging at his mouth.

“You deserved it,” I shoot back, giving his arm a playful smack. “You told him to lock me in the basement!”

I cross my arms with a dramatic huff. “You said it was for my protection from Vic and his goons. But then you muttered it was to shut me up.” I stick out my bottom lip in an exaggerated pout.

“I did want you safe from Vic,” he states, leaning in to kiss my shoulder softly, “but I also wanted you far away from me.”

“What?” I blink. “Why? I didn’t do anything to you.”

“No,” he murmurs, voice low and thick, “but I knew what I wanted.”

His hand drifts from my neck to my shoulder, then traces slowly down my arm, leaving a trail of goosebumps in its wake.

“I still do.”

The intensity of his gaze makes my breath hitch. Even after everything we have been through, our connection remains unbroken. If anything, it has grown stronger, tempered by our trials.

“And what is it you want, Dimitri Popov?” I breathe.

His answer is to pull me into his arms, his mouth finding mine with unerring precision. The kiss is deliberately slow, thoroughly exploring as if he has all the time in the world to taste me.

When he finally pulls back, his eyes are dark with desire. “I want everything. You. Our child. A future.” His hand moves to my stomach, protective and possessive at once. “And I want to spend the rest of the day reminding you exactly why you fell in love with me in the first place.”

“As if I could forget,” I murmur, arching into his touch as his hands begin a torturously slow exploration of my body.

He takes his time, relearning the map of my skin and discovering how pregnancy has changed me. His attention to every detail makes me feel cherished, desired, and beautiful despite the changes that sometimes make me feel like a stranger in my own body.

When he finally slides his thick cock inside me, the sensation is overwhelming. Not just physically but emotionally. Tears sting my eyes as he moves within me, his gaze never leaving mine. It feels like coming home, like finding the missing piece of myself that was torn away when they took him.

“I love you, Sandy,” he whispers against my lips as we move together.

“I love you, too,” I gasp, holding him tighter as the friction builds between us. “Always.”

He keeps up a steady pace, and I quickly shatter around him.

Afterward, we lay tangled together, my head on his chest, his hand idly stroking my hair. Birds sing in the trees surrounding the mansion grounds, and a gentle breeze stirs the curtains.

“What are you thinking?” Dimitri asks, his voice rumbling under my ear.

I trace one of his tattoos with my fingertip. “About names for the baby.”

I feel him smile. “Any ideas?”

“If it's a girl, I was thinking Natalia,” I say softly. “After your mother.”

His body goes still beneath me. When he speaks, his voice is rough with emotion. “You would do that?”

I lift my head to look at him. “Of course. She's part of you, part of our baby's heritage. Talia told me she was brave and kind. That she loved fiercely.”

His eyes shimmer with feeling. “She would have loved you,” he says quietly.

I lay my head back on his chest.

“And if it's a boy?” he asks after a moment.

I smile against his skin. “I was hoping you might have ideas.”

He is quiet for so long that I think he might not answer. Then, “Mikhail,” he says, “for my brother.”

“Mikhail,” I repeat, letting the name settle on my tongue. “I like it. It feels right. The perfect way to honor him. But do you think Sasha and Maxim will be okay with it?”

Their father was taken from them just over a year ago, murdered by the same psychopath who tried to kill Talia. I don’t want the baby’s name to be a constant reminder of what they lost.

Dimitri doesn’t pause. “I think they’ll be more than okay with it. A new life carrying Mikhail’s name... It’s a way to remember him with hope instead of grief.”

His hand moves to my stomach, and the baby kicks against his palm as if on cue. Dimitri's sharp intake of breath makes me smile.

“I think someone approves,” I grin.

“Strong,” he murmurs, his voice filled with pride. “Like their mother.”

I tilt my head to look at him. “And their father.”

He kisses me softly and pulls me closer to his side.

Outside the sanctuary of the bedroom, I know reality waits.

There are still enemies to face and dangers to overcome.

Dimitri's world will always carry risks, complications, and threats.

But for now, at this moment, there is only his heartbeat beneath my ear, his child growing inside me, and the promise of a future neither of us has dared to dream of before.