Page 140 of Vicious Innocence
“No more Bratva?” she asks, and we both know it’s a joke.
“No more worrying. No more Chadovichs prowling around every corner. With Tristan gone, they have nopakhan. And if I had to guess, Yuri and Daniil are too terrified to step up. It’s going to be a lot quieter.”
“Quieter sounds nice,” she says.
“Except for when it comes to us,” I tell her. “No more hiding. No more pretending. You are mine and the world is going to know it. From now on, it’s you and me and my heir.”
“Well, that sounds amazing,” she says. “Butourheir is going to need a name.”
“How about Lorenzo?” I ask, but she crinkles her nose.
“No. No Italian names. What about Aleksandr?” she asks, but this time I shake my head.
“No. No Russian names either. Tradition is good, but some things need to come to an end.”
Amara looks down at the baby, running her fingers softly through his light blonde hair. Then she smiles. “Nicholas,” she says.
“Nicholas,” I echo softly.
“We can call him Nicky for short,” she adds. “Unless you hate that.”
“No,” I say, and my throat is tighter than I thought. “I don’t hate it at all. In fact, I think it’s perfect.”
“Good.” She plants a kiss on top of his little head. “Because I love it.”
“And I love you.” I cup her face in my hand. “More than anything.”
“I love you too, Ransome.”
We both lean in carefully around Nicholas for a kiss. A kiss that finally feels like the world is right. I have my girl and I have my son, and everyone that was standing in our way is gone.
And for the first time, I also feel free of the pain from Nik’s death.
In the Bratva world,not a lot of things feel genuine or secure. But with all of it in my hands, I can make it into anything I want it to be.
My mom’s words stick in my head.
“Your heart is going to help you lead our family the way we should be led.”
I can lead them. I can lead all of us.
And there’s nothing that can stand in our way.
