Page 183 of The Enemy Protector
I watch him like a hawk. Ready to snatch my son back at the first sign of distress.
“Kirill,” Sofia says. “You can hold the other one.”
My right hand Kirill looks uncertain. He’s standing near the door like he’s afraid to get too close. “I don’t know how?— “
“Neither did I a few hours ago,” Sofia interrupts. “Come here. You both need to be familiar with them—just in case.”
None of us talk about why or when they might need to hold our children.
I reluctantly transfer baby Kirill to his arms. He holds the baby like it might explode. Stiff. Awkward. Nothing like Anton’s natural ease.
“Relax,” I tell him. “Support his head.”
Kirill adjusts his grip. Baby Kirill makes a small sound. Kirill looks at me. I get it. That sense of wonder hits hard that first time.
“I will protect him with my life,” Anton says quietly. He’s not looking at me. He’s looking at the baby in his arms. “Both of them. I swear it.”
“As will I,” Kirill adds. His voice is rough. “No one will touch them. Ever.”
I believe them. These men have proven their loyalty a thousand times over. But it’s different now.
It’s personal for them.
Nelson appears in the doorway. He takes one look at the scene and smiles. “Can I?”
“Get in line,” I mutter.
But Sofia is already gesturing him over. “There’s two of them. Plenty to go around.”
I watch as my men pass around my sons. Each of them holding the babies with varying degrees of competence. Each of them looking at the twins like they’re the most precious things in the world.
They are.
Sofia is glowing with pride at the men cooing over our children.
The nurse comes in to check vitals. She reaches for baby Anton. He’s back in my arms by this point because I couldn’t stand having both of them held by other people.
The moment she takes him, he screams. A high-pitched wail that makes every protective instinct I have flare to life.
“It’s okay,” the nurse says calmly. “I just need to check his temperature and?— “
The screaming intensifies. His face turns red. His tiny fists wave in the air.
I can’t take it.
I step forward and take him back. The moment he’s against my chest, the screaming stops. Complete silence except for a few hiccupping breaths.
The nurse looks mildly amused. “Well. I see who he wants.”
I feel faintly smug about this. My son knows his father. Knows where he’s safe.
“Don’t start,” Sofia says from the bed. But she’s smiling.
The nurse manages to do her checks with me holding both babies. It’s awkward, but I refuse to put them down. Not when they’re this settled.
Eventually, the men leave. Anton claps me on the shoulder on his way out. “They’re beautiful. Congratulations.”
“Thank you.”
