Page 134 of Captive Promise

Nico makes a vaguely horrified noise. “I’m not sure I want to,” he mutters.

I laugh, leaning into his side as the elevator begins its descent. “Too bad,” I tease. “She’s part of the package. You’re marrying into the crazy, remember?”

His arm comes around me, pulling me closer, and I feel him press a smile into my hair. “Happily,” he murmurs. “Every single day, for the rest of our lives.” He kisses my temple. “Let’s go home.”

Home.

The word fills me with a rush of warmth and contentment.

I sold my brownstone and Nico and I moved into a condo on the outskirts of the city.

It’s close enough for me to get to the hospital and for Nico to keep an eye on his legitimate business interests since he left the Corsicans. But it’s far enough away to give us some distance from the families.

This tentative peace we’ve brokered hasn’t been easy.

My cousins, Leo, and Cillian look at Nico and they still see the man who used a child for his own ends, however noble those ends might have been.

But I have to give it to them.

They’re trying—slowly and grudgingly—to see him as I do. To recognize the good in him, the honor and the love and the fierce, protective loyalty.

Emma, bless her, has been a big part of that. After those first few tense weeks, she reached out and invited me to the Santoro estate to see Seraphina.

I think she needed to see for herself the bond that had formed between me and her daughter.

When she saw the way Seraphina’s face lit up at the sight of me, the way she clung to me and babbled excitedly, something shifted. A softening, an understanding.

She’s been our advocate ever since, gently and not so gently pushing for acceptance. I’ve been able to visit with Aria, Daniel, and the baby, but Maksim is always there, keeping a close eye on me.

Nikolai still refuses to see me, which does hurt my feelings, but I’m hopeful things will change once Nikolai finally sees how happy I am.

It’s a slow process, but I’m hopeful that one day, we’ll be able to bring our child into a world where there’s no more bad blood or old wounds festering under the surface.

A world where the only thing that matters is love.

Family.

The ties that bind us all together, for better or for worse.

Nico’s hand on the small of my back guides me out of the hospital, to where his car waits at the curb. He opens the door for me and helps me ease into the passenger seat, his touch gentle and reverent on my belly.

“How are you feeling?” he asks as he slides behind the wheel, his eyes searching my face. “How’s our little troublemaker today?”

I laugh, resting my hand over his where it lies on my stomach. “Active,” I reply ruefully. “I think we may have a future soccer star on our hands.”

His grin is blinding with joy. “That’s my girl,” he says softly. “Or boy. Whoever they turn out to be, they’re going to be amazing. Just like their mother.”

Tears prick my eyes at his words, at the sheer, unbridled adoration in his gaze. “Nico,” I whisper, my voice choked with emotion.

He lifts my hand to his lips, kissing my knuckles. “I love you,” he murmurs against my skin. “I love you so much, Katerina. You’ve given me everything. Everything I never thought I could have, everything I never thought I deserved.”

I cup his cheek, stroking my thumb over the rough stubble and the strong line of his jaw. “You do deserve it,” I tell him fiercely. “You deserve this life, this love, this family. Never doubt that, Nico. Never doubt how much you mean to me. To us.”

He turns his head, pressing a kiss to my palm, his eyes shining. “I won’t,” he vows. “I swear, Katerina. I’ll spend the rest of my life being worthy of this. Of you, of our baby. I’ll be the man you believe me to be.”

“You already are,” I assure him, leaning in to rest my forehead against his. “You already are, my love.”

We stay like that for a long moment, just breathing each other in, savoring the closeness, the connection. Then Nico starts the car, pulling out into the flow of traffic, heading for home.