Page 93 of Born into Sin

“Holy shit,” Sasha says when he notices my ring.

“Language,” my mom reminds him.

“Sorry, Mom, but look at that ring.”

“Are you really marrying him?” Mia asks.

“I am,” I tell her, and since it might as well all get out in the open, I add, “and I’m pregnant.”

“Eww,” is Mia’s response, but she gives me a smile to let me know she’s only partly serious, while Sasha kisses my head.

“I’m happy if you’re happy, sis,” he tells me, and I love my family so goddamn much that I start to cry again.

“Dominic,” my dad shouts, and when my gorgeous fiancé steps back into the room and sees me crying, he’s by my side in seconds, cupping my face and leaning down to see me better.

“What’s wrong, principessa?”

“Nothing. I’m just happy,” I manage to sputter out.

His shoulders visibly relax when he realizes I’m okay, and then he kisses me and scoots me back up into the bed and hands me a glass of water. My dad watches him like a hawk, making sure he’s taking care of me like he should.

“You need to ice her ribs,” my dad tells him.

Dominic raises a brow at him. “I iced them while she was sleeping, and I’ll be doing it again. Don’t worry, Lev. She’ll be taken care of. My doctor will be watching her around the clock and so will I.”

“Lovely,” I say, knowing I won’t be able to take a breath from here on out without someone making a note of it.

“It’s nonnegotiable,” my dad and Dominic say at the exact same time.

I look between the two of them and then turn to my mom, who’s trying very hard to not laugh.

“I mean, they’re not wrong,” she finally manages to say. “For a second there, I was afraid that I’d constantly be worried about you, but seeing as you’ve chosen to marry a man who’s exactly like your dad, I guess I can stop worrying.”

My dad looks at her and frowns. “We’re not alike.”

“You’re both incredibly protective of Natalya.” She holds up her hands and laughs. “That’s all I’m saying.”

The two most important men in my life look at each other, and it’s an awkward few seconds before my dad finally lets out a soft groan and extends his hand out to Dominic.

“I’ll kill you if you hurt her,” my dad says, and that’s the closest thing to a welcome to the family that Dominic is going to get.

My fiancé knows this, so he just smiles and says, “I expect nothing less. I’m fully aware that you and all of your brothers and sons will gut me slowly if I ever do anything to hurt Natalya, and as you can see I’m not even slightly worried about it because I will never hurt your daughter.”

I can tell this is a conversation they’ve had before because my dad just grunts and says, “You better fucking not, or I swear to god I’ll shoot you again, and this time it won’t be in your goddamn shoulder.”

Mia looks ecstatic at the possibility of violence while Sasha studies the two men, his face a mask of indifference. I never really know what’s going on inside my brother’s head, and I’m not so sure I want to.

“Okay,” my mom says, attempting to diffuse the situation. “I’ll let everyone else know you’re okay. The family’s going to want to visit you soon to see for themselves that you’re fine, especially Sveta and Yelena. They’ve been worried sick about you.”

“Thanks, Mom.” I return her hug and kiss, and even though I’ve slept for a day, I’m already getting tired again.

“I love you, honey,” my dad says, kissing me on the head before Mia and Sasha give me a hug goodbye.

I’m already yawning by the time they get to the door. Once they’ve left, Dominic sits on the edge of the bed, looking down at me like he still can’t believe I’m here and okay.

“Can I please go back to your room? I don’t want to stay down here.” He looks like he’s about to insist I stay here, so I cut in before he can. “You can watch over me just as easily up there, except the bed is a lot more comfortable.”

He leans closer with a smile on his face. “I wasn’t going to tell you no, principessa, and it’s our bedroom, not just mine.”

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