Page 135 of Caged

I blink a few times. “I should have done something, for Elena.”

Mila nods.

“And we can, tomorrow. It’s not just special occasions we remember the ones we’ve lost, it’s every day. We never forget them, we simply have to live our lives without them. What would your wife say about your life right now? If she’s watching over us?”

A small smile creeps up on my lips. “She’d want to murder me for finding someone else.”

That earns me one of my favorite sounds, Mila’s laughter.

“I see her point. I’d make sure I haunted you so hard you’d never be able to move on.”

I lean forward, brushing my lips along her jaw. “Ditto. You belong to me in this life and the next. No one else.”

She pulls back, her eyes glistening. “But seriously, I bet she would be thrilled that you found love. Not that grumpy shell of a man I found you as, right?”

I nod slowly. I know Katerina would have wanted me to be happy.

But most of all, there is one other thing she would be looking down on us and smiling about.

“Do you know what else she would like? The fact that Elena finally has someone to look up to.”

“Oh, stop it. You know I love that little girl.”

I brush a stray strand of hair away from her beautiful brown eyes. “She would be grateful that you love our daughter as fiercely as she did.”

I watch as Mila swallows. “I do, Niki. I really do. She’s a great kid.”

“She is. And she loves you. Just as I do.”

“I love you too, d’yavolitsa.”

Her soft lips brush over my own, and my fingers find their place around her throat as I deepen it.

That fire. That passion. Every damn time sends me wild for her.

My love for her will never fade. It will never die.

She has healed me in ways I could never explain. Despite the grief I have lived with for years, I channeled every part of that into bringing up Elena in a way Katerina would have been proud of.

Now, I have given Elena another reason to smile. Mila.

And maybe one day, a big family. I know, if anything ever happens to me, Mila will step up. Elena is forever safe with her.

FIFTY-SEVEN

Mila

Two Weeks Later…

The morning air is cooler as we get closer to fall. It’s nothing like the Russian autumn where I could wake up to ice as early as September.

This is a pleasant temperature. Perfect for enjoying a coffee with Nikolai on the balcony of the tiny bistro we found in the old section of Vegas.

Steaming espresso tickles my nose and helps warm the chill that sends goosebumps over my bare arms.

Nikolai narrows his eyes as he glances down at them before he pulls my chair closer. His hot palms move up and down from my shoulders, heating my skin. “I’m not sure why you have to be so stubborn sometimes,” he growls. “I love you even when you’re covered up. You don’t need to freeze to look amazing.”

I lean into his touch and press a kiss to the side of his throat. “I know. But, this shirt looks fabulous on me, and I don’t want to cover it up when we meet Elena’s teacher.” I don’t tell him, I want that bitch to see the scars and stop fucking with Elena.

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