Page 78 of Devil's Bride

Nikolai’s laughter is the loudest amidst our visitors; and while I want nothing more than to flip them off, the kicking baby with the wriggling fingers in the small blanket calls to me. Subconsciously, I tilt forward.

“Can I, um...”

The entire room falls as quiet as a fucking graveyard. Who can blame them? It’s the first thing they’ve heard me say since they walked into the room.

I stretch my arms out, swallow. But Irina doesn’t let me finish my sentence. She holds up our bundle of joy and carefully places her in my arms.

The overwhelming sense of love and connection is immediate. As I hold her close, I realize even more that Irina’s giving birth is not just a physical act but a transformative experience that changes our essence. It changes our entire lives. We brought a new life into the world. A life we now have the responsibility to take care of and protect with our lives.

I need no further conviction; I am devoted to doing everything I can to keep both of them safe. My precious jewels.

“Seeing him in this father element is the most comforting and scariest thing I’ve ever seen,” Mikhail says.

“It’s called being fierce and protective.” I look up at them, rocking the little baby in my arms. “What, you’ve never seen me like this before?”

Mikhail shrugs and Irina smiles up at him. “You look like barbed wire on a maximum-security prison fence.”

I arch a brow. “How does a person look like barbed wire?”

“Prickly. Prickly everywhere.” Nikolai coughs out a laugh.

“Like, ‘come close and you’re going to fucking die with thorns shoved up your ass’.” Dimitri snickers.

Irina laughs and cups my cheeks again, pressing a kiss to each side. “Pay them no heed. They’re making fun of your fatherhood.”

“True,” Mrs. Volkov grins. “They know you’re going to be the best Dad ever.”

“Oh, no one’s disputing that.” Arielle sits at the foot of the bed with a dreamy look in her eyes. “I just want to know what he’s going to name my niece.”

And that starts another round of banter.

The fruit and food are passed around and so do different name suggestions.

“He’s going to name her Moscow,” Arielle wags a sausage at Nikolai.

Alexei nods. “I kind of like it—Ow!” Arielle whacks his arm.

“Moscow? Seriously?”

Nikolai makes another suggestion and it just keeps going on and on.

“Galina.”

“Ulyana.”

“Mila.”

“Rada.”

The ramble stops after I hold a hand up and they all look at me. “We’re not choosing a name until after the mother and father have a conversation.”

“What do you know? That’s our cue to leave.”

“Yes, it is.”

Irina’s mother rolls her eyes and Dmitri holds open the door.

“We’ll be right outside if you guys need anything,” Mikhail says. “Congratulations again, Alexei.”

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