Page 61 of Pregnant By the Russian Pakhan

Alena died on impact, crashing to the floor as her eyes rolled back in her head.

Mira stared down at the other woman unable to believe the same person who had been talking and threatening her a scant minute ago was dead.

“You’re not going to start weeping all over her again, are you?” he asked, teasing her in a bid to get her out of her disquiet. Mira shook her head. “She was a hateful woman. She was going to harm an innocent baby still in its mother’s womb,” she said looking up at him out of teary eyes.

His gaze roved over her face and then he sighed, “Fine. I’ll tell them men we’re starting a we-hate-Alena club.”

She chuckled through her tears. And then Mikhail bent to kiss her again. In a shaky voice, he whispered against her lips, “I love you, Mira Nikolai. I love you as I have never loved anyone else.”

Stunned disbelief coursed through her and then her gaze had to flicker away with uncharacteristic shyness. He was staring at her so intently she could barely breathe.

He cupped her cheek in his hand and made her look up at him. “Mira?”

“I love you too, Mikhail,” she confessed in a trembling voice. “Now kiss me.”

He was still kissing her as his men carted Alena’s remains from the room.

Epilogue - Mira

“I never knew it could be so much fun shopping for baby stuff,” Mira declared.

“I know, right? They’re so cute,” the store attendant chirped happily.

Mira threw the girl an exasperated look. Of course she would say so; she wanted to sell her wares, didn’t she?

The girl giggled at Mira’s glance and Mira couldn’t hold back giggles of her own, feeling like a schoolgirl all of a sudden.

Mira was having the time of her life with her pregnancy. She finally met Mikhail’s brothers—Lev, Adrian and Ivan. They were all away taking care of the Bratva business while Mira and Mikhail jumped through hoops of her father’s vileness. Now that they are back, she had a chance to get to know them properly and is truly happy to be part of this family. A family she never had before.

Mira was nine months gone now, due to deliver her baby any day, and her pregnancy had given her a delightful glow. Mikhail had been expressing his love at every turn and showering her with gifts, as had her father. She should be at peace with the world, but try as she might she couldn’t shake a nagging feeling that something was about to go wrong.

“Mira, are you even listening?” Sarah demanded.

Mira smiled at Sarah. Every time she saw Sarah’s face, she couldn’t forget Alena’s lies that Sarah was dead. Thankfully, the woman had only been saying that to hurt Mira. Her heart still skipped a beat when she looked into the happy face of her maid and friend.

“I got lost for a minute there. Sorry,” Mira said.

Sarah sighed. “These onesies are cute and special. What do you think?”

“I think this baby is due any day now, so pretty much anything works for me,” Mira said with a grin.

“I have an idea,” Sarah whooped when she saw a floral print maternity gown in a corner of the store. “You would look absolutely delightful in that beautiful material, Mira. Go try it on in the dressing room. It would be amazing with your red hair.”

“Go and try it,” Madame Pruitt ordered, turning back to her conversation with Mrs. Nikolai.

Mira barely refrained from rolling her eyes. Sometimes she felt both women had eyes in the back of their heads. They were engrossed in their conversation and yet somehow they’d known what she and Sarah had been discussing.

Grumbling under her breath, she headed for the dressing room. An attendant pointed her toward the back of the store. She went there and found the door. When she opened it, it was empty. Gratefully she shed her clothes and tugged on the maternity dress. It slipped over her head and shoulders, and settled easily over her protruding tummy.

Mira was still turning this way and that, admiring her new dress when she felt a burst of water pour out from between her legs. Madame Pruitt gasped along with Sarah, “The baby is coming.”

“Mikhail isn’t here,” Mira wailed, nearing panic.“Just focus on getting to the hospital,” Madame Pruitt chided as she guided Mira towards their waiting vehicle. Hours later, as she awoke from the Caesarean section that left her groggy and weak, Mira noticed that it was night. She looked around. Mikhail was sitting in a chair and sleeping with his head on her bedside.

Mira touched his arm and he jerked awake at once. When he saw that she was up, he bent his head and dropped a kiss onto her forehead.

“Hi,” he whispered.

“Hi,” she said back. She looked around. “My baby?”

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