Page 42 of Arranged Marriage By the Bratva

Gasping at the sudden release, I glance up at him. “Nikk, my water just broke. Get me to the hospital.”

Nikk smiles, freaking out. “Shit! We’re having a baby.”

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Nikk

I’m a father. Me. A cunning monster from the pits of Russia. Raised by and forged in the fire of Bratva tradition. Me. Nikkita Orlov. I’m a father. Responsible for the life of another. I don’t know how I got here, and if I’m going to be any good at it, but there’s no place I’d rather be.

I don’t cry. The last time I cried was when I was a small boy, and that’s not a memory I ever dig up. Today, as I rock my newborn in Mount Sinai Hospital, I can feel the prick of heat behind my eyes.

Elena is resting peacefully, exhausted, but a happy mother with a dopey smile on her face. I bend down, kissing her forehead. “You did good, so good. Look what we made,” I say to her excitedly, kissing her temple.

“I know,” she says proudly. “I’m so happy it’s a girl.”

“Me too. She has your nose, and those cute little lips of yours. I can see it already,” I tell her as my daughter opens her eyes, her tiny little fingers wrapping around my index finger.

“How can you tell already?” Elena questions, chuckling. The midwife returns, checking Elena’s temperature as I rock my baby back and forth.

“I just can,” I tell her. This has to be one of the happiest days of my life. Now my job is even greater. I have my own family to protect, and it’s something I’ve always wanted, but never knew when I would have it.

Part of my soul is restored when I look down at this tiny being, knowing I made her. The absence of my own father makes me want to be a better one. “I’m your father. I’m always going to be here for you. Always. I will protect you for the rest of my life. My daughter.”

The midwife jumps in. “First child?” she asks, smiling affectionately as we both as answer simultaneously.

“Yes.” This causes the midwife to laugh. “She’s a beauty. What’s her name going to be?”

While Elena was in labor, we tossed around a few names and settled on if it was a boy and if it was a girl. Elena didn’t want to know the sex of the baby, and neither did I. As long as it’s healthy and we’re together, what does it matter?

“Sophia,” I proudly announce to the midwife.

“Sophia—that’s such a pretty name. Wonderful. I’m happy for you both. Elena, I will be back a little later, and we can work on breastfeeding together.”

“No problem.”

When the midwife leaves, I’m even more in love with Elena than before, and I didn’t know that was possible. “Our little Sophia. Can you believe it?”

Elena smiles as I stroke her hair. “No, I can’t.” I hand Sophia back to Elena overwhelmed by it all. Elena cradles Sophia to her chest, kissing her head as Sophia’s eyes open looking around.

“You’re going to be a great kid. Your mother and your father love you so much already. Welcome to the world, Sophia.”

I vow to do my best to shield her from the world we operate in. I want Sophia to have as normal a life as possible.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Elena

Sniffing Sophia’s nappy, I wave a hand in front of my nose. “So much stink for a small little being.” Sophia’s emerald eyes stare back at me, big and bright as she giggles and gurgles with not a care in the world. I position her on the makeshift changing table we have set up in our bedroom, removing the stinky nappy and replacing it with a clean one. I’ve become an expert nappy changer these past few months. That, along with breastfeeding, and even if I’m out of sorts and not feeling like myself, my heart swells every time I look at her face.

She already has a head full of blonde ringlets, and I wonder if she’ll have a head of them like Nikk did when he was a kid. His hair is a sandy blond, but even when I was a kid, my hair was lighter. Maybe Sophia’s hair will end up bone straight in time like mine or turn a different shade as she gets older. Sophia coos at me as I tap her little bottom in the nappy.

“All done now. No more stinky poos,” I tell her, rubbing her tiny nose against mine. Her tiny features are becoming more and more prominent every day, and it’s incredible to watch them blossom.

Once Sophia is all cleaned up, I feed her on the couch, the TV playing softly in the background as we wait for Nikkita. I’ve only just gotten her into a routine of sleeping, and if I feed her before bed and burp her, I can get her down and get at least another three or four hours of sleep. I’m lucky to have a baby who likes her sleep, just like their mother.

Nikk enters a little while later from the office, right on time after I’ve finished feeding and she’s in her cot. The cot is set up in our room for now. I’m a little paranoid about her being in her own room. I know we have the baby monitor and plenty of security, but still, I want my baby in the room with us, just until I decide to go back to work. Then I’ll put her in her own room.

“How are my two best girls today?” Nikk asks, going over to look at Sophia in her cot before turning the lights out and rolling into bed beside me. Checking the time on my cell phone, I notice it’s after ten thirty.

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