Page 93 of Vendetta Crown

"When did you become an expert in crib assembly?" I ask, handing her the screwdriver.

She rolls her eyes. "I helped put together Sofia's dollhouse last Christmas, remember? The one that you bought? Same principle, just bigger stakes."

"You couldn't have come an hour earlier to help me with this nightmare?" I mutter, watching as she effortlessly connects two pieces I've been struggling with for ten minutes.

"And miss watching you huff and puff and suffer a mini-meltdown?" She smirks, tightening a screw with practiced ease. "You know me better than that, Uncle Ruslan."

Slowly, with Mikayla's help, the first crib starts to take shape.

"I can't wait to see the babies!" Stella pipes up, her face serious as she carefully adds another stroke of blue to whatever ocean scene they're creating. "I'm going to teach them everything I know."

"Everything?" Aurora asks, her voice warm with amusement.

"Yeah!" Stella nods solemnly. "I'm going to teach them all about unicorns, how to play hide and seek, and ice cream!"

"I think the babies are a little young for those things, Sofochka," Mikayla says.

"But everybody loves unicorns!" she pouts.

"You didn't want to learn about unicorns until you were almost three," Mikayla. "But tell you what, when the babies are old enough, we can teach them all about unicorns together. Sound good?"

"Yeah!"

Aurora rests both hands on her belly, smiling. "I think they're excited to meet all of you too. They've been kicking like crazy every time they hear your voices."

Stella scoots closer to Aurora on the floor, her eyes wide with fascination as she watches Aurora's belly.

"Can I feel?" she asks, her small voice filled with hope.

Aurora's face softens. "Of course you can, sweetie."

She takes Stella's tiny hand in hers and guides it to the side of her stomach where there's been the most movement. Stella's expression is reverent, hushed with anticipation as she waits, her palm flat against Aurora's shirt.

At first, nothing happens. Stella's face falls slightly.

"Sometimes you have to be patient," Aurora explains. "They're probably?—"

Then it happens. Stella's eyes go wide, and her mouth forms a perfect little 'o' of excitement and astonishment.

"I felt them!" she squeals, bouncing slightly. "I felt the babies kick me!"

"They're just saying hello to you," Aurora says.

Stella presses her hand more firmly against Aurora's belly, her face a picture of intense concentration. Another kick comes, and she gasps dramatically.

"Wow!" She looks back towards me with pure wonder. "Uncle Ruslan! The babies kicked my hand! They know it's me!"

I can't help but smile at her excitement. "They recognize your voice, Stellochka. They can hear you from inside."

Stella's eyes widen even further. "Really? They can hear me?" She leans down toward Aurora's belly, her face inches from it. "Hi babies! It's me, Stella! I'm gonna be your big cousin!"

She waits expectantly, her hand still pressed against Aurora's stomach. When another movement ripples under her palm, she lets out a delighted squeal.

"They answered me! Did you hear it?" She's practically vibrating with excitement. "One of them said 'Hi Stella, I love you!'"

Sofia abandons her painting to crawl over. "I want to feel too!"

Aurora laughs, taking Sofia's paint-smeared hand and wiping it clean with a nearby cloth before placing it next to Stella's.

---