Page 89 of Scarlet Chains
Thank fuck.
The car seat we installed this morning sits perfectly in the back, expensive and safe and ready for the most precious cargo I’ll ever transport. Slava is snuggled up in it, his tiny eyelids growing heavier as the car hums along the road toward the hotel. His stuffed bear is clutched against his chest, and every few seconds his eyes flutter open, as if to make sure we’re still there.
The drive is silent. Calm. We all savor the peacefulness of this moment, somehow not feeling the need to talk. What is there to say? We’ve won. After months of fighting, of paperwork, of sleepless nights wondering if this day would ever come, we’ve actually won.
Ilona’s hand finds mine across the center console, warm, present. She doesn’t speak, but I can feel her contentment radiating through the car like heat from a fireplace. When Iglance in the rearview mirror, Slava has finally given in to sleep, his head tilted to one side, completely trusting and at peace.
This is what safety looks like. This is what home feels like.
Moy dom.
My home.
When we pull into the parking of the hotel where our family suite is waiting, I take a moment to just sit in the parked car. The engine ticks as it cools, and through the windows I can see the doorman already moving to help with Slava’s bags.
I pick up Slava carefully, trying not to wake him. His body is limp with sleep, completely relaxed in that way that only babies and the innocent can get right. The receptionist greets us with a broad smile that seems genuine rather than professional, and we step into the elevator together.
As I carry Slava, his small body remains nestled against my chest. I can feel his heartbeat, steady and strong, proof that he’s real, that this isn’t some elaborate dream I’ll wake up from. The elevator rises smoothly, carrying us toward the beginning of our new life.
The small room in the suite we prepared for him is already filled with his favorite toys— the ones we bought based on observations from our supervised visits— his teddy bear collection, and more stuff we probably went overboard purchasing. Even though it’s only our temporary place until we figure out where to settle permanently, we filled the shelves with baby books and the crib with stuffed animals.
Slava wakes now, and his gaze darts around as I set him down, curious and wide-eyed. Everything is new but somehow familiar, chosen specifically with him in mind. His tiny fingers grab at a stuffed elephant, and he giggles— the most beautiful sound I’ve ever heard.
I crouch down beside him, and suddenly I can’t hold back the tears of joy that have been building all day. Fuck, I’ve neverbeen one to cry. Crying is weakness, vulnerability, everything I was taught to suppress, to ignore. But this— this hits every spot I didn’t know existed in my heart.
I never thought a man like me could deserve this. A man with blood on his hands, with a past that reads like a crime novel, with sins that would make most people cross themselves and run. But here I am, watching my son explore his new room, and for the first time in my adult life, I feel worthy of something good.
And I will do everything in my power to protect this precious family with everything I’ve got. Every connection, every favor owed, every resource at my disposal— all of it will be used to keep them safe and happy.
Slava abandons the elephant and wraps his arms around my neck again, burrowing into me like he’s trying to crawl inside my chest where he’ll be safe forever. I press a kiss to his hair, breathing in that sweet baby scent that’s better than any drug I’ve ever encountered.
“We’re home,Slavochka,” I whisper against his head. “We’re finally home.”
I pull Ilona close with my free arm, her hand slipping into mine like it belongs there. She presses a gentle kiss on my cheek, and there’s so much promise in that simple contact that my cock twitches in my pants despite the completely domestic setting.
Ilona notices my reaction immediately— of course she does— and smiles impishly.
“Not in front of the baby,” she says, then winks with a look that promises tonight will be memorable for entirely different reasons.
I know there’s more to come later. Much more. But right now, I’m content to hold both of them, to exist in this perfect bubble of family and love and everything I never thought I could have.
I’m happy. Truly, completely happy in a way I haven’t been since I was a child myself.
This is it. Our beginning as a family.
The three of us together, finally whole, finally safe, finally home.
The weight of Slava in my arms, the warmth of Ilona pressed against my side, the knowledge that we’re legally, officially, permanently bound together— it’s everything I’ve ever wanted and nothing I thought I deserved. But I’m learning that sometimes the universe gives you exactly what you need, even when you’ve spent years convinced you’re beyond redemption.
This is what love looks like.
This is what family means.
And God help anyone who tries to take it away from us.
Epilogue
Ilona
