Page 151 of Lies He Told Me (Bratva Crime Syndicate 1)

I lean in, suddenly feeling like a coconspirator to something wicked. “Aren’t we supposed to be staying here and—”

“Ensuring everyone has fun?” Gavril gestures to the packed dance floor and tables brimming with light-hearted conversation, smiles. “I’d say we already succeeded on that account, wouldn’t you?”

“So, you’re saying we should ditch our own wedding?”

Gavril smiles wide. “That’s exactly what I’m saying.”

What can I say? He had me at “burger.”

We sneak through the trees and drive off into the night. It’s a different car than Gavril normally drives, a red Ferrari convertible, and he lets the top down, lets the wind ruffle our hair messy. I unlace my dress a bit until I feel like I’m not being strangled.

We go to Marlow’s food truck on Bank Street. He just smiles big under his bushy mustache and doesn’t seem the least surprised to see us all decked out in wedding gear. Nothing seems out of place tonight. It is a night of dreams, and even the moon curves with a smile.

On the rooftop, we sit, legs hanging down, burgers in hand. Just how we did that other night, when things were so very different. Whenwewere so very different.

Once our burgers are done, and we’ve kissed and my head is resting on his shoulder, time comes and taps me on the shoulder. And I can’t avoid it any longer.

“I have something to tell you,” I tell him. “I haven’t known for long. But the other morning, I …” I trail off, and finally, finally, just say it: “I’m pregnant.”

A hundred times, I must’ve played out his reaction in my head, expected it: the fear, the disappointment. I didn’t hope for much else.

But I never thought to expect this: the Gavril smile he reserves especially for me, the light dancing in his eyes when he has a good idea. The sheer excitement of it.

He wraps his arms around me and holds me close to him and, into my hair, breathes, “My Joy. Our baby. A family.”

“Hold up,” I say, pulling away.

I can’t help it. This feels too much like one of those romcom movies—the part where they pull away slowly into the distance, until the two beautiful main characters are just specks in the distance.

“Aren’t you scared?” I ask him.

He’s smiling all goofy, but it just makes me madder.

“Well, aren’t you?” I demand.

“Of course I am, Joy. This is a child we’re talking about.”

“Well then—why do you look so, so …”

He’s still smiling. “Happy?”

“Yeah,” I say.

“Would you rather I not be?” Now, Gavril has an amused twinkle in his eyes that makes me even more frustrated for some reason. I feel like a nutcase.

“No!” I say, “Just—”

“Hey.” Gavril takes both my hands, squeezing them lightly. “We’re going to be okay. You’re going to be a good mother. I’m going to be a good father. We’re going to be good parents.”

“But how do you know?” I ask quietly, “I mean, if our baby ever found out how we started …”

It’s silly, worrying about that now. But I do. A little over a year ago, I could barely take care of myself, let alone now, another tiny separate being.

“I don’t know,” Gavril admits, a somber look replacing his smile, “But it doesn’t matter. Because you care about being a good mom. And because you have a good mom yourself. But most of all, because we’re a team. Because we’ve been through a lot together already. Because we work well together.”

I can’t stop the smile. “We do, don’t we?”

His arms wrap around me, pressing me to him tight. “I love you. I can’t wait to have this child with you.”

This time, when he kisses me and the moment goes all Hollywood sugary sweet, I let it. I close my eyes and enjoy it. This remarkable life of mine. This lucky, fantastic, beautiful life of mine.

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