Page 141 of The Payback

“What secret?” I choke out. I’m a horrible liar around Dimitri and Nik, and they know it. His brow raises as he looks at me without blinking.

His eyes travel down my body, landing on my stomach. “Are you?”

“I don’t know,” I whisper. “And I don’t want to know until Nik is home.”

Dimitri tenses, blowing out a breath, and then a beaming smile stretches his face. He relaxes his stance and pulls me into his arms. “Okay, my Sabre. We’ll wait.”

“Stop smiling like that. We don’t know anything yet.”

“It’s a smile full of hope, wife. The day I lose that is the day I die.”

Bella shuffles around, pulling a spare doll out from under the cabinets because she literally hides them everywhere. It’s like how Dimitri, Nik, and I hid weapons all over the New York penthouse. Nowadays, they’re up high and locked in little safes, so Bella can’t get to them, but the similarity is eerie.

But Bella’s dolls are not just dolls. Oh, no. They’re her own Frankenstein creations. She disassembles other dolls and swaps out limbs and heads, making tiny monsters. And they’re getting creepier with time.

She pads between us on her bare feet and lifts her hands so Dimitri will pick her up. She’s never on the floor long when Dimitri is around, and the man can’t resist picking her up for a cuddle whenever she asks. Or when she doesn’t ask. Or when she’s squirming away.

Basically, the big bad Bratva leader is a snuggle slut.

He has so much love to give, and it warms my heart that he not only showers me with it but fully embraces Bella as his own, loving her just as much as he loves me.

She is his sun, and I am his moon.

“What’s this?” he asks, reaching for whatever she’s got in her grasp. I see a white stick with a blue cap, and a sense of panic and longing washes over me. My hand flies out, and I knock the pregnancy test away.

Comically, they turn towards me with the same confused look—proving that despite not having a blood relation, they are a father-daughter duo in every way that counts.

“I haven’t looked at the result.”

“That’s it?” Dimitri asks, following the trajectory of the test. The same longing I feel is prominent on his face. I want to know. He wants to know. We ALL want to know, butnoooo. Nik is still away, and it’s not right for two-thirds of us to be in the loop while the other is left out. “I don’t think it’s meant to just sit there after being... used. I mean, you peed on it, right?”

“Pee pee goes in the potty!” Bella cheers, reciting the words we’ve told her a thousand times as she went through potty training.

“That’s right, baby,” I assure her, then turn to Dimitri. “I did but then I panicked. It was like I was body snatched! I knew I should have waited to take the test until Nik was home. But then they were delayed and then, out of nowhere, there was a test in my hand. And then suddenly, I realised what I was doing, capped the damn thing, and stuffed it in the drawer.”

Dimitri laughs. “Pretty sure you’ll need to do another one of those to be sure later. Besides, whatever result was on there might be gone now.”

“It’s not an etch-a-sketch!” I argue.

Dimitri rolls his eyes and takes Bella out of the bathroom, muttering about ordering a box of tests to be sure and not getting his hopes up.

Blindly, I reach under the cabinet, finding another doll and the test. With my eyes closed, I feel around until I grab the drawer, yank it open, drop the test in, and slam it shut.

Tomorrow. I can wait one measly day. I’ve already waited for two. What’s one more?

I’m standing on the dock as Dimitri holds my hand and has Bella perched on his hip the next day. I’m proud to say that despite my determination yesterday to leave the test alone, Dimitri only had to stop me from going into the bathroom four times.

I call that impeccable self-control.

The boat draws closer, the powerful motor pushing it towards home.

Nik is in the captain’s chair, his hair dishevelled from the wind, and his dark aviators blocking the bright sunshine. He manoeuvres and docks the boat, slipping the rope around the posts and hopping out, landing on the dock with a loud thud and a beaming smile.

“Dada!” Bella shrieks, wriggling out of Dimitri’s arms. She’s so big now, and it won’t be long until she never wants to be held, but while we can, we’re taking every opportunity she’ll allow us.

She runs along the dock, and Nik drops to his knees, throwing his arms around her when she slams into his chest.

His head ducks between her slim shoulder and neck as he grips her tight. “Hi, baby,” he coos. “I missed you so much.”

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