The Hit
Page 18
“Come here,” he murmurs and pulls me into him, kissing me soft and sweet.
I lose myself in the moment, in him kissing me, until a sad, low whine from the base of the bed has me pulling away. We both chuckle, and I roll my eyes.
Levi hates it when we get it on, and we have to put him out of the room, or he makes a fuss. He sits on the floor by the bed staring at us and crying, which is hardly romantic.
“I have something for you, Violet. I was going to give it to you as a Christmas present, but I want you to have it now.”
Andrius opens the drawer by the side of his bed and takes out a jewelry box. It’s not ring sized, more like something you’d get earrings or a necklace in.
“Open it,” he says.
I do and see a gold cross nestled against the dark blue velvet interior.
“It’s lovely,” I tell him. “Like yours.”
“It’s the same as mine. Matching. It was made for my sister, Anastasia.”
I gasp and drop the cross into the box as if burned.
“Andrius. I can’t. My father … no. It’s wrong.”
He takes ahold of my hand. I look up and see his eyes are glistening. I’ve never seen him cry before, but those are definite tears shimmering in his beautiful ghostly eyes.
“It is right. This makes it somehow right. I know it, here.” He slams his hand over his heart. “Anastasia will be happy with this. You are not responsible for what your father did, and maybe you and me, us, are taking all that horror both our families endured and making it right. And now, you’re having a baby. My genes, your genes, will live on in our baby, putting to rest the ghosts in the past. So I think this is very right.”
He takes it out of the box and sweeps my hair back from my neck and then fastens the cross into place.
I look down at it and burst into tears, and then he’s holding me tight.
“I’m so sorry for the way we met, Violet. I’m so sorry for some of the things I did, but know this. I love you. I will always protect you. Always, and our child too. I want you to be my wife, but more, my family. You’re my everything.”
I look at him and kiss his cheeks where my tears have wet the skin.
“You’re my everything too,” I tell him.
He is. And always will be. Him, Levi, Justina, and now our baby. They are my family.
I couldn’t ask for anything more.
**
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