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“We’ll get you the best consultant there is,” Dom says. “We’ll fly them in from New York, if we have to. Money is no problem.”
But she hasn’t finished. “Then there’s the four of us, living here and raising a child. We have to do this together. That’s non-negotiable for me.”
“We’ll make it work.” Dom says, glancing over at the other two, who are nodding in agreement. “There’s enough of us that we can look after a baby between us and still continue with our studies. And it’s not as though we ever have to worry about money.”
She bites her lip. “You all have to be good role models for this child. No more drinking and drugs for Tino…” Tino nods his agreement, and she turns to Dom. “And you can’t keep self-harming, Dom. Our baby can’t see his father hurting himself.”
“I haven’t cut myself for a long time,” Dom says. “I’ve been fighting it, because I love you, and I want to be a better person for you, and for our child.”
She smiles at that. “I’m so proud of you.” She glances around at the rest of us. “Of all of you.” Then she turns back to Domenic. “What do you think your dad is going to say?”
“I don’t think he’s going to be happy that someone is going to be calling him grandad—he’d argue that he’s nowhere near old enough—but there’s not much he can do about that.”
She nods. “I mean, technically, we don’t know who the father is, and I want to keep it that way. Do you think he’ll see himself as the grandad of this baby with that in mind? Or do you think he’ll demand we do a paternity test?”
Dom shakes his head. “He can demand, but I agree with you. If we are all in agreement, then this baby belongs to us all, and my father will have to accept that.”
Tino nods. “Absolutely. We’re all in it together, and this is the best way.”
She glances over at me, the nerves back in her eyes again. “Kirill, you haven’t said much. Do you have any doubts?”
I give my head a shake and get to my feet. I hold my arms out, and she falls into them. I hold her and kiss the top of her head, inhaling the scent of her shampoo.
“I’m happy,” I tell her. “I’m in agreement, too, about the way you want to handle this. It was never really in any doubt that we’d all share this responsibility and the gift that it is.” I pause, and then give her my truth. “I guess I’m just worried at the thought of having to step up and father a real, live human being. I haven’t had much of a role model.”
She tilts her chin up to look at me.
“You’re not your father, Kirill. You’re your own person. I don’t believe for a second that any of the cruelty that existed inside him is inside you.”
I press my lips together. “That’s not true, Kukla. Look at how we treated you.”
She smiles. “Yeah, you were complete assholes, but now you’ve got the rest of your lives to make it up to me.” She takes my hand and places it over her belly. “To make it up to both of us.”
“I will,” I swear solemnly.
“We ought to go tell my father,” Dom says. “He could do with something to look forward to in his life.”
Mackenzie swallows nervously, but she nods. “Come on. Let’s go let Nataniele know he’s going to be a grandfather.”
Chapter 44
Domenic
Nerves eat away at me as we approach the door to my father’s living quarters. I truly have no idea how he will take this news. I’m praying inside, fervently, that he’ll accept this child and us all raising it. The only way to keep Mackenzie and this baby truly safe is to raise him or her here.
If he doesn’t, if he won’t allow us to stay, we’ll be in a vulnerable position.
I suppose we could always go and live on Tino’s compound, but that’s not what I want. I want to try, if it is possible, to repair my relationship with my father, and one day, I’d like for us to be the ones running this college. All of us. Not just me. Those are heavy conversations for a later date, though. Right now, I have to get through this announcement.
I knock on the door. Muffled footsteps thud behind it, and a moment later, the door swings open.
“Son,” Nataniele says. “I was just coming to find you. Happy birthday.”
He looks beyond me, and his gaze takes in my friends and Mackenzie.
“I see you’re all here,” he says. “That’s good, because I want to discuss something that affects you all.”
My stomach dips. Shit. Is this him deciding to read us the riot act about our relationship?
