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Jumping up, I ran after him, not forgetting Lev, but focused on my sister getting my niece safely into the world. In their room, Katie was doubled over on the bed, a cup of ice being crushed in her hand, her face ten times redder than her husband’s. The doctor was waiting patiently for the next contraction to hit, and when it did, she sprang into action.
Katie flung the ice chips aside and reached for me with one hand, and Aleks hurried to her other side. Her grip on my hand nearly ground the bones together, and I’d never heard such a frightening noise rise up out of her throat as she pushed.
“Almost,” the doctor said as it subsided.
“My ass,” Katie wailed. “She’s never coming out, is she?”
Aleks looked so sincerely worried I didn’t dare laugh, and as time wore on and each grueling contraction sapped more of Katie’s energy, I lost my sense of humor at her outbursts.
Lev and Nat poked their head in at some point, but Katie chucked her fresh cup of ice at them, and they disappeared. “Quit fucking distracting her!” Aleks shouted.
Finally, finally, the baby found her way into the doctor’s hands, and Aleks was right there to cut the cord as I stayed by Katie, who’d collapsed in a heap. Terror struck me, but she reached weakly for her new daughter, a smile lighting up her face and making her prettier than I’d ever seen her, despite the broken capillaries in her sweaty cheeks and the wild tangled mess of her hair.
Aleks brought the little bundle over to her and leaned down to kiss her as he rested the baby on her chest. I stepped aside to give the new family a moment to themselves, getting choked up at how utterly happy they were.
Could that ever be my life? Or would Lev never be able to trust me again?
Now that the baby was born, pronounced healthy and perfect in every way, exhaustion hit me, harder than the tree trunk to the head. That seemed like days ago, and when I saw that it was three in the morning, I swayed on my feet on my way out of Katie’s room. Nat and Mila crowded past me to see their new family member, and I reached for the wall to stay upright.
Lev was at my side immediately, taking me by the elbow and silently leading me out to the car. “It’s time for you to get some sleep,” he said.
The ride back to the resort was silent, but so thick with tension that I couldn’t have dozed off if I tried. As I wobbled out of the car, I held my breath, waiting for him to sweep me into his arms and carry me up to my room. Instead, he only put his hand under my elbow again and led me to the elevator, still as silent as a tomb.
He pulled down the covers in my room and fluffed up my pillow, waving for me to get in bed. A hot shower and fresh pajamas sounded heavenly, but I was so weak that I could barely flop onto the crisp white sheets.
“Lev,” I said, my voice a squeak. I didn’t know what else to say, but it was clear he was about to leave me alone with my thoughts. Suddenly, I wasn’t so tired anymore, and my mind was buzzing.
“Get some rest. We’ll talk tomorrow.”
Before he could leave, I grabbed his hand, which stayed cold and lifeless in mine. “Please,” I begged. “I won’t be able to sleep until I know what you’re thinking. Please talk to me.”
He gave me a long look. Were his eyes full of scorn, or was that my fear making me see things? He remained silent but finally pulled up a chair by the bedside. He looked so serious and ice cold I felt a chill run down my spine, on the verge of passing out.
But I was ready to take the consequences, whatever they might be. And I was ready to fight for him if he’d let me.
Chapter 39 - Lev
When Jenna confessed to me in the hospital, my heart cracked into pieces. I wanted the info to be wrong and for her to be completely innocent. The fact that she admitted she had wanted revenge from the start had only added to the pain.
Then came the anger. It was good that Aleks interrupted us when he did, or I might have said some things I didn’t mean, spurred on by the shock of her betrayal.
No one betrayed a Fokin and went on to live a happy life. Was Jenna so different?
Yes. That was the short answer, the only answer. Jenna was my wife. My woman from the moment I laid eyes on her. She went behind my back with Hardy, but that was partly my fault for not warning her about him from the beginning. I loved her rosy outlook on life; it was so different from the way I saw things. Seeing her innocence and pure admiration for someone she believed was doing good things for the city was nice.
Because I held back, she was put in danger, and I couldn’t forgive myself for that. The memory of her in pain and trembling with fear after I rescued her was seared into my brain. Why did it bother me so much, why did I care, when I had already been tipped off that she was to blame for what she’d gotten herself into?
Hearing her confession nearly broke me, but then I had time to think when Jenna rushed off to be at her sister’s side. What would life be like without that little minx in it? How could I truly trust her again?
This had all begun with my obsession and the need to have her. It was so strong I’d started us out on a lie. Of course,she’d be pissed. I had been the first one to betray her, and maybe I also needed to apologize.
Right now, as she lay in bed, propped up on the pillows with her hands clasped on the sheets, she looked so anxious I had to say something before she snapped. I couldn’t find the words to tell her how I felt, so I did what I really wanted to do. The only thing that seemed right.
Taking her face in my hands, I leaned close and kissed her deeply. This woman owned my soul, and I wanted us to stay on the same path, despite how rocky it currently was. Anger, pain, a cracked heart. It didn’t matter, because life without her would only be empty. As she pulled herself closer to me and her hand slid up my chest, my prideful anger slipped away. Her soft lips healed the fissures in my heart.
After a long moment, I pulled away, leaving her blinking at me. “Do you still want revenge?” I asked.
She kept her eyes locked with mine. “No,” she said, her voice sure.
