Page 45

I nod slowly, swallowing the lump in my throat. “I think… it’s time we tell her you’re her dad.”

Something shifts in his mismatched eyes, a flash of surprise, followed by quiet relief and something deeper I can’t quite name. He hasn’t pushed me about it once since he found out, even though I know he’s been waiting for this moment.

He gives a single, small nod. “Whenever you’re ready.”

I’m grateful he didn’t take the decision away from me. For a man who forces his will on almost everything, he’s been surprisingly patient about this one thing.

Anya comes bursting into the living room, her little feet pattering loudly across the floor, pigtails bouncing with every step.

I quickly bend down to her level. “Sweetie, come here,” I say gently. “Mama has something important to tell you.”

Anya stops in front of me, tilting her head. “What?” she asks, drawing the word out dramatically, hands planted on her tiny hips.

I swallow hard and glance up at Andrei for a split second before looking back at her. “Remember when you asked me about your daddy? How you wanted to know where he was?”

Anya’s eyes widen instantly. She nods so fast her pigtails whip around. “Uh-huh! You said he was far away!”

I take a deep breath and point to Andrei, who is still standing quietly beside me. “He’s right here, baby. Andrei… he’s your daddy.”

Anya’s mouth falls open in a perfect little “O.” Her eyes dart between us, sparkling with disbelief and excitement. “Really?” she whispers, like it’s the best secret she’s ever heard. Then, without missing a beat, she turns to him, bouncing on her toes. “So I can call you Daddy now?”

Andrei crouches down slowly until he’s at her eye level. A wide, genuine smile breaks across his face.

“Yeah, malyshka,” he says, voice low and warm. “You can call me Daddy.”

Anya lets out a delighted squeal. “Daddy!”

She launches herself at him without hesitation, throwing her small arms around his neck. Andrei catches her easily, wrapping her up in a strong, careful hug. He closes his eyes for a moment, pressing his face into her hair like he’s breathing her in.

I stand there watching them, tears blurring my vision. My chest aches.

How am I supposed to take this away from her? How am I supposed to rip her away from him?

Chapter Thirteen

Andrei

I sit at the head of the long table in the dimly lit basement war room, the air thick with cigarette smoke and the low murmur of my men. Viktor is wrapping up the final details of tonight’s operation on the large screen in front of us.

Finding Rosie was an answered prayer.

Every single morning since she walked back into my club, I silently thank whatever god or devil is listening for sending her back to me. And now… discovering I’m a father on top of that?

I never pictured myself with a family. The life I live, blood on my hands, enemies around every corner, power that demands constant vigilance, doesn’t allow for softness like that. I never thought I’d find a woman I’d be willing to risk everything for, someone I’d actually want to build a future with.

Until Rosie.

From the moment I laid eyes on her in that bar, something primal woke up inside me. A deep, unrelenting need to find her. To claim her. To keep her. Some would call it obsession. Hell, maybe it is obsession.

I’ve torn cities apart searching for her. I’ve broken my own rules. I’ve spent four years with her memory burned into my mind, her voice echoing in my head at night. I couldn’t let her go. I wouldn’t let her go.

And now she’s here, under my roof, sleeping in my bed. Not only did she come back, she came with the most perfect gift I could have never imagined. My daughter.

I’m a father.

The word still feels strange, but the moment that little girl wrapped her arms around my neck and called me “Daddy,” something inside me cracked wide open. The love I feel for her is beyond anything I’ve ever known. Fierce. Protective. All-consuming.

I would rip the world apart with my bare hands if it meant keeping her and her mother safe. I would burn empires to the ground for them.