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It’s crazy that he’s trying to give me credit for that. I may have picked it out of the bag, but he’s the one who did all the work.
“I don’t know what to say,” I reply, studying the ring now like it’s going to shatter if I turn it the wrong way. “It’s incredible.”
He smiles. “I could think of no better way to honor our growing Family than to use the ruby for your ring.”
Tears come to my eyes again, and Jasha pulls me close, petting my hair and whispering into my ear. “You’re my everything, Lola. My sweet, perfect everything.”
EPILOGUE
Jasha
“Shh, watch, watch,” Nikolai says, his voice so low I almost miss it.
I turn to see Lila leaning over Jewel’s crib, his eyes wide with pure wonder at the baby sleeping there.
I wish Lola were here to see this. Lila is petting Jewel’s head so gently that her delicate little fingers are barely touching her. I can tell they’re going to get along.
I lean in toward Nikolai, lowering my voice to a soft whisper. “The girls outnumber us now, you know.”
He chuckles. “I hadn’t thought of that.”
“Yeah, and by the looks of it, Lila and Jewel are going to make a hell of a team when they get older.”
“I’ll have a heart attack.”
“You’re not leaving me here with all these girls alone.”
Lila turns to look at us, her eyes sparkling with excitement. She points her little finger into the crib. “Jewel!”
“That’s right, Lila. That’s your cousin Jewel,” Nikolai coos. I’m still not used to him talking like that, even after all these years. Even I’ve started doing it, and it’s freaking me out. How can such tiny creatures turn a monster into a teddy bear?
“Jewel!” Lila repeats, overjoyed about the baby in the crib.
To be fair, we all are.
Lila leans over the crib again, studying her cousin with bright curiosity. She stays like that long enough for me to record a video of her to send to Lola.
“So precious,” Nikolai says, shaking his head and smiling.
It’s good to see him like this, but even better to have the Family together once again. We’re going to have a big dinner tonight, and then retire to the lounge for a cigar and a glass of whiskey.
Life can’t get much better than this.
* * *
