? Samira said, handing him over.
Ivan took him in his arms. “Hey, little guy.”
Ivan was totally comfortable with babies, but this one seemed particularly gorgeous. Probably because he was Samira’s. He held him close and kissed him on the cheek, making Quin laugh. Then Quin reached out and grabbed a handful of Ivan’s beard.
“Ow!” Ivan reached up and gently pulled Quin’s hands away. Quin found it hilarious and tried to do it again.
“Sorry about that,” Samira said. “I don’t think he’s seen a beard before.”
Ivan gazed at her. “His daddy still on the scene?”
“I hope so.”
“How do you mean?”
She smiled into his eyes. “He’s yours Ivan. This is your son.”
Time stopped as her words exploded in his brain. Did she really say that? His body washed with surprised elation. “Mine?” He grinned. “Really?”
“Well I haven’t had sex with anyone since you, so unless a miracle occurred...”
Ivan gazed at the baby in his arms, feeling his world shift in ways he’d never known possible. Endless undying love – coupled with an overwhelming desire to protect this little boy – swirled inside him. He had a child. A son.
Jesus.
He reached out and held Samira’s hand. “Then let’s get the hell out of here right now. The three of us. I’ll take care of you both. This is awesome, Samira!”
She shook her head. “Ivan, I want to… but how do I know I can trust you? What if you leave us again? What if you’re still in danger?”
“No… I told you, I only left for your safety. I’ve been miserable without you. I’ll never leave you again, and no one knows who I really am now other than my family and a few FBI agents. There’s no danger, I swear.”
Quin let out a squeal, demanding some attention, so Ivan blew a raspberry on his cheek, making him laugh. Ivan couldn’t drag his eyes away from the miracle in his arms. His heart and mind flooded with an overpowering sense of affection that he’d never experienced before – every cell in his body glowed with universe-sized pools of love. He had a son!
He wanted to study every little contour of his baby’s face – to search for himself and Samira in there – to never be separated from him or from her. This was the moment he’d been waiting to step into all his life. And there was no question of Quin’s heritage – the family resemblance was obvious. He looked exactly like Joseph when he’d been a baby – utterly beautiful. Ivan suddenly saw the future – his son would grow up to be handsome and successful, just like Joseph. And Joseph was going to be thrilled to find out about this… and his parents… god... His soul shone with a perfect feeling of peace, which penetrated his bones. He was a daddy!
Samira reached out and held Quin’s hand, chatting to him playfully in loving tones. “Yeah, you’re with your daddy, baby. How about that?”
Ivan realized his love for her had suddenly increased by the size of galaxies – which he never thought was possible. But as he realized what he’d missed out on, his joy was replaced with a tinge of guilt. “Sweetheart… you went through all this on your own.”
Her face crumpled with suppressed emotion. “I had no choice.”
His heart filled with slashing pain at the thought of the woman he adored going through the pain of childbirth all alone. He should’ve been there. He thought he’d left her for her own safety – to protect her from all the terrible things that were happening at the time. But he hadn’t realized how agonizing it’d been for her. His heart throbbed and twisted. The thought of her being in pain – of him causing that pain – disgusted him. He was going to make it up to her, and he was never going to hurt her again.
“I’m so sorry, Samira. I promise I’ll never leave you. And I’ll never let you down. Quin needs to be with his daddy and his mommy. We’re a family and you’re not staying at this ranch with these drug dealers one more minute.”
“Mr. Langdon might have something to say about that, Ivan. He wants to adopt Quin.”
“What?”
“We’re going to get married and he’ll take on Quin as his son.”
“No he fucking won’t. No one’s adopting my son. He’s my son. And you’re mine. And I’ll be very happy to tell him so if he thinks otherwise.”
“Ivan, he’s been good to me. Shown me nothing but kindness taking us in like this.”
“Turning you into a fucking drugs mule…”
“I told you, I don’t know what’s in the suitcases.”