Gavril had been expecting a meek virgin and instead had gotten, well, me.
I still could picture the look on his face when he realized that I had duped him, and now I couldn’t even remember why I had or if I thought that he would have believed the truth back then. Gavril had been on a high about the marriage and the fact that he was going to fold the Krasnaya Bratva into his. Any words that could have come out of my mouth back then would have been dismissed by him. I could feel it in my bones.
Roman cleared his throat, looking at my stomach pointedly. “And now you are pregnant with his child.”
“I am,” I answered softly, resting my hand on my stomach and thinking of the innocent child inside.
“How do you feel about that?”
His words caused me to pause. How did I feel? Over the last few months I had grown used to the idea, knowing that one day I would be having a child that would depend on me to protect it.
“I’m fine with it,” I finally said. “I love him.”
Another swear from Roman, who looked dumbfounded that I could possibly love someone like Gavril. Truth be told, they weren’t that different, and he should have known that I had felt the same way about Ilsa when she had first told me she loved him. They weren’t the easiest men to love, but we loved them regardless.
“And does he love you?” Roman prodded further. “Or are you truly loving someone who can never return the feeling?”
I stiffened. “That’s none of your goddamn business.”
He inclined his head. “Forgive me. I’m struggling with the fact that I put you in this situation and had you taken by Gavril. If we had never agreed to make you Sveta, you wouldn’t have—”
“Just stop,” I interrupted this time. “It’s all in the past. There’s no reason to dwell on it.”
Roman shook his head. “I wish I could, but I will bear the guilt still, Naomi.”
I could see where he would think I should be devastated by the turn of events, and a few short months ago I would have been.
But now, Gavril had given me something precious, something that was going to be with me for the rest of my life, and that was this child inside me. Nothing could take that away from me except the father, and I was betting on that not being the case now.
Plus, Gavril had also given me love. He might not say it; he might not always show it, but I had to cling to the hope that one day he could truly love me. Right now, I just wanted us to be safe and not have to worry about this war or Jon.
Until we didn’t have to worry about those two things, I couldn’t focus on a future or anything along those lines.
“I can get you away if you want,” Roman finally said, clearly giving me one last chance to bail. “You can go to the island where you will be protected until you decide what to do with your life.”
A small smile crossed my face. “While I appreciate it, it’s not needed, honestly. I don’t want to run from him.” I only wanted to run from Jon.
No, check that. I didn’t want to run at all. I wanted Jon to face me like the man that he should be so that I could tell him I wasn’t afraid of him any longer. I wasn’t going to just lie down and let him run over me like he had in the past, and nothing was going to stand in the way of me protecting this child from the FBI agent.
I would die trying.
“All right,” Roman finally said, settling back in his chair. “I take it you want to negotiate then?”
I arched a brow. “Negotiate for what?”
He smirked. “So that I won’t fucking kill him when he steps foot on my property. I understand that he’s on his way?”
God, I hoped so. “You didn’t give him enough time to let me know if he was coming or not.”
Roman chuckled. “Naomi, you are his wife and are carrying his child. He’s coming. Trust me.”
My heart warmed at the thought. Soon I was going to be reunited with my husband and for a brief moment, all would be right with the world. “Then he’s coming, yes. I would prefer that he not be met with guns blazing. He’s not going to harm you or Ilsa, Roman. If he does, I will kill him myself.”
Roman stared at me for a long minute before nodding. “I believe you, and that is the only reason I’m going to let him come here peacefully this time. I can’t guarantee a future between our organizations, but for now, I will allow him on my premises.”
“Thank you,” I breathed, feeling a burden lifted off my shoulders.
Roman pushed out of his chair, and I realized for the first time that he was wearing joggers and a T-shirt, looking very much like an ordinary man in his own home. It reminded me so much of Gavril that my heart hurt at the sight.