The Bratva's Baby (Wicked Doms 1)

When I get out of the car, Karol runs to me. I pick him up and toss him high in the air, catching my boy when he squeals and laughs. Sadie gasps, but she’s learned to let it go. I would never hurt him.

I right him and send him on his way to play with his trucks, then greet her with a kiss.

“I have news for you,” she says. “Come. Sit with me?”

Today she went to the doctor without me since I had a meeting at work I had to attend. She said the appointment was routine, but now I wonder.

I sit on the porch swing, draw her on my lap, and rest my hand on her swollen abdomen. She smiles and pulls a little paper out of her pocket.

I blink. It’s an ultrasound picture.

“The doctor wanted to be sure I was as far along as we thought,” she says with a smile. “Turns out, I’m three months pregnant, not two. And so…” she holds the paper up. “Look.” Beaming at me, she whispers. “A baby girl.”

A girl. I blink and swallow the lump in my throat. “A girl,” I finally manage to say. “Are you sure?”

“Very.”

I think about what it means to have a girl. “She’ll grow up and look like you,” I say, tweaking her nose. “If I’m lucky.”

“Well, our boy has your eyes, so maybe my genes will win out on this one.”

“Maybe. And if they don’t, we’ll try again.”

She laughs out loud and lets her head fall on my chest.

“Again? I thought two was enough.”

“Well,” I say with a shrug. “We have five seats in our car.”

Her laughter and sigh of contentment soothe me in a way nothing else does. I watch the sunset while Karol plays with his truck, a soft wind rustling Sadie’s hair against my cheek. The same sun sets just as it did in Russia. Tomorrow it will rise again, dawning on a new day.

A new life. A second chance.THE END