Maxim pours two glasses of champagne and passes them to us. We wait until everyone has a glass.
“To Story, who revealed our brother Oleg to us.” Ravil lifts his glass.
“To Story.” I raise mine.
“I love you,” Story says to me then twists in my arms. “I love all of you.” She lifts her glass, then sips it. “You’re the best new adopted family I could have, and I love living here with you, but I understand if you have to kick us out after our second or third kid.”
There’s laughter and more banter, but I don’t hear any of it because the world narrows to Story for me, like it always does.
My obsession. My beautiful swallow.
And soon, my wife.
THE END