Caring for the Bratva (Steamy Standalone Instalove)

She turns, taking my hand and leading me toward the dog sanctuary.

I follow after her, heart hammering with a sense of belonging I never could’ve dreamed of before I met my Dreamer.

Epilogue

Three week later…

Daniella

I sit in Lucky’s room with one end of his rope in my hand, smiling as he growls softly and shakes it from side to side. I try to put my all into the playtime, but nerves shimmer through me, dancing in my belly and spreading hands to every part of me.

I know I shouldn’t let nerves ruin a day like this, but there’s still a part of me – growing smaller every day, but still there – that thinks something is going to come along to mess up all this perfection.

It’s a glorious day, the late-day sun gleaming through the window, lighting up Lucky’s playroom in brilliant colors.

I’ve spent most of the day at the dog sanctuary with Lucky, making logistical arrangements, the same way I’ve spent the rest of the last couple of weeks…

Well, that’s when my fiancé and I – I will never get tired of calling him that – aren’t going out on dates, making love, or just curled up with Lucky on the couch to watch a movie together.

If I thought the initial whirlwind of coming to realize how badly Dom and I needed each other was a rush, then this next part, the deep intimacy of truly being a couple, is even better.

Everything has gone back to normal with Dom’s work, meaning he can spend time on his legitimate businesses, keeping the city safe from the scumbags who want to drag it down into the murk. Flavio is behind bars and so are those monsters who ambushed us.

Lucky lets his rope go and yawns, laying his chin on my leg. I smile and smooth my hand over his head, pressing his ears flat as I move down his body. I’ve discovered that his favorite spot is just above the scruff of his neck, causing him to smile and whine contentedly every time I rub him there.

“He’s going to be happy,” I murmur as I stroke him. “Of course he is. We’ve talked about this. So what the heck is it, huh? Is it just change? Can it be that simple?”

I don’t feel strange about talking to Lucky like this, because I know he’s listening, that on some level he understands, just like on some level he understood how badly Dom and I needed to be together.

“I love you, boy,” I murmur, leaning down and kissing the top of his head. “I just hope nothing’s changed, you know—”

“Nothing’s changed about what, Dreamer?” Dom says, striding across the room in his moon-colored suit.

My heart leaps in my chest as I gaze up at him, the same way it always does when he returns from the office… or the bathroom, or the library, or anywhere really. It doesn’t matter how long it’s been since I last saw my man, he always prompts a cascade of emotions to surge through me.

I stand up, moving over to him, drinking in the sight of his moon-colored hair and his gleaming attentive eyes. A light dusting of silver across his strong jaw, seeming to glitter in the late-day light.

He wraps his arms around me, pulling me close, reaching down with one hand to tickle Lucky behind the ear when he leaps up to say hello.

Dom sighs contentedly, his face buried in my hair.

“I missed you, Dreamer.”

“I missed you too,” I whisper.

“So what were you talking about, hmm?” he says, staring hard down at me. “Or is it a secret?”

“No, it’s… It’s good news, Dom. I think. I hope.”

He strokes a strand of hair from my face, causing tickles to dance down my cheek, around my neck, compelling and addictive. “Tell me.”

I take a deep breath, staring into his accepting eyes, his never-judge-me eyes.

“I’m pregnant… we’re pregnant. We’re going to have a baby.”

He pauses, his features twitching like an emotion is trying to break through, but he’s holding it back for a moment. “Are you sure?”

“Yes,” I say. “One hundred percent. I did a few tests.”

“Yes,” he roars, a heartfelt smile spreading across his face. “Yes, yes, yes. Oh my God… yes.”

I giggle as he lifts me off my feet, spinning me around, Lucky yapping and dancing around with us as the room blurs from his spinning… no, not just from his spinning. It’s from the tears streaming down my cheeks, clouding everything in joy.

“I’m so happy you’re happy,” I gush when he puts me down.

“Oh, Dreamer,” he says huskily, leaning down to warmly kiss the tears from my skin. “Of course I am. This is it. This is the start of the lives we’ve dreamed of. I love you so much.”

“I love you too,” I gasp, my hands in his hair as I stand on my tiptoes and bring my lips to his.