I kiss her then…slowly. Deeply.
Epilogue
Mila
One year later
I barely slept.
Not because I’m nervous, though there’s a hum of anticipation beneath my skin, but because my heart feels too full to let me sleep. Like it knows something monumental is waiting for me on the other side of the day.
Today, I marry Andrei.
The thought settles into me slowly, warmly, like silk against bare skin. I sit up in the plush bed of the bridal suite that Andrei booked out for the whole week and take a moment to breathe it in. The quiet. The soft light creeping through the curtains. The sense that my life has finally aligned in a way that feels…right.
A year ago, I was his assistant; a clumsy, bright-eyed girl with only hopes to keep her head down and stay long enough on the job. Now, I’m getting married to my boss.
Well, former boss. I no longer work for Andrei, at least not in the way I once did. The moment he discovered my love for writing, he started nudging me toward doing more—being more. And with gentle encouragement and his unwavering faith in me, I’ve finally completed my first book.
Publishing my book had terrified me more than falling in love ever did. And yet…I did it.
My first novel climbed lists I never dared to imagine my name on. It’s a bestseller. The word still doesn’t feel real, even now. But Andrei had only smiled when I told him, pride shining in his eyes like it was inevitable. Like he’d never doubted me for a second.
A knock at the door pulls me from my thoughts.
“Nervous?” Natalya asks as she steps inside, already radiant in her dress.
I laugh softly. “Strangely…no.”
She grins, adjusting my veil with careful hands. Somewhere along the way, Andrei’s sister became my confidant, my friend. Family, in every sense that matters.
“You make a beautiful bride, Mila,” she says, her eyes brimming with genuine happiness. “I’m glad Andrei found you.”
I’m about to respond when my papaw walks into the room. Natalya says hi to him and excuses herself.
Papaw is immaculately dressed as always, posture straight, eyes bright with emotion he doesn’t bother hiding. He pulls me into his arms, and I breathe him in like I used to as a child, grounding myself in the familiarity of him.
“It’s time, pumpkin,” he murmurs.
He doesn’t need to say more. I can hear the emotions in his voice—everything he can’t put into words.
The ceremony passes in a blur of light and warmth and quiet gasps. When Papaw walks me down the aisle, my gaze locks on Andrei and doesn’t waver.
He’s waiting for me like the world has narrowed down to this single moment. Like everything else…power, control, history has faded into insignificance.
His eyes soften when he takes my hand from Papaw.
I don’t remember much of the vows, only the way his voice steadies me, anchors me. The way his hands tremble just slightly when he slips the ring onto my finger. The way he kisses me afterward—slow, reverent, like he’s sealing a promise he’s already been keeping.
“I now pronounce you husband and wife,” the officiating minister declares in a loud voice.
My heart swells with something in that moment, something indescribable and deliciously overwhelming. Andrei drops his forehead against mine, smiling into my eyes.
“Hey, wifey.”
I chuckle, leaning in for a kiss. “Hey, Daddy.”
Andrei