“So have you thought about any names?”
I take another bite. God, it’s so good.
“A few. You?”
He narrows his eyes in a very sexy, thoughtful manner.
“If it’s a boy,” he pauses, “I’d like to honor your father. Lev, maybe. Or the English version—Leo.”
The suggestion catches me off guard in the best possible way.
“And if it’s a girl?”
“Your choice completely. Though you have veto power either way.”
“Masha, after my mother.”
His smile is soft as he scoops up another spoonful. “Perfect.”
I take another bite, turning my attention to the river once again. The boat I’d been watching before is approaching the southern tip of Manhattan, ready to round it and head out of sight.
“You really think we can do this?”
He sets down his spoon. “I think we’re already doing it. You’re carrying our child, Thea. We’re planning our future. We’re sitting here, like any other couple, enjoying what will be one of the last quiet nights out before their child arrives.” He says that last part with a smile.
Right at that moment, I catch a glimpse of one of the guards—a wall of a man with a shaved head and a tattoo of a rose laden with thorned vines crawling up his neck. He emerges from a hallway, looks around, then ducks back into the shadows.
“Except most couples don’t have armed guards watching them eat soufflés,” I reply.
“Details.” His thumb traces over my knuckles. “The important parts are the same. We’re together. We love this baby. We’re going to protect him or her with everything we have.”
“But what kind of world are we bringing them into, Gabriel? What if we solve this problem with Kolya and another one takes its place? What if this never ends? What if they grow up with bodyguards and bulletproof cars and?—”
“Then we’ll make the best version of that world that we can.” There’s no doubt in his voice. “But I don’t think we’ll have to worry about that.”
“Tell me why you think that way.”
He sits back and takes a deep breath. Then he tells me about his meeting with Alexei, about Max Federov.
“I have a cousin?”
“You do. And he’s being very discreet about it. He doesn’t want to put you in danger by meeting right now, so he’s headed back to Moscow. It’s Max who we need to focus on. If we can bring him into all of this, it could be just what we need to crush Kolya.”
“And he wants to see me?”
“He likely will. If we’re going to war because the true Fetisov heir is still alive, he’s going to want more than just my word for it. We’ll take every precaution. First, he and I will meet. Then we’ll come to the house so he can see you with his own two eyes. And then…”
I know what “then” means. He doesn’t need to explain. “So that’s what tonight is about? One last night of our kind of normalcy before the shit hits the fan?”
He shakes his head. “No, it’s not just about that. It’s about you and me and the baby, celebrating what’s to come. And it’s about me seeing you in that dress again.”
I blush. I can’t help it.
A thoughtful expression forms on his face. Then he stands and offers me his hand.
“Dance with me.”
“Here?”