Page 119 of The Brigadier

“Ha. We did.” He couldn’t seem to help pulling me into his arms, kissing me on the lips.

Suddenly, about thirty seconds later, there was silence.

We looked down to see both the puppy and Damien staring at us.

“Santa needs sugar too,” Nikolay said.

I’ll be damned if Damien didn’t roll his eyes. “Daddy. Mommy. I’m gonna be five soon. I know who my daddy is. You’re not Santa.”

And just like that, he resumed frolicking with the puppy.

It didn’t dawn on me for almost ten seconds that he’d called me Mommy. I couldn’t contain my tears. I was overwhelmed with emotion. “He called me Mommy.”

“I know,” Nikolay said as he yanked off his beard and hat, pulling me into his arms once again. “You are his mother now. If, I mean, you want the job.”

“It’s no job, Nikolay. Being here with you. With him. It’s a sheer pleasure. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. I love you.”

He shook his head, exhaling as he pulled me even closer. “I never thought I could love anyone, but I was so wrong. So very wrong.”

As he kissed me again, the moment full of passion, suddenly a noise sounded just outside the sets of French doors and I froze.

“Nikolay. There’s someone out there. Get your gun.”

He chuckled and pushed me away gently. “Relax, my darling brat. I have a little surprise for you.”

“I don’t like surprises.”

“So cynical. It’s time to enjoy life.”

Enjoy. My mind was still processing the events of the last few months, even though I tried hard not to allow the horrible memories to interfere. My mother had called several times andI wasn’t entirely certain I was ready to see her other than at the funeral. Maybe the holiday spirit would kick in. Maybe.

He was whistling as he walked toward one set of doors. I folded my arms. What had he done?

When he opened the door, Vadim and Caroline as well as Aleksander and Raphaella bolted in carrying dozens of colorfully wrapped presents.

“What is this?”

“Surprise,” Vadim answered, a huge grin on his face. Seeing the Santa hat on his head made me laugh. “Took you long enough, brother. Jesus. It’s freezing out there.”

“Hey, we were a little busy,” Nikolay countered.

The puppy was romping, barking up a storm and the two women, whom I’d grown to adore, were fawning all over him.

Maybe we could be just a normal family for a little while. Maybe love would always be enough, and we certainly felt the warmth of such a powerful emotion inside this house.

And maybe, just maybe, the child I was carrying would adore her big brother.

My little secret. A Christmas surprise of my own.

Nikolay

Life was precious.

I’d learned that in spades, although it had been a rough ride.

I stood back while the men I considered my brothers walked in, already laughing and celebrating as they placed presents under the tree. Almost immediately, Damien moved to the crowd, showing off his new puppy.

To say I was happy was an understatement, although there would always be questions and concerns in the back of my mind. I’d killed my brother, something that would continue haunting me. There’d been no other choice but that didn’t mean the heartache wasn’t there, cutting through me like a knife. I’d loved him.

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