Page 88 of Born into Darkness

Letting me go, she quickly wraps her arms around a surprised Talia and yells, “Aunt Talia!”

“Hey, sweetie,” she says, and I can tell she’s fighting tears at being called an aunt. As soon as I see Natalya, she’s getting a big hug for being so damn thoughtful and teaching her daughter about how important Talia is to me. Nat’s always had a huge heart, so I’m not surprised she did it, but I’m still deeply touched.

After Isabella runs back to her grandparents, we make the rounds, saying hi to everyone. When we get to Sveta, I smile down at her and ask, “You ready to be next?”

She groans while Vitya smiles and gives her a kiss. “Of course she is,” he says. “Right,pcholka?”

“Not really,” she admits with a laugh and then pats her stomach. “It’s not like they’re going to give me a choice, though. Samantha was so easy.”

Vitya laughs. “That’s because I literally found her and brought her home.”

“Exactly,” Sveta says. “She’s a precious gift that I didn’t have to push into this world. I have a feeling these two boys are going to give me hell.” She smiles at her husband. “I mean, they are yours, so of course they are.”

He laughs and puts his hand on her stomach. “Don’t be scared, sweetheart. You’re going to do great, and I’ll be right there with you.”

“With snacks?” she asks. “You’ll sneak some in even if they say it’s not allowed?”

He fights a grin and nods. “You have my word. I’ll smuggle in all the snacks you need.”

Clearly her big worry about childbirth is that snacks won’t be provided, but now that that’s sorted out, she seems more relaxed about it and nods. “Okay, but you also have to promise to bring me in food from the outside if I don’t like what they serve here.”

“I promise I’ll bring you anything you want,” he assures her.

“Okay, deal, I’ll have your babies then,” she says, making Vitya laugh.

He looks up at us and grins. “I’m not so sure she understands how this works.”

Talia and I laugh while Sveta elbows her husband. She gets distracted, though, when her dad walks in with a huge box and a big smile on his face. He walks over to Lev and lifts the lid. His brother laughs while Vitaly says, “Nice, right?”

“What is it, Dad?” Sveta asks.

He looks at his daughter and grins. “I got my brother an ice cream cake.” He tilts the large box he’s carrying so we can all read what’s written in icing:Congratulations, Grandpa!

“Shouldn’t that say,Congratulations, Natalyainstead?” my Aunt Jolene asks. “She is the one doing all the work.”

“But Lev’s the one out here worrying,” Vitaly argues. “He deserves a cake, Jolene.”

“Do we each get a slice of it?” Sveta asks.

“Of course you do, honey,” her dad says. “There’s no reason we should be hungry while we wait. This could take hours.”

“Are you getting me a big cake like this for my birthday?” Mia asks, already grabbing a plate and fork.

Vitaly gives her a wink. “A giant one that’s covered in flowers and ballerinas.”

Mia laughs. “You wouldn’t dare.”

“I’m only kidding,” our uncle promises. “It’ll have knives and skulls and all kinds of scary things.”

Mia grins and holds out her plate for a slice. “Thanks, Uncle Vitaly.”

“Knives, skulls, and scary things?” Dario asks. He looks down at Mia. “Yeah, that sounds about right. She’s always trying to steal my knives.”

“It’s not stealing if I was planning on giving them back,” Mia argues. “Then it’s called borrowing.”

Dario eyes her. “Even if you don’t ask permission to do the borrowing?”

Mia shrugs. “It’s a morally grey area.”

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