Page 125 of Single Mom's Daddies
Nikolai mutters, “I’ll find your dad. Kick his teeth in.”
I laugh, surprised by the sound. “Don’t waste your energy. I don’t think of them much anymore.”
Nik grumbles something about broken kneecaps, but when I lean over and kiss his cheek, he blushes hard enough to make Victor chuckle.
“My point is, thank you for this. I’ve never had anything that was really mine, aside from Ivy, and it’s always felt like I was one surprise bill from living on the street.”
“Never again,” Roman says with quiet confidence.
I wipe my eyes. For the first time in my life, I have options and security in my own name. In my kids’ names. And that changes everything.
Pamela continues reviewing the documents, her focus unwavering as she flips from one page to the next. “You’ll receive hard copies of everything for your personal files. But digital access has already been granted—password-protected, of course. You’re the sole signatory for Ivy’s trust. The same will apply for your unborn child’s, until they’re of age.” She glances up at me. “If you’d like, I can refer you to a financial advisor who has no direct affiliation with the Orlov holdings.”
I hesitate, but Roman answers first. “Yes. Do that.”
Pamela’s brows lift slightly in surprise. “Not concerned about her going rogue?”
Roman shakes his head. “If Saffron walks away, she walks away with everything we gave her. That’s not leverage. That’s respect. She’s more than earned it.”
That does it. Tears sting again, sudden and overwhelming. I take a breath, willing them down, but the lump in my throat is immovable.
Pamela notices. She waits, politely silent, then says gently, “We’re done here for now, unless you have questions.”
I shake my head. “No. Thank you.”
She gathers the paperwork, gives me a warm smile, and leaves the room as gracefully as she entered. The silence she leaves behind is filled with only the sound of my breath hitching.
Victor turns my chair to face him. He crouches, eyes locked on mine. “You okay?”
“I’m better than okay,” I whisper. “I’m…free. I think that’s what this is. It doesn’t feel real.”
He brushes a tear from the corner of my eye with his thumb. “It is.”
Roman steps behind me, his hands on my shoulders. “No more bills you can’t pay. No more secrets. No more jobs that make you feel small, even if I like it when you use your phone sex voice for me.”
I laugh once, and wipe the corners of my eyes. “You really like that, don’t you?”
He whispers in my ear. “Try it tonight and find out.”
Nikolai leans in from my left. “And if you decide youwantto do something—dreams, whims, whatever—we’ll build it with you.”
I look between them, heart threatening to burst. “You guys…you don’t understand. God, I stopped dreaming a long time ago. Everything has been about survival.”
Victor holds my hand again. “Then let’s figure out what your dreams are now.”
“And chase every last one,” Roman adds.
That wrecks me. I lean forward, arms out, and all three of them meet me in the middle—pulling me into a tight, silent group hug. No words. Just warmth. Steady hands. Breaths synced. And for the first time in my life, I’m not askingifI belong.
IknowI do.
Later, after we’ve left the office and the lawyer and the weight of old survival tactics behind, we take the long way home. I’m not sure how to leave all of that behind, but I’m trying. Without that mental load, there’s all kinds of space in my head for other things. Hopes. Wants. Dreams. Maybe a vacation one day. But when I think about any of that, panic tries to rear its ugly head. I’m grateful no one asks what I’m thinking.
When we pull through the gates and see the compound waiting—clean, repaired, calm—something inside me finally clicks.
This is home. Not a place I’m renting by the month. Not a borrowed guest room in someone’s basement.
Yes, we were attacked here. Yes, the men I love have dangerous enemies. But we have stability here. We have guards who lost their lives to protect us. We have staff—we have staff—who would do anything for my daughter. Roses and thorns.
