Page 167 of Desperate Crimes
And now, this.
Our child.
I am so full of love I don’t know how to hold it all inside.
It’s probably a red flag.
A thousand red flags.
But what can I say?
I’m just a dark romance girlie who got her happily ever after.
And my unhinged antihero?He’s absolutely feral for me.
He worships every inch of me—every curve and dimple, every scar, every stubborn freckle.
He’s obsessed.
Unapologetically so.
And I’m just as gone for him.
A knock on the door pulls me back into the moment.
“Lee-Lee!”Michaela bursts in, radiant in her rose-colored dress, her curls bouncing, eyes misty.“You look unreal.Oh my God.You're glowing like a goddess.”
I turn to her, smile trembling as I blink back the tears I’ve been threatening for the past hour.
“You really think so?”
“I know so,” she says firmly, taking my hands.“Come on.Everyone’s waiting.It’s time.”
I nod, my throat tight.“I’m ready.”
And when I rise from the velvet settee, I feel a flutter—not just of nerves, but something softer, deeper.
Life.
The baby shifts inside me, a sweet, rolling little kick that feels like a secret only the two of us share.
I cradle my bump and close my eyes for a breath.
Why am I nervous?
Nico loves me.
He’s shown me a thousand ways.A thousand times.
But the idea of standing in front of all of them—our entire families, the Volkovs and the Furys, every powerful, intimidating soul who raised us both—and declaring it out loud?
It’s a lot.
I’ve always been quiet.Private.
More pages than spotlights.
But now?
