Page 197 of Toxic Salvation
“Forget what Ihor said. Do you remember what I told you?”
Luka nods slowly. “That you and my dad both chose to be my father.”
“That’s right,malysh. Family is who you choose. We’re family because we’ve chosen each other. That makes our bond stronger.”
Vesper meets my gaze and nods. One of her tears slips into Luka’s hair. “We’re safe now, my darling,” she tells him. “It’s finally over.”
“Mama? Papa?”
I put my hand on his knee. “Yes?”
“Can we go home to Tali now?”
Vesper laughs, a burst of pure joy in the midst of all this death. She hugs Luka tight with one arm and grabs my hand with the other.
“That sounds perfect,” she breathes. “Let’s go home.”
Pavel carries Luka to my SUV, but Vesper hangs back, her fingers entwining with mine. “Is it true?” she asks softly, glancing at Luka. “Is Yana still alive?”
I shake my head. “He’s too young and too sensitive to have killed his mother. This way, he can put that burden on me. I’m strong enough to carry it. He doesn’t need to know.”
Vesper’s hand tightens around mine. “Thank you.”
“I’m his father. It’s my job to protect him.”
She sinks into my arms. For a moment, I listen to her heartbeat keeping rhythm with mine.
“I have one question,” she says, pulling back to look at me. “How did you find us?”
I grin. “Remember that gift I gave you this morning?”
Her eyes go wide with amazement. “The stethoscope?”
“There’s a tracker in it.”
“You’re crazy,” she says, half-laughing and half-disbelieving. Her blue eyes flush with relief and happiness. She’s never looked more beautiful.
“Crazy for you,” I agree as I nuzzle the curve of her neck.
“Let’s go home,” she murmurs with a soft smile that I’ll take to my grave. “Let’s go be with our boys.”
EPILOGUE: VESPER
SIX MONTHS LATER
“Kovan?”
I stick my head into the nursery to find Pavel and Charity dipping their toes into family life by babysitting both boys.
Charity has Tali on her lap, but he’s more interested in crawling over to the race track that Pavel and Luka are constructing. Plastic pieces scatter across the hardwood as they debate the optimal curve configuration.
“He was here ten minutes ago,” Charity tells me, bouncing Tali absently. “Played with the boys, changed Tali’s diaper, gave them both a kiss, and then he disappeared.”
“Dammit. Did he say where he was going?”
Pavel and Charity exchange a look—the kind married couples share when they’re keeping secrets.
“He’s busy today, V,” Pavel says. “Is it urgent?”
