Page 144 of Brutal Reign
Now that my life has finally settled, I can actually plan for a future instead of just surviving day to day.
As we step through the doors into the backyard, where excited voices are already calling for birthday cake and Pavel is walking toward us with our son on his shoulders, I know with absolute certainty that this will be the happiest of birthdays for everyone.
The life I never dared to dream of is finally, beautifully real.
PAVEL
Kin’s face is flushed with excitement, chocolate frosting smeared across his chin, his dinosaur birthday hat askew, but his eyes are bright with happiness.
“Did you make a wish, buddy?” I ask, lowering into the seat beside him.
Kin looks up at me with a smile and shakes his head.
“No? Why not?”
He shrugs. “All my wishes came true.”
The words hit me like a sucker punch to the chest. This kid understands something it took me forty-three years to figure out: family isn’t just blood. It’s the people who show up, who stay, who choose to love you even when it’s complicated.
“But I would like a dinosaur as a pet,” he adds.
I burst out laughing. “What if I meet you halfway? How does a lizard sound?”
He tilts his head, thinking it over. “I guess.”
Hope comes up behind us, sliding her arms around Kin and me. “What are you two whispering about? Is this going to be my life from now on, always on the outside of your secret conversations?”
“Get used to it,” Kira calls from across the table, wiping chocolate off Anna’s face. “The boys have been plotting with their dad from the moment they could walk. Thank the Lord I’ve got this one on team girl with me.”
“Mama’s not on the outside,” Kin protests. “She’s part of everything too.”
Hope winks at me, and there’s something in her expression that tells me she knows exactly what I’m thinking. She alwaysknows. It’s like she can see straight through to my soul, past all the walls I’ve built, to the man underneath who just wants to love and be loved in return.
“All right, birthday boy,” Yarik’s gruff voice cuts through my thoughts as he approaches the table, carrying a wrapped package. “Time for presents. And I’m going first.”
Dinara rolls her eyes from behind her father, her purple hair catching the sunlight. “Pushy old man,” she grumbles.
I watch with amusement as Yarik sets the package in front of Kin with unusual ceremony and care. He’s been nervous about this gift all week, asking me three different times if I thought it was appropriate.
“What is it?” Kin asks, tearing into the wrapping paper with five-year-old enthusiasm.
Inside are two things: a small pair of boxing gloves, perfectly sized for small hands, and a packet of heirloom tomato seeds.
“The gloves are so your Papa and I can teach you a few moves. Your mother approved,” Yarik explains, his lined face soft with affection. “And the seeds are so we can plant a garden together. A man should know how to grow things and how to protect what matters.”
Kin immediately shoves his little fists into the gloves and starts punching the air, making dramatic sound effects. “Thank you, Uncle Yarik!”
“My turn!” Dinara says brightly, sliding into the chair beside him. She sets a wrapped box in front of Kin, and he attacks it with the same wild energy, paper flying in every direction. Inside is a kid-friendly educational tablet.
Kin’s eyes go wide. “I’ll learn to do computers, too.”
Dinara grins. “Start with the basics, and maybe by the time you’re ten, you’ll be helping me hack into government databases.”
“Dinara,” I warn, tossing a balled-up paper napkin her way.
“Kidding! Mostly.”
My throat thickens as our chosen family showers my son with love and gifts.
