Page 115 of Daniil
He loves me.
He said it that last night in Limaj, but I didn’t know for sure whether he meant that he wasin lovewith me or that he simply loved me too, since it was such an emotional moment.
There’s no doubt about his meaning now.
“Say it again,” I whisper.
He smiles.“I love you.More than anyone or anything in this life, other than my son.And I always will.Whatever it takes for us to be together, we’ll do it.If you want me to?—”
I don’t care about the details anymore; I just care about him.
So, I cut him off by stuffing my tongue in his mouth and showing him how I feel.
He kisses me back, urgently, until tiny feet start to kick and Micah whimpers, alerting us that he’s awake.
We break apart reluctantly, but there’s plenty of time for kissing later.
“What’s up, big guy?”Daniil rolls onto his back and puts Micah on his chest.“Did you miss me?”
“Dada.”
It’s the first time he’s said it in days and my heart melts all over again.
* * *
Much later,after we’ve had breakfast, fed and changed Micah, gone for a walk, had another cup of coffee, and finally put Micah down for his nap, we curl up on the couch.
“I have an idea about something,” I tell him.“I was considering it on my own but now…this might be kismet.”
“Tell me.”He searches my face.
“What would you think about buying Westfield & Carruthers?”
He blinks.Apparently, I’ve caught him by surprise.
“Buying it?”he repeats softly.
I explain what Chains told us.
Our eyes meet and at the same time we both breathe, “yes.”
Because it’s exactly the right thing.For him and for me and for us.
A business in a field we’re both familiar with.
Positions of power so we can dictate our own hours.
Doing something with purpose, to help people.
These are just some of the things I’ve been thinking about since the meeting with Chains, but I don’t have to say it all because somehow, Daniil instinctively already knows.In some ways, we’re a lot alike.The drive to accomplish something in life is ingrained in us.With him it was his oath as a Royal Protector and his devotion to taking back his country.For me it manifested in my service in the military and flying helicopters.
Now it’s going to be something different.
“What would you think about living in California?”he asks after a moment.“Moving the business there once we take over.”
“Why California?”
“It’s big and there are places we can build a compound where we can live and run the business—safely.”
