Chapter 55

Walking into the tower where I used to work feels nostalgic. We are back in Russia, and I have been planning this date for a few weeks now. I wanted to ensure that the children we rescued were settled and had a plan of care to move forward.

Pressing the number on the elevator for our floor, I take Nessa’s hand in mine. She is wearing a simple black dress I had made for her. The fabric is thin and soft, while also showing off her curves. It is short, revealing the red heels that have straps crossing up her calf and stopping just under her knees.

She looks ravishing.

When we arrive at my office, Cami, my old assistant, is waiting at the door.

“Good evening,” she greets before embracing Nessa in a hug. “I’ve missed you both.”

Nessa pulls back, and gazes up at me with happiness in her eyes. “I’ve missed it here,” she says.

“Everything should be in order inside, I can assure you that you will not be disturbed.”

Cami is working late, helping Alexi draw up a new deal for our businesses in India. She also helped me add the finishing touches to our date night tonight.

As we enter my office, Nessa goes straight to the widows at the back. Her favorite view was always the skyline behind my desk. It is why I had a chair with a lamp and small side table placed there. Many nights, I would work late, and she would cuddle up with a cup of tea and stare out at the city. One night, I asked her what was so fascinating about it.

“What are you staring at, my little fox?”

A soft smile stretches over her lips as she looks back at me. She is wearing a pair of my boxers and an oversized hoodie. I do not know when it happened, but my clothes now seem to be what she prefers to wear to bed.

“Do you ever look out across the skyline and imagine how many people there are? How they all have their own lives, their own worries, fears, dreams, and wishes?”

I try to keep the shock out of my expression, because no, I do not think about that. It is already enough to have my own thoughts, but picturing someone else’s, not to mention a few thousand someone else’s, seems vastly overwhelming.

Apparently, I fail at hiding my thoughts because she laughs when she glances back at me.

“Try not to look like I just said the most insane thing you’ve ever heard,” she taunts.

Grinning, I stand and walk over to her. “That is just a lot to think about, that is all.”

She nods her head, scanning the building next to us.

“It is, but if I can let myself get lost in the problems and aspirations of others, I don’t feel as trapped in my own life.”

“Do you feel trapped here?”

“Sometimes.”

I feel as if I were just hit by a truck. I have done everything in my power to give her everything she could need here. Why would she feel trapped?

A sigh leaves her lips before she sets her cup of tea down on the table beside her. My hand rests on her shoulder, hers coming up to squeeze my fingers.

“Not in the way you’re thinking though. I feel trapped in my mind. No matter where I am. Memories of my past haunt me day after day, and fear for the future has me on edge often. Staring out here, seeing all of the lives that continue to go on despite all of the shite taking place around them, helps me feel less trapped.”

I squeeze her shoulder as her head falls to my torso. We have grown close over the past few weeks, and I care for her greatly, but when I try to move forward with her, the sight of her bleeding in my arms assaults me.

It makes me feel like I could never truly keep her safe.

Then, I look down at her body, how relaxed she is in my presence and the peace I bring to her. With things beginning to change around us, maybe I need to change too.

“Build a home with me?” The question shocks even me as the words slip past my lips, but I do not take them back. When Nessa looks into my eyes, I can see her yearning for a home, for stability, for a family.

“The estate is too large, and I want a place that feels like a home. Build it with me.”

She laughs while shaking her head. “Boris, that is a big step. With everything going on, I’m not sure we are ready for that. What if you change your mind next week and want me out of your way?”

I glance back at my office, the twin desk sitting next to mine with sticky notes all over it. She has taken over my life in more ways than she knows. This is the next logical step.

“You have never been in my way, Lisichka . You have always been by my side.” I kneel next to her, taking one of her hands in mine. “Build a home with me, a life just for the two of us. Together.”

She stares at me for a minute before her eyes dart around the room in contemplation. When they land on me again, her lips lift. “I get to pick the paint colors.”

Leaning in, I steal a kiss from her to seal the deal. Nessa has been my light in the dark for a while now, and I want to be the same to her.

I will help her build the house she has always dreamed of, and we will fill it with love. It will be ours and only ours. Our lips part, and foreheads press against each other.

“Together,” I say, threading my fingers with hers as I pull her close.

“Together,” she whispers against my lips.

“Come with me,” I say, taking her hand and leading her through the door to the apartment connected to the office. It was the first place we shared together. We sat at the kitchen table for our first meal under one roof where I tried to trick her into thinking I knew how to make gourmet Russian dishes.

She called me out right away, and we laughed when she found the boxes of the precooked meal in the trash.

It was the same place we drafted our house plans, building each room to our liking while learning and understanding each other’s styles. There were many disagreements, but with the right moves, we always seemed to find a compromise.

If she wanted something bad enough, she would drop to her knees under the table for me. If I wanted something bad enough, then I would lift her from her chair and spread her out over the plans until she soaked them to an unrecognizable point.

There were moments that we disagreed just so we could ravage each other, and then there were moments where we came together in agreement with ease.

The foundation of our relationship became focused on the new life we were building together instead of the trauma that had thrust us into each other's embrace.

Nessa no longer ran to me because she was scared, needing me to be the wall that kept the rest of the world from her. No, she ran to stand by my side and fight the world next to the person she trusted to give her everything.

Which is why the table is now full of freshly lit candles, and flowers line the kitchen island on the other side of us. When her mouth drops open, I drop down to one knee.

“Nessa,” I croak out, my voice full of emotion as I take one of her hands in mine and lift a large ruby diamond on a simple band from my pocket. “I brought you back here because this is where I feel our journey began. This was the place I first told you I loved you, the place that I learned to love again, and the place where we dreamed of our first home together. While the picture of our lives may look different, I know that my future will always be with you.”

Sliding the ring onto her finger, I press a kiss just over it before asking, “Will you be my wife?”

Instead of answering, she drops to her knees in front of me and claims my mouth with a kiss as fresh tears track down her cheeks. She holds me close, her arms embracing me as I pull her into my chest, standing to deposit her onto the island between two vases of flowers.

Her legs wrap around my back as my palms travel up her calves until they are grabbing her perfect ass.

“Yes,” she breathes into my mouth while beginning to unbutton my shirt.

We take our time to explore one another, as if we were starting anew. This time knowing that forever is not just for us, but for the family we have created.

Cillian will propose soon as well; Kai is helping him come up with the perfect plan. But I’ve known this is what I wanted for a while now.

When Cillian came to me with the idea to have the papers drawn up just in case Ronan tried to force her into marriage, this was exactly how I pictured asking her.

By the time we fall into bed together, sated and blissfully happy, I feel like I have won the lottery. I never could have imagined the universe gifting me something as precious as the family I now have, but I do know there is not one day I will ever take for granted with them.

Nessa rolls over, sliding her leg around my hip, her face barely an inch from mine.

“You know, when we did this for the first time, you changed something inside of me.”

Her hand slides into my hair, those nails scraping along my scalp in the most delicious way.

“What was that, Little Fox?”

“When we had sex for the first time, you looked into my eyes afterwards like I was something precious. For the first time, I finally stopped to wonder why I didn’t believe that I deserved the world.”

My nose presses to hers, and I rub back and forth before placing a soft kiss to her lips and whisper, “You deserve it all.”

Our mouths meet again before we settle back into each other’s arms. “And you have given me everything.”