Chapter 45

I might have given Boris shit for his idea of a date night, but I actually think this might work. Boris called a designer, who helped us create 3-D designs of the nurseries, and even crafted a cute list of baby names with pictures.

I think the name Aiden for a boy or a girl is cute, plus it means fire just like Enya. I know Nessa will love that. Oddly enough, it was the first name Boris and I agreed on.

I was put on flower duty while Boris had a special dress made for her as a gift. If it's anything like the one at the ballet, I know it will be perfect.

We wait at the landing for her, both holding our breath. The moment she drifts down the stairs in a gown that perfectly matches her hair that is tied up in a high bun, I know I'm the luckiest man on the planet. Her belly doesn't look swollen yet, but I can't help but picture it. Our sweet little one, kicking around in there.

The mental image brings a smile to my face that feels foreign. One of real happiness.

"Hello, Love." I kiss her cheek and hand her the fuschsias I special ordered. "You look stunning."

Boris steps up behind me and kisses her other cheek, then leans back to admire her. "The very definition of beauty."

She grins, her cheeks turning pink.

"The two of you look quite good yourselves."

The past two days have felt strange around the house, as if we were tiptoeing around this giant elephant in the room. But right now, everything feels right.

We stand next to her in our perfectly tailored suits.

Yes, the old man actually made me wear a feckin' penguin suit. I rioted at first until he took me to his tailor, who apparently makes special suits for Alexi with a fabric that stretches and has minimal seams. As much as I don't want to admit it, it's actually really comfortable. But that stays between us, okay?

"Let's get you something to eat, shall we?" I bend my arm in offer to her, and she takes it as Boris does the same on the other side. He rounds the car, and I help her into the front seat. Boris drives while I sit in the back, watching them. He takes her hand in his and kisses it a few times, almost absent mindedly.

When I first arrived here, seeing their love and affection for one another made me feel like an outsider. But now, all I feel is joy when Nessa blushes under his attention, a smile never leaving her face.

We arrive at the restaurant, and I rush out to get her door for her. When I reach my hand out, she hesitates with her fingers only an inch from mine. My heart stutters in my chest with confusion.

"This is the first time we're all going out," she whispers like it's a secret. "As in, the three of us."

I glance around as Boris walks over.

"What is it?" he asks, scanning the area as if a threat were going to come out of a brick wall. He hands the keys to the valet then comes to stand beside me.

"Are you alright, Little Fox?"

I snort at his Papa Bear protectiveness coming out already.

"Our girl here is worried about what others will think when they see her with a man on each arm."

I reach in, pulling her out of the car before she can even think to turn around. "When she should be worried about how close I am to stripping that dress off of her right here. She looks good enough to eat."

When I lean in to press a kiss to her throat, I can't help but sink my teeth into her flesh and bite her because why the hell not? Her hair is up, her long neck is exposed so perfectly for me to claim and mark my territory.

"Killer," she warns as I begin to suck.

When I pop off, I bite my lip, looking her up and down.

"Even better than dessert," I say with a cheshire grin.

"Let's get her into the restaurant first," Boris quips, making us both look at him in surprise.

He shrugs. "Play your cards right, Kid, and I might let you have dessert before dinner tonight."

Smugly, I lick my lips. Nessa notices and smacks my arm.

"The two of you are pigs." I know it's a joke, so I lean in and snort in her ear.

She laughs as Boris pulls her away from me, and we all walk into the restaurant together. At first she is stiff between us but begins to relax after a few moments.

Our waitress eyes Nessa when we both kiss her head after pulling out her chair for her. Nothing but the best for our girl. I chuckle to myself when the woman looks at me and I wink.

Making people uncomfortable is so much fun.

I watch as she gulps before scurrying off. After a minute, she returns with our waters and keeps looking between all of us as if she doesn't know what to think.

Nessa folds her hands in her lap, looking down as if she's ashamed. There's no need for that though. No one makes my girl feel less than. I lean forward with my arms on the table and hold our waitress' eye.

"Are you curious about how we both fuck her, or are you wanting a piece of her too? I can assure you, she is pretty satisfied with the two of us."

Nessa's eyes nearly bug out of her head, and she kicks me under the table as the poor woman opens and closes her mouth like a fish out of water.

"Ignore him," Nessa says, placing a hand on our waitress's arm to get her attention. "We don't let the monkey out of his cage much."

"I'm sorry," she gets out. "I just. I didn't know what to think."

Nessa smiles, and that tension she held before seems to vanish.

"It's okay, we are aware that what we have is different."

She leans in, and the waitress bends down to hear her as she whispers, "Between the two of us, you should know two is much better than one."

The waitress blushes before hastily taking our orders.

"You did not need to make her so uncomfortable," Boris states after she leaves.

"You're right, I didn't need to." I snap my napkin out before laying it over my lap. "But I didn't appreciate how she was looking at Nessa and decided to point out that her face was saying exactly what her mind was thinking."

Nessa rolls her eyes, and Boris shakes his head, although a smile hides just behind the surface. I'm getting to know the old man pretty well now, and it's safe to say he loves my twisted humor. Besides, we all know he hated the way that woman was looking at our girl like she was some cheap hooker. He wanted me to say something.

A minute of silence passes before Nessa begins playing with her napkin on the table.

"Sooo," she says, drawing the word out.

"We have a few things we would like to show you," Boris begins. "First, we appreciate the opportunity to prove to you that this is what we want. We are both willing to fight to have a family with you, no matter what that looks like. We accept that at the end of the day this is your decision to make, and we respect your choice."

She nods, so I continue. "We know that you feel like there's a lot of weight on your shoulders, so we decided to take off what we could. We might not be able to carry the baby for you, but we can make sure you have everything you need."

She looks confused, so Boris pulls out a tablet and passes it to her. "We took some time to create nurseries we thought you might like, and they each have a special touch from us."

I point to the picture I sketched of her belly swollen with our child that hangs in each room.

"We also already made up a list of names the both of us agree on so that you don't feel like there is a lot of back and forth. Also, Boris wants to be called dad, and I want to be Da."

She gasps as the page turns from nurseries to names. I watch as her finger hovers just above Aiden.

"We also know your life will change a lot when you become a mother, your body too. But we are excited to see those changes and embrace them," Boris says.

"Being a mother can be difficult," I add. "We made a soft schedule so that we can be there to help you as much as possible, especially in the early stages. When you need a break, all you have to do is ask."

The screen changes to the schedule Boris planned since he knows what it's like to have a kid. This is his area, so I gesture for him to continue with this part of the presentation.

"I do not want our child to be raised by staff, so at any point if we cannot handle the sleep deprivation, then our family can provide relief. I know you have not told anyone yet, but we have a strong feeling that two aunts, six uncles, and a half brother will be enough to help us get by."

Nessa looks up from the screen with tears in her eyes. "You guys did all of this in two days?"

We nod as I reach out, taking one of her hands in mine.

"We're willing to do anything for you, and our little one too."

Her lip trembles, so I take her chin in my fingers and pull her mouth to mine. It is soft but encouraging. In the research we've done, we know pregnancy hormones can make everything feel so much bigger than it is.

I want this to have an impact on her but don't want her to feel overwhelmed. When we separate, Boris takes her other hand.

"We love you, no matter what, Lisichka ."

Nessa wipes at her eyes, a content smile on her face. "I love both of you too. So much."