Chapter 27 - Leon

Six months later

As I lay Aleksandr Pavel Orlov in his crib, he sighs softly, and dark eyelashes dust his rosy cheeks.

His little fists fly through the air before curling up in front of his chest.

It's hard to believe I"ve waited so long to meet him, and now he's finally here.

And I'm a father.

Which is even more incredible. I thought I"d spend the rest of my life sleeping around and enjoying myself. Meaningless relationships with women that would count for nothing in the morning after.

Maybe a marriage so I"d have an heir, but even that was doubtful.

Now I stand over my perfect son while my beautiful wife lies in bed, her chocolate-colored hair flowing over the sheets and her white nightgown bunched at her thighs.

We've only been back from the hospital for a week, but it feels like we're really starting to find our rhythm as a family.

Natalie watches me from the bed; her gaze is full of love. "It's still hard to believe that we created someone so perfect. Marina told me that love would hit me as soon as he was born. She said I would take one look at his little face and know that I would throw you in front of a bullet to save him."

Chuckling, I run my fingers over his soft cheek. "She still doesn't like me. But she's right; I"d be mad if you didn't."

She laughs and snuggles deeper into the pillows and reaches for the bassinet. "Can you please move it a little closer? I want to be right next to him when he wakes up in the night."

I push the bassinet closer to her side of our bed before turning to the other side and slipping under the covers next to her. "When I first saw you in the restaurant, I never thought we"d end up here."

"Yeah, you thought I would be just another good fuck," she says in a teasing tone as Alexandr begins to cry.

"Watch your dirty little mouth, solnyshko." I scold her playfully.

She coos as she bends over him and lifts him out of the bassinet to press him against her chest. Her fingers stroke the dark strands of hair that are so like her own, but when he opens his eyes, they are mine.

He is the perfect combination of the two of us, his little lips curve just like mine. I have no doubt that tomorrow, when Natalie is sketching and drinking her morning coffee, she will tell me how hard it is to get our lips right.

"Part of me still thinks I'll wake up in the morning and all this will be gone. I would find out that this was nothing but the best dream of my life, and then I would spend the rest of my life making that dream come true."

I put an arm around her shoulders and pull her to my side as we make ourselves comfortable on the cushions. "That"s the reality. Nothing will ever change that."

She rests her head on my shoulder and smiles down at our son. "Do you want more children?"

The question surprises me, but I suspect that it is one of the things a normal couple would have talked about before getting married.

"Natalie, I will have as many babies with you as you are willing to give me. I have a whole soccer team if that's what you want."

Her cheeks turn that pretty shade of pink I love so much, spreading across her cleavage to her breasts. "I want to have a few more babies. But I don't know how many. But I want a big family. It was so lonely growing up without siblings."

I kiss her temple. "As soon as you're able to have sex again, we'll start working on the next thing. After six weeks without sex, you won"t leave this bed for a week."

She laughs and shakes her head, running a finger over Alexandr's cheek. "It's a good thing he doesn't understand us. Imagine how scary it would be to hear your parents talking about more children."

"I don't think he's going to remember any of this. He was only born a week ago." My fingers drift over her shoulder. "I love you, my sweet, solnyshko."

"I love you too. And I love it that you still call me little sun." She melts into my side, those big brown eyes turning to me.

"It seems like we were waiting forever for our little man." She pulls her bottom lip between her teeth. "I spent most of that pregnancy worrying about him and whether he was going to be okay after I was kidnapped and look at him. He's perfect."

"I know you were worried."

I've spent most of the last six months worrying. I didn't think I"d be the kind of man who watches Natalie"s every move and won"t leave her side, but after seeing how easy it was for Carlo to get to her, I'm glued to her.

Nothing will ever happen to her again.

If anyone comes up with the idea of pursuing her or our son, I will kill them on the spot. They will never have the chance to get to her again.

Natalie hums and rocks Aleksandr. She gets out of bed, walks over to the speakers, and turns them on, the European Orchestra flowing through. The soft music fills the room as she paces with him.

A few moments after he falls back asleep, Natalie slips him back into the bassinet.

I get out of bed, cross the room to her, loop my arms around her waist, and we sway to the music.

She puts her arms around my shoulders and presses her body closer to mine while we dance, and our son sleeps soundly. "Marina will be here in a few weeks to meet him, and Pearl wants to meet her little nephew tomorrow."

"That's good." I kiss her and take the time to memorize her taste for the millionth time.

When I pull away from her, the satisfied smile on her face is all I've ever wanted to see.

"My family will storm the house tomorrow. Some of the women will come to fill the fridge with the meals they have prepared. Aleksandr will be passed around like a sack of potatoes."

She gives me a playful glare. "You mean the cutest sack of potatoes ever."

"Of course." I chuckle and kiss the corner of her mouth. It's going to be a long six weeks of not being able to worship her body, but I'm going to make the most of it and take a little time off work to bond deeper with my family.

"You know," she says in a teasing tone as she strokes my chest with her hands. "I'm starting to think you"re getting a little too soft for me, Leon."

Growling, I nibble at her earlobe. Just a little tease I know she likes. "If the doctor gives you the all clear, I'll be so hard you'll have to ride me for a week to soften me up."

She laughs, head tilting back and eyes shining with mischief. "Well, nobody said that I couldn't suck your cock while I'm healing."

"Not tonight." I kiss her again, tongue tracing her lips until she gasps.

"Are you sure?" Lust shines in her eyes.

I pull her closer, kissing the top of her head. "I'm sure. I just want to spend this time soaking up every moment of our lives together."

"You're going to have so many nights to soak up with us."

"And they're all going to be perfect."

Natalie was thrilled when I told her that I was reducing my working hours for a few months and that Boris would take care of some of my business.

Even now, her gaze reminds me that I should slow down a bit more—even when there's a war brewing—and spend time loving my wife and son.

For months, I have wished to be the source of her happiness, and now I feel that I finally am.

Natalie rests her head on my chest. "I came to New York to discover who I am and thought that was impossible. Then I found something even better."

"Oh?" I ask, gently dipping her low before pulling her back to me. "And what might that be?"

She smirks, turns away from me, crawls back into bed, and snuggles into the silky sheets. "I"ve found you."