4 years later
"Daddy!" A voice squealed as a small body thumped into my leg.
I beamed as I picked up my daughter in my arms as she squished my cheeks.
"I missed you daddy."
"I missed you too, baby girl. Where's mama?" I asked as I nuzzled my nose against hers as she giggled.
She pointed a finger towards the door to the backyard as I watched my wife putting up decorations as she stood back before placing a hand on her swollen belly.
I still couldn't believe that I had managed to snag the woman of my dreams and how we had started our new life together here, in the heart of London - far, far away from the chaos. Opening the door to the backyard, I stepped outside as the bright sun rays hit my face - quite unusual for a city like London. I snuck up from behind as one of my arms went around her waist.
"Mikhail!" Luciana shrieked as she turned to look at me.
I gave her a light peck on her lips before I bent down to kiss her bump. A surge of pride and affection passed through me as I thought of our unborn child and how much more joy was about to be brought inside this house.
"Me too, daddy, me too!" Ilena shouted before I put her down.
She put her two tiny hands on Luciana's stomach before pressing the side of her cheek against it. Truth be told, I had always wanted a little girl. Ilena - who had been named after my sister, Ilaria and Luciana's mother, Elena - had made my heart burst with joy the moment she started wailing in the hospital room. She seemed so tiny when I held her in my hands. And as I sat beside both my girls that day three years ago, I knew right from the bottom of my heart that I'd do anything and everything to protect the both of them from harm.
The moment we had landed in London four years ago, I had called in some favors from acquaintances as we settled in a small flat that looked over Big Ben. It had been quite the struggle - starting from scratch in a new city with no one else by our side. But we did it. We somehow managed to get jobs and build a family together. After what seemed like ages, it felt like I was finally getting to live the peaceful life I deserved after years of trouble and pain.
Luciana had taken up a job as a primary school teacher - a job that she had always dreamt of having since she adored little kids. Whereas, I had managed to venture out into real estate which definitely paid well. If you'd told me all those years ago that I'd be married to the woman of my dreams and living my dream life, I would have laughed in your face. But look where we are now.
"You came home early today." Luciana smiled as Ilena ran around the garden in her pink, fluffy dress.
I tore my gaze away from her as I pushed back a strand of Luciana's hair.
"Of course I did, malyshka. It's our daughter's 3rd birthday today. I wouldn't miss it for the world."
Luciana wrapped her arms around my waist as she leaned into me. Her wedding band glinted in the daylight as I remembered the day of our wedding.
It had been only a couple of months since we started living here, but I had enough money saved up to buy her a ring. There was no point in delaying it anyways, since I already knew that we were meant to be. I knew that Luciana wasn't a fan of grand gestures and hence, I thought of a proposal that was low key and perfect for us. Being the gentleman I am, I took her to her favorite sushi restaurant downtown after which I fucked her properly in our tiny man - like any good man would. I held her close to me, the both of us naked and exhausted after the strenuous physical activity, when I popped the question. I don't think I'd ever be able to forget the way her eyes lit up when I asked her to marry me in bed. I was consumed by happiness and pure bliss as we lay there, spending the whole night talking about our future and reminiscing over how time had flown by so quickly.
Fast forward to 3 weeks later, we were married and officially husband and wife. Fuck. I don't think I'd ever get tired of being called that. A surge of possessiveness had passed through me when Sergio, the officiant, had referred to her as Mrs Luciana Petrov. It had a nice ring to it, if I could say so myself. Sofia and Alexei were also present via video call, as Sofia gushed over how beautiful Luciana looked. It had been perfect. Although, I don't think that any moment spent with Luciana could be anything less than perfect.
We did keep in touch with Sofia and Alexei frequently as he'd inform me about how things were running much more smoothly in the Bratva. As expected, Sergei hadn't even batted an eyelash when they informed him that I wasn't coming back. Thinking about all those things brought in a rush of guilt as I thought about Dimitri. The pain of losing someone so close to me would never completely go away but it was fading now. And one day, maybe I'd look back and cherish all the good times we had together rather than dwell on the bad ones and resent him.
On our wedding night, I presented Luciana with the home that she'd dreamed of living in. Surrounded by a vast backyard and modern infrastructure, I just knew that it was the house for us when I first saw it. To say that Luciana was surprised when she saw the house was an understatement, based on the way she tackled me to the ground and sucked me off later.
"How are you feeling?" I asked as I rubbed her back.
She let out a soft moan before she pressed her face into my neck.
"Tired, exhausted and pissy most of the time." She grumbled, the sound coming out muffled.
I chuckled lightly as I put my hands on her shoulder and looked at her.
"I can't wait to meet our baby boy. I hope he has your eyes." I said.
"I hope he looks like the both of us."
The corner of my lips tilted up as we stayed in an embrace for a few moments. Putting my head on her chin, I placed my hand on her pregnant stomach, drawing circles on it.
"Who'd have thought that we'd come so far, hmm?"
Luciana hummed her assent as she turned in my arms, watching the sunset and the sky turn a darker color.
"I love you, Mikhail." She whispered as she tilted her head.
Closing the distance between us, I claimed her lips, kissing her gently as I squeezed her ass. I pulled back before I placed kisses on her forehead, nose and cheeks as she closed her eyes with a small smile on her face.
"I love you for infinity, malyshka. You and me forever, remember?"
"You and me forever." She repeated softly as she put her hands on mine.
I hadn't really known what I needed until Luciana came into my life. But now that I had her, I knew that I would never be able to live without her. Taking a deep breath, I kissed the crown of her head, watching the sun dip down as stars popped up in the night sky. In that moment, I knew that things couldn't get any better than this. Our small family of four. This was it. For life.
THE END
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Aaaaaanndddd that marks the end of this story. Excuse me while I go cry in a corner. Also yayyy double update today because I have some *very* special news coming in a day or two so keep your eyes peeled on my Instagram👀
Some more mushy stuff coming up in my A/N heheh😌
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