His (Ties That Bind #2) - Natasha Knight Page 0,65

special, happy blue.

I look up at him, and he’s watching me. He takes both my hands in his and just touches his mother’s ring, which I’m still wearing on my right ring finger.

“Time to make it official,” he says.

“What did you do?” I ask, my tone different than the last time I asked the same question.

He opens the box and turns it to me, and I try to imagine Lev in a Tiffany store, and it makes me laugh. I don’t know. Maybe I’m just nervous, but I can’t help it.

“That’s not exactly the reaction I expected.”

I look up from the engagement ring. The platinum band holding a single, perfect diamond at the center. Simple and elegant and…

“I love it.” I throw my arms around his shoulders and hug him hard. He hugs me back, dropping the box on the bed when he does, holding me so tight.

I wonder how I’d survived so long before he found us. How I survived when he wasn’t there to hold me like this.

He draws back, and there’s a warmth in the air, something just for us.

“Will you marry me, Katya?”

Six Months Later

Epilogue 1

Kat

I look at my reflection as the hairdresser pins my veil to the chignon she’d made earlier. She has set my bangs off to the side and has curled a long strand to fall softly over my right temple.

The dress is beautiful. It’s absolutely not something I would have chosen or even looked at simply because the price was insane, but Gleb insisted. I would have argued except that when I turned to look at him and saw the tears in his eyes, I couldn’t.

But the veil. My goodness.

It’s a cathedral length ivory veil of the most intricate lace I’ve ever seen. It was my grandmother’s, apparently, and I love it. I love everything about it.

“Just one more thing,” she says, turning my chair a little and picking up a tube of coral lip stain.

I sit patiently as she dabs the littlest bit on.

“Perfect,” she says, and when I look at myself, I think yes, it’s perfect. I’m ready to marry Lev now.

The thought gives me goose bumps.

“Thank you,” I tell her as a knock comes on the door.

“My pleasure.”

She begins to clean up her things as the door opens, and I see Gleb standing there wearing a very fancy suit. Beside him is Josh, wearing a matching one and holding a piece of paper in his hand. Dima stands behind them, out of the way but always close at hand.

“Wow,” Josh exclaims, drawing the word out when he gets a look at me. He walks toward me slowly, eyes wide.

“You look handsome,” I tell him, adjusting his collar when he’s close enough.

“Mommy, you’re beautiful.” I remember how he used to say booful what seems like just weeks ago. Time is moving too fast.

“Don’t make your mother cry,” Gleb says, but when I look up at him, he’s looking a little emotional too. “Give her the drawing, Josh, and then you’ll need to get ready to go to the church. Your dad won’t want to be late.”

“Here, Mommy, it’s for you.”

“Thank you.” I open it to see his drawing. Crap. I’m definitely going to cry and ruin the makeup.

“It’s you and Daddy and me and Grandpa.”

“I love it,” I say. “It’s perfect.” I hug him to me.

“Dima,” Gleb calls.

Dima is inside the room in an instant.

Gleb gestures for him to take Josh. It’s funny to see Dima, a soldier, in this role with Josh. I’m not sure he likes it. I think he does, but babysitting wasn’t what he was hired to do.

“See you at church, Mommy. Don’t be late.”

I have to smile. “See you at church. You make sure Daddy isn’t late.”

Once they’re gone, Gleb sits down on the edge of the bed and reaches into his inside jacket pocket. From there, he retrieves a velvet box. He opens it and seems to disappear into his own memories for a long moment.

I watch him, this powerful man, this ruthless man. I’ve done some research, and I have no illusions about who he is, but with me, with us, he’s different.

He looks up at me. “I would have forgiven her, you know.”

My mother. I nod because I do know.

“I know better than anyone else not to punish a person for past mistakes. Vasily blackmailed her over something I already knew. My mistake was in not telling her.”

I remember something then. Something Vasily said about what my mom had done. What she