us completely sapped of energy after our long, trying day. Ruby hugged me one more time and squeezed Ivan’s arm before telling us good night and climbing the stairs to her room. Alone in the kitchen with my husband, I stared at him, trying to decide what to ask him first. I chose to start with the safest possible question. “What did Mueller want in exchange for Ruby? That’s why he took her, isn’t it? To get leverage over you?”
“He thinks he’s a fucking genius,” Ivan snarled. “He thinks he got one over on us, trading Ruby for the property, but he didn’t even know Teague was dead.”
“I don’t think Teague went quietly into the night.” I put my hand on Ivan’s chest and relished the hard strength of him under my fingertips. “I think he put something into motion that Mueller won’t be able to stop.”
“Good.” Ivan dipped his head and sought my mouth. I melted into his embrace and his seeking kiss, gripping his shirt in both hands and refusing to let him go. He must have sensed I was still upset about him leaving the gym like that. He touched his forehead to mine. “I’m sorry I ran like a coward.”
“Oh, Ivan,” I said in a rush and kissed him again. “I’m so, so sorry you found out like that.” Tears stung my eyes, and I tried to blink them away, but imagining his pain at that moment broke me. “I’m so sorry.”
“Please don’t cry,” he begged, his voice thick. “Please, Erin,” he said roughly. “I can’t handle it when you cry.”
“I’m sorry. I’m just overwhelmed.”
“No, it’s fine. I’m an asshole. You can cry. You can even hit me if it makes you feel better.” He shuddered and then weakly pleaded, “Please don’t leave me.”
“What?” I reared back in shock. His face was a mask of pain so deep that it hurt me to see it. “Ivan!” I cupped his face and forced him to look at me. “I’m not going anywhere.”
“I understand if you—"
I kissed him, interrupting whatever terrible thing he was about to say. “I’m Not.” I kissed him again. “Going.” Another kiss. “Anywhere.” Another kiss. “Without you.”
“But you want a baby—"
“Yes, I do, and we’ll have one someday,” I promised him. “Maybe not the old-fashioned way. Maybe not a baby that grows in my belly. But we will be parents. We’ll have a family. Together.” I stroked his face and prayed he would understand how deeply I loved him. “Ivan, you are more important to me than anything in this world. You. Just as you are.”
“I love you so much, Erin,” he said in a rush of emotion. “I never thought I could feel like this. I never thought I could be this happy.” He crashed his mouth to mine, his hands tangling in my hair as he lost control to passion. “All I ever wanted was to make you happy. To give you everything in life that you want.”
“And you have,” I assured him. “You have, Ivan.” I turned my face and kissed his palm. “You are all I need to be happy. Just you.”
We shared a deep and loving kiss. It was a moment I would remember for the rest of my life. Just the two of us, in our kitchen, making a promise to love each other no matter what. It was a tender moment that filled me with so much hope for our future. It wasn’t going to be easy. There were probably going to be more tears and sadness, but I wasn’t afraid of tears or sadness.
As long as we were together, we could face anything.
Chapter Twenty-One
Nine Weeks Later
“Scoot over,” Ivan urged as he shuffled from our master bathroom back to the bed. He was bent slightly at the waist and grimaced with discomfort when he finally made it to the bed and had to climb onto it.
“I told you this bed was too tall.”
He rolled his eyes at me. “Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.”
“Do you need help getting comfortable? I can move some pillows for you.”
“No! You stay right there. Flat with your legs up, remember?”
Now I was the one rolling my eyes. “Dr. T said to do this for fifteen minutes after the procedure! Not for an entire day!”
“I don’t want to risk it,” Ivan replied and then gestured to the front of his shorts. “I’m out of order for at least a month. If this doesn’t work, you’ll have to wait until I’m back in fighting shape.”