His parents collapsed over him, deluging him in the agony of their tears, disbelief, relief...and love.
Feeling as helpless as he had when he’d arrived too late to save Alex, unable to rewind the past and erase the damage, he hugged them with all he was.
“Forgive me for suspecting you, for depriving us of all these years we could have been together since my escape.”
They both wept and shook and hugged him back until he felt their long-fractured hearts splintering again. He had to stop the vicious circle of pain and regret, had to start them on the path of healing.
Pulling back, he forced a smile on his nu
mb lips. “But I know you’ll forgive me, even if I don’t deserve to be forgiven. I know because I’m blessed like that. I committed the same crime with Anastasia. I deprived her of seven years when I could have loved and worshipped her, because of my hang-ups and misjudgments. And she not only forgave me, she saved me and promised to love me forever.”
He looked back at her, found her sitting up rigidly, her face gripped in a storm of emotions. Dominating all was love. For him. And for his parents. And such relief. But it was the total lack of recrimination, the absolute alliance and understanding that she gave him unconditionally that gave him the ability to forgive himself, so he could give his all to her, to his parents.
Knowing she wouldn’t intrude on these moments with his parents without an invitation, he reached out an arm to her, begging her nearness, letting her know there was no breath he wanted to take without her.
She staggered up to her feet and hurtled toward him unsteadily, throwing herself at him. It was like catching life itself when he wrapped her in his arms. She was more than that to him. She was the reason for, and the orchestrator of, his rebirth.
Then she was reaching out to include his parents in their embrace. Her apologies were as pained and profuse as much as their dismissal and their thanks. They insisted it was because she loved Ivan so much that she couldn’t bear thinking he’d go unavenged that this all had come to light, and been resolved.
Surrounding them all in his protection and love, Ivan looked at his parents. “I need you to put it all behind us, to only look forward. Anastasia taught me this, too.”
His mother burst into another jag of sobs. “I can never forget or live with what happened to you.”
He pulled her tighter into his embrace, soothing her renewed anguish. “Whatever I went through, it all worked out for the absolute best. And it’s not because I became so much stronger or because I’m now wealthy and powerful, it’s because of this.” He gave the most precious people in his life, the reasons for it, another squeeze, making them all shudder in relief. “Finding Anastasia, loving her, having her love, and reuniting with both of you—these miracles far surpass my ordeals, erases them. I even think it’s only fair to have paid that price in advance, for your priceless blessing. So just love me like I love you, and let me make you all happy again.”
* * *
For an interminable time afterward, Anastasia and Ivan’s parents flooded him in every poignant and thankful emotion and he submerged them in the endlessness of his love.
Then, feeling it was the beginning of a new life for real, she knew it was the right time to take it up that final notch.
Rising from the couch where he’d taken them, where she’d been plastered to him with his parents on his other side, she stood before him.
“All this?” She gestured between them and to his parents and around the room to hers. “It only gets better. You have one more miracle coming.”
Vulnerability flooded his face once again, as if he was still afraid, would always be unable to believe he could possibly have all this. She had a feeling he understood what she was about to tell him. And could barely bear the enormity of even contemplating it.
Drowning into his emerald eyes, she pulled him up and shared what she’d discovered right before she’d gone searching for him this afternoon. “Yes, moy lyubov, you’ll have one more person to love and who will love you forever. I’m pregnant.”
* * *
The extent of Ivan’s jubilation at her news continued to stun Anastasia.
Two nights ago when she’d announced her pregnancy, he’d looked as if he was disintegrating under the brunt of too much joy. After promising his parents that they’d continue talking later when he wasn’t literally out of his mind with exultation, he’d swept her to his bed.
Not that he’d made love to her. They’d both been too hectic with emotions they’d just needed to be wrapped in each other’s arms, to attempt to contain it all and come back down to earth.
He’d made love to her the next morning, though, taking them both to the very edge of their mortality. He’d said he was done waiting for their wedding night, even if it was only one more day away. He claimed that if he’d waited, she wouldn’t have had a groom to walk down the aisle to. Not a correctly functioning one, at least. And she’d wholeheartedly approved his strategy.
Now there were less than twenty-four hours to Christmas day, and their wedding.
Dragging themselves from the depths of satiation she and Ivan had just reluctantly left his suite. According to the many messages he’d gotten throughout the night, all his brothers had arrived. According to the many knocks on the door they’d had, everyone gathered downstairs was waiting for them to have an early Christmas since their wedding had confiscated the actual date.
They now descended along one arm of the bifurcated marble stairs, to an incredible sight.
That of everyone they both loved.
And they all did something that made her burst into tears again.