“I finally talked her into buying that building on Main Street,” Aleksei says.
“You’re going to do amazing,” Gina says. “This city’s in desperate need of a talented stylist. You’re going to have more business than you can handle.”
Jamie smiles at her and says, “I sure as hell hope so.”
When the doorbell rings, I go and grab the pizzas while the others make their way into the kitchen. Everyone is careful to not bring up the fire, but when I pull up my sleeves and grab a plate, Gina sees the bandage that’s still on my forearm.
“You got hurt?” she asks, drawing everyone’s eyes to me.
“Just a small burn,” I say. “No big deal at all.”
There’s an awkward silence where no one wants to say anything that might upset Moira, so Moira of course steps in and says, “I’m not made of glass, people. You can ask questions.”
The others laugh and take her up on it. We spend the next several minutes eating and filling them in on all the details of the fire, including being interviewed by Gina’s dad.
“He’s relentless,” Gina says with a smile. “I still think he sometimes pokes around to make sure Dima isn’t fighting again.”
“Youthinkhe might be.” Dima laughs. “Honey, he is definitely checking up on me. I can sometimes feel him breathing down my neck. He will not find anything, though. I am as you Americans say, clean as a whistle.”
“I wouldn’t go that far, babe.” Gina smiles up at him. “But you’re not fighting anymore, and that’s good enough for me.”
After supper I sit at the table with Dima and Aleksei, passing around a bottle of vodka while the women sit on the couch. My eyes keep returning to Moira. I can’t stop looking at her. She’s always been like a damn magnet to me, ever since the first day I saw her. I’m drawn to her, no matter where she is in a room, that’s where my eyes go. I watch as she grabs Sergei and kisses his cheek before holding him close. My heart tightens at the image right as she looks up and meets my eyes. She gives me the sweetest smile, showing me her cute dimple, and I know she’s thinking about our soon-to-be family. I smile back, more than ready to see her holding our own baby.
* * *
The day of Moira’s first doctor’s appointment has us both feeling like a bundle of nerves. I try not to show how nervous I am, and I thought I was doing a pretty damn good job of it, but when we’re in the waiting room, she reaches over and rests her hand on mine.
“It’s going to be fine, Kolya. Stop worrying.”
“You know, most people say I have a very unreadable face,” I tell her, making her roll her eyes and laugh.
“There was a time when I would have agreed, but now you’re like an open book to me, well, some of the times anyway. Sometimes I have no idea what you’re thinking.”
“A little mystery is good.” I squeeze her hand and give her a wink.
“Miss O’Connor,” the nurse calls and we both stand up.
I lean closer to Moira. “We’ve got to get your damn name changed. My child can’t have an Irish surname.”
She laughs and playfully swats my chest. “He or she will still be half Irish,” she reminds me.
“Don’t think I haven’t forgotten,” I laugh. Never in a million years did I think I’d be falling in love and having a baby with Paddy’s granddaughter. The idea would’ve had me laughing my ass off last year.
I try to stay out of the way as Moira has her vitals taken and the nurse figures out her due date. When Doctor Reed walks in, I instantly like her. She has a calm demeanor and a no-bullshit attitude that I appreciate. She examines Moira, listening to every concern and answering every single question we have without seeming annoyed or too busy.
“You ready to hear the heartbeat?” she asks us, squirting a clear gel on Moira’s still flat stomach. I can’t wait to watch it start to grow with our child. I grab Moira’s hand, and when the strong, fast heartbeat fills the room, we both let out a gasp at the sound of it. Her green eyes immediately fill with tears as she listens to our baby. I bring her hand to my mouth and kiss it.
“Your baby’s heart sounds perfect,” Doctor Reed says, and I give a sigh of relief at her words. I haven’t let myself think about what I would do if something went wrong. Having this baby taken from us so soon after learning about it is not something I’ve been willing to allow myself to think about. I’m not sure my sanity would survive it.
“It’s too early to tell the sex,” she continues, moving the wand over Moira’s stomach, “but everything looks great.”
“Can I keep working out?” Moira asks, ignoring the frown I get on my face.
“Sure. You’re just in your first trimester, so you can do pretty much whatever you’ve been doing as long as you feel okay.”
“But she’s a boxer,” I add, because I’m pretty sure that changes things.
Doctor Reed smiles and says, “Okay, so don’t do any sparring or actual fighting, but you’re fine to punch the bag or whatever, at least for now.”