There’s no time to pick out a dress, and my last dress certainly no longer fits, but Karina manages to find a large white shawl that Willow wraps strategically around me.
“You look great, girl!” Willow beams as she takes a step back to examine her handiwork. The look on her face tells me that she has a million different things she wants to say. But she doesn’t need to say anything. Finally, she gives me a hug and whispers, “I’m glad you’re back.”
“Me too.” I squeeze her back. “I didn’t think I’d come back, but you were right.”
“Duh.” She pulls back and rubs my shoulders. “You know I’m never wrong.”
I roll my eyes. “Let’s not keep everyone waiting. The faster we get this done, the faster we can get to the best part of a wedding.”
“The food?”
“You know it.”
Pavel waits at the makeshift altar we put together the night before. He’s dressed in a sharp black tuxedo. His hair is perfectly parted, and a rich burgundy bowtie is wrapped around his throat. My heart skips a beat when I see him.
Even though I know every little detail and every little quirk about him, the sight of him in a tailored suit never ceases to send my heart fluttering. As I make my way to the altar, I can’t help but think back to that fateful night he walked into the bar and Willow collided with him. I can’t help but remember when he asked me to stay and drink with him.
With each step, one memory after another rises up in front of me. Our first kiss. The first time I heard his nickname for me. The first time he looked at me like an equal, like his queen. It’s hard to believe that it’s been only months when I feel like I’ve known him my entire life.
And in many ways, it’s true. I don’t think I truly lived until Pavel came into my life.
As I walk up to the altar and look at my husband as he takes my hand in his, my heart is full. Tears of happiness well up from my eyes.
Willow and Karina step up behind me and Pavel respectively. A pair of crowns are raised over our heads as Stepan turns to Pavel.
“Do you, Pavel Sergeyevich Suvorov, take Liya Frankovna Bernadetti to be your lawfully wedded wife? To treasure and protect. To love and hold. In sickness and in health. From this day until your last day?”
“I do.”
Stepan turns to me.
“And do you, Liya Frankovna Bernadetti, take Pavel Sergeyevich Suvorov to be your lawfully wedded husband? To treasure and protect. To love and hold. In sickness and in health. From this day until your last day?”
“I do.”
Stepan gestures, and the crowns are lowered onto both our heads.
“Then I pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.”
Pavel slips the ring on my finger and pulls me in for a deep, passionate kiss as Willow and Karina cheer. I swear even Stepan’s usually inscrutable face contains the crack of a smile. And as we pull apart from each other, I feel our baby give a slight kick.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Months later
Pavel
“She’s beautiful, isn’t she?” Liya looks down at the little bundle of joy in her arms. Her hair is plastered to her head from sweat. Her labor was a grueling twelve hours, and I’ve never felt as scared as I did during it.
But now, staring down at my daughter—her tiny little feet and hands wrapped snugly under the bundle of blankets—I feel a sense of relief wash over me. Relief and pride.
“Do you want to hold her?” Dr. Atlee asks me as she finishes going through a final checklist.
“Of course,” I answer quickly.
As I take hold of our daughter in my hands, it’s remarkable just how small she is. Her tiny little head rests easily in my palm.So delicate and precious.She draws a long breath and wails loudly, clearly annoyed at her sudden entry into this world from the warm comfort of her mother’s belly.
“I think she’s got your temper.” Liya smiles.