Page 84 of The Bratva's Nanny
“If you don’t have anything to say, I do,” she said finally, her voice firm but gentle. “And I’m going to start by saying that I hate that you took my car away from me. I hate that you took away my life from me. It wasn’t that great, I agree. I lived in a shitty one-room infested with bugs that I sprayed out every two months—fine. But I had a life. I had broken hand dryers to fix. I had children that I loved and taught, and you took that, too.”
She swallowed. “You don’t get to do that, Roman. You don’t just get to take, like…like it’s yours, like everything and everyone fucking belongs to you. You killed three men in front of me. A big, solid, fucking three!” She brandished three fingers for emphasis, and tears welled up in her hazel eyes.
“I hate that you murdered Cian—even if I didn’t know him. I hate that you shot Mr. Rod. And for Finn…” she trailed off.
“The point is, the three of them probably had death at their doorsteps anyway, but nobody assigned you to be Hades’ messenger. And you know what hurts the most? It’s the fact that you did these terrible, horrible things, yet I still—”
Her words hung like a suspended kite in the air.
She sniffled, wiped her nose with the back of her hand, and fired on with a resolve to empty her guts. Her voice was quiet, almost barely inaudible, and she groaned like she’d rather bite off her tongue than say anything.
“I can’t stop thinking about you. You…you….” She swallowed, fidgeting with her fingers. “You make me feel a certain way. You—Roman? Hey! I’m talking to you. Where are you going?”
I’d walked off with my back turned to her, heading to my side drawer. I opened it, rummaging through the contents with a casual air. My movements were swift, almost careless, and her annoyance rang out behind me.
“Unbelievable,” she sighed behind me. “Another thing added to the list of things I hate. Why would you walk off like that, Roman? I’m trying so hard here to tell you that I am hopelessly in love with you….”
My hands froze over the handle of the drawer for the briefest second. Only two people had ever said that to me. One was dead. And the other was six years old. No one else dared.
But my Solnishka.
Breaking from the spell, I didn’t turn around. I kept searching through the drawer, my fingers brushing against the cool metal of my gun and my wallet's soft leather. And I stopped when I found what I was searching for.
I walked back toward her, expression guarded, with one hand behind my back. When our eyes met, I saw it—the truth. Her eyes spoke volumes, and I knew in that moment that she genuinely loved me.
I took a deep breath, my voice calm and steady. “No.”
She looked like she’d been gut-punched. Her breath faltered, and her lashes glistened with tears. “No…no, what? No, you don’t feel the same, no, you don’t want me, no…no, what?!”
Reaching for her hand, I kissed the top and let my lips linger before pulling back. “No, I’ve never imagined living a simpler life in the countryside. Not until you came along.”
Her inhale was sharp, and more tears rushed down her cheeks. I wiped them away with a flick of my thumb.
“But you have to understand that we can only take vacations there. This life, this mansion, the things you hate…I can’t promise that they’ll go away soon. But I can promise that I will protect you with my life. And you’ll get a car back.”
She beamed like a smitten teenager would. “You said a car. Not mine.”
“Yours needs to rest in peace. It’s served you well. With me, you’ll have to embrace a new life altogether.”
She laughed, and I stole the moment to produce the box from behind my back. Maria’s eyes widened as I opened it, revealing a stunning diamond ring.
She gasped.
“Maria Simmons, I think I fell in love with you from the first day I tasted those brownies. Note this: I don’t eat brownies. But yours awakened something more than just the craving to taste them again.” Time to seal this, Roman. “I love you, Maria. You’ve invaded my life, and I’m fine with that. But I want that invasion to be permanent. So, will you marry me?”
Tears were streaming down her face as she gazed at the ring, her hands covering her mouth. “Oh, Roman….”
I bit back a smile.
“It’s a yes or yes question, Maria.”
“Yes, yes, a million times, yes!”
She jumped into my arms, and I hugged her close, our hearts beating as one. It was a moment I knew I would never forget—a moment that sealed our forever.
Chapter Twenty-Six – Maria
My second boyfriend…his name was Luke Hemmings. He preferred to go by Luke Hemmster. That was his idea of being adventurous.