Heart of My Monster: Epilogue 2

I’m annoyed, and it has everything to do with all the people crowding my house.

Remember when I said I hate Christmas?

Now, I’m willing to take the Grinch’s position and turn into the number one plotter of sabotage.

Last year, we spent it at Anton and Maksim’s new mansion in Russia, but this year, they came over, accompanied by this little shit Mike, who won’t leave Sasha’s side.

Am I jealous of a nine-year-old? Possibly.

Turns out, he’s the one she was talking to on the phone years ago and telling him that she missed him. And here I thought he was a lover who I’ve been planning to assassinate for years.

That idea is still plausible if he keeps stealing my wife’s time as if he’s entitled to it. Not only do I have to put up with his presence twice a year, but he also calls her daily.

She gets worried when she doesn’t receive a call from him or Maksim.

Another asshole who’s at the top of my shit list. How dare he have a crush on her when she was dressing as a man?

And no, the fact that he’s gay is irrelevant. He still looked at what’s mine, and I’m not a fan.

Thankfully, Anton isn’t a fan either, and we share the same level of pettiness.

It’s the one thing that’s allowed us to get close over time.

That, and the fact that our respective partners are still best friends, despite our best efforts.

I share a look with him from across the room, and we shake our heads at the scene in front of us. Sasha and Maksim are helping Mike assemble some new toy she got him for Christmas.

My brother and his wife are reading the instructions, a bit too focused on the mundane task.

Karina, however, is chasing her nephew and niece as they squeal and break into a fit of giggles.

My son, Vaughn, is obviously the smartest one, because he leads his aunt in circles and then breaks her rhythm. Lidya, however, is just a little ray of sunshine and stupidity, because she gets caught easily.

Although she does have her moments of toddler intelligence, because whenever she gets frustrated, she hides behind Vaughn for protection and even makes faces at Kara.

My son and my niece look nothing alike. While he has dark hair and his mother’s chameleon eyes, she’s a platinum blonde with her mother’s features. The only thing she got from Kosta is her eyes.

Lidya was born exactly two weeks after Vaughn, but unlike him, she likes to behave like a child.

Sasha always reminds me that they are children and that I can’t roll my eyes just because they act like an irrational drama king and queen.

The two people who are in love with these children the most are Anna, who’s the ambassador of their healthy diets and habits, and Karina. She’s spoiling them rotten as expected, but what wasn’t expected is how much they’ve helped her regain control of her life.

She’s no longer scared of the outside world, and the blasphemous little shit even asked me to give her Viktor now.

No kidding. My sister actually stood there and said, with a straight face, I might add, “Hey, Kirya. I want Viktor, so give him to me.”

For the past couple of years, she’s been openly flirting with him while he’s been trying to pretend she doesn’t exist.

I did tell him that he’ll lose his dick the moment he touches her, to which Sasha laughed and said that wouldn’t be happening.

She’s encouraging bad habits that I won’t be standing for. Of course, no one will know that I’d rather Karina be with him instead of an outsider. He’s the only one I can call a friend. He’s never doubted me, never shied away from calling me on my shit, and he’s responsible. Sometimes, too much so.

The problem in this equation is really Viktor. He thinks Karina is too spoiled and high maintenance, not to mention the fact that she’s my sister, so he refuses to touch her, even with a ten-foot pole.

Now, he’s helping Anna with opening presents and not giving Karina one sliver of his attention. Which is wise, considering I’m around.

Vaughn gets bored with his aunt’s antics and runs in my direction. I crouch to catch him, and he wraps his tiny arms around my neck.

“Papa!”

“Hi, little one. Who won?”

“Me!” He points a thumb at himself and sighs. “Kara too slow.”

“I’m not slow, you little demon!” She tries to catch Lidya, who squeals and runs to her mother.

“She is slow,” I whisper to him, and he grins.

“I heard that!” Kara glares but continues on her mission with her niece.

“Mama, Mama.” He opens and closes his palms in her direction.

“Seems your mama doesn’t have time for us today,” I grumble loud enough for her to hear.

She lifts her head, and I’m trapped by how beautiful she looks. Her long blonde hair falls freely down her back, and she’s sexy as fuck, even while wearing hideous Christmas pajamas. Everyone but Anton, Viktor, and me are wearing those ugly things.

Kosta is included in the happy go lucky crowd. He was so easy to convince when his wife got him a matching set.

Sasha gives Anton the piece of the game she was holding and walks toward us.

“Did you need me?” she asks in a soft voice.

I adjust my glasses. “No, we’re mad at you.”

“Mad at you,” my son repeats like a good sidekick and even crosses his arms.

“You say he’s a drama king, but I wonder who taught him?” She nudges me with her shoulder. “I’m certainly not petty and I don’t keep glaring at everyone so they’ll leave.”

“I’m ready for this whole week to be over so I can have you to myself.”

“You always do. Isn’t that right, baby?” She tickles Vaughn, and he giggles, completely forgetting about the battle.

I take it back. He’s not that good of a sidekick.

She places her hand on my chest and adjusts the collar of my shirt. “Instead of being a grinch for sport, how about you help us out?”

“I’m going to have to pass.”

“If you do this, I might have a special present for you later.”

I raise a brow. “What type of present?”

She does the motion of zipping her mouth, locking it, and throwing away the key. “I promise you’ll love it, though.”

“Love it, huh?”

“Uh-huh.”

“You know I can’t say no to that.”

“Yes!” She smiles and then kisses me on the lips before taking Vaughn from my arms.

He holds on to her with all his might and grins up at me like a little angel.

I lived my whole life not believing in family. I never imagined I’d have one of my own, but these two people have made me proud to be both a father and a husband.

For a long time, I was looking for a purpose, and I thought it was the grandiose things, the prestigious position, and the endless money.

Turns out, it was as simple as having a woman who challenges me every step of the way but loves me unconditionally anyway. And a son who looks at me as if I’m his role model.

I grab her by the waist and kiss her forehead. “Thank you.”

She looks up at me with a beautiful smile. “For what?”

“For being my family, Solnyshko.”

“I should be the one to thank you for that.” She faces me. “Thank you for giving me this happiness that I thought I’d lost for good, Luchik.”

I lift her chin and kiss her as our son claps like the best cheerleader.

We met as broken beings, but now we’re putting each other together again.

One piece at a time.

We were separate entities, but now, we’re one.

I’m hers.

She’s fucking mine.

Until death do us part.