The Brother (Whip 5) ✔️

Epilogue

SASHA

"Done, right?"

I fought the urge to roll my eyes as Stefan's mother took away my plate before waiting for me to answer. Which would have been no seeing as I had barely begun eating.

But I stayed quiet even as my old Russian soul urged me to smack her across the head for acting so disrespectfully to a guest in her home.

My mother would never, that was for sure.

I glanced toward Stefan who sat beside me and could see him frowning as he looked at his mother. His jaw was clenched tight telling me that he was pissed at her for treating me like that since the one thing he could not tolerate was someone making me feel bad. And if I had learned anything in the year we had been together was that he would soon stop glaring and start shouting.

Which would be fun to see but not very conducive to the good familiar relations we were trying to build here.

I mean, besides his mother, Stefan's family was pretty cool, especially his sister who had taken a shine to my own brother the moment we introduced them to each other.

Which, in hindsight, was probably not the best idea we have ever had, seeing as the two of them apart were right menaces, together? It was an Armageddon waiting to happen.

I slipped my hand beneath the table and took Stefan's hand in mine, squeezing it softly as I shook my head at him.

"But..."

"I'm fine. I'm a Russian, baby. I'm tougher than I look." I whispered and winked, making him smile.

And what a smile it was... I sighed.

"I love you." He whispered but not quiet enough as I saw his father glancing at us as soon as he said it. I blushed at having an audience before smiling shyly as I said, "I love you, too."

He kissed my forehead softly, making me blush even more before a loud clearing of throat echoed across the table. We sprung apart and turned to see his mother looking at us with a barely concealed disgust.

My heart twitched as I saw Stefan's face fall at the sight of it and he started to pull his hand away but I wouldn't let him. Instead, I pulled our joined hands from under the table and onto it, so they could be in full view of everyone.

Stefan's sister, Tania, snorted quietly as she fought a giggle, glancing away as she did so.

"Thank you for having us tonight, Mrs. Lewis. The dinner was amazing, I mean, it looked amazing." I said as I stared her down, daring her to say something. I had been itching to give her another piece of my mind since that day in front of Stefan's house when we first met and I just needed one word from her to unleash my anger.

She must have seen something in my eyes that scared her since she just nodded in response, the fakest smile I had ever seen gracing her face.

"You are welcome." She said through her teeth.

"Indeed. You are. Whenever you want. The doors of this house will always be open for the person who has made our son so happy." Stefan's father said suddenly, his voice quiet but firm as he stared harshly at his wife for a moment before turning to look at me with a gentle smile.

I blinked, a bit surprised since he was usually quiet and kept to himself during these rare family dinners, but feeling grateful, nevertheless.

"Thank you, Mr. Lewis," I said quietly.

"Call me Jamal."

I smiled, nodding, before looking back to see Stefan staring at his father with shiny eyes.

I squeezed his hand tighter.

*

I leaned my head against Stefan's shoulder as we stopped walking. The Hudson spread in front of us and a gentle breeze drifted from the river, messing my hair, though I didn't mind.

I felt so peaceful, in the dark, with Stefan's arm wrapped around my waist tightly, and his nose in my hair.

"I'm sorry about my mother. I know she can be difficult, not to mention rude," he said after a while.

I shrugged my shoulders as I looked up at him.

"I don't care about that. I told you, I could take it. I just hate seeing you sad."

He smiled slightly as he touched my cheek gently with one of his fingers.

"So many freckles." He whispered before kissing one, just beneath my left eye, making me giggle.

"You and my freckles. Should I leave you alone?"

He laughed for a moment before shaking his head. "Never. You ain't going anywhere, Aleksandar."

He kissed me then, and I kissed him back, smiling into the kiss and thinking that I could not be happier than in this moment right here.

Or so I thought.

He stepped away after a moment, taking one of my hands into his as he said, "I don't want you to go anywhere, Sasha. Those weeks, months ago, that I had spent without you had been the worst days of my life. And I knew, even back then, that I never wanted to relive them.

You had asked me once if I loved Misha, and in a way I did and I know that still bothers you sometimes, but I can't regret that. I can't regret meeting him, because if he hadn't come to the Whip I may have never met you. And I could never take that chance."

I blinked, a tear rolling down my cheek as I stared at him, my heart beating harshly as I suspected what was about to come though I dared not hope.

And then it stopped. For a second, my heart actually skipped a beat as Stefan lowered himself down to his knee and took a small black box out of his pocket.

"Aleksandar Sasha Vasiliev, will you do me the greatest honor of becoming my husband?"

I nodded, my voice gone as he put the small silver band on my ring finger before I pulled him back up and kissed him.

And kissed him. And kept on kissing him.