Josie glanced through the window in the door of her private room in the Honolulu hospital. In the hallway, she could see Bree pacing back and forth, a phone to her ear, telling Vladimir the happy news of the birth. Vladimir was still in St. Petersburg, finalizing the company’s move to Honolulu. They were a very high-powered couple. Bree was having the time of her life running the Hale Ka’nani resort, which was already up in profits, having become newly popular with tourists from Japan and Australia. Vladimir and Bree did hope to start a family someday, but for now, they were having too much fun working.
Not Josie, though. All she wanted was right here. She looked at Kasimir and their daughter. Right now. A home. A husband. A family.
“Am I doing this right?” Kasimir said anxiously, his shoulders hunched and stiff as he cradled his baby daughter.
She snorted, leaning forward to stroke the baby’s cheek with one hand. “You’re asking me? It’s not like I have more experience.”
“I’m a little nervous,” he confessed.
“You?” she teased. “Scared of an eight-pound baby?”
“Terrified.” He took a deep breath. “I’ve never been a father before. What if I do something wrong?”
She put her hand on his forearm. “It won’t matter.” Tears spilled over her lashes as she smiled, loving him so much her heart ached with it. “You’re the perfect father for her, because you love her.” She looked down at the sleeping newborn in his arms. “And Lois Marie loves you already.”
Kasimir’s eyes crinkled. “Lulu is the best baby in the world,” he agreed, using their baby’s nickname. They’d named her after the mother Josie had never known. The mother who, along with her father, she would always remember. Josie would honor them both by being true to her heart. By singing the song inside her.
Holding hands, Kasimir and Josie smiled at their perfect little daughter, marveling at her soft dark hair, at her tiny hands and plump cheeks.
Then a new thought occurred to Josie, and she suddenly looked up in alarm. “What if I’m the one who doesn’t know how to be a mother?” she asked.
“You?” Her husband gave a laugh that could properly be described as a guffaw. “Are you out of your mind? You’ll be the best mother who ever lived.” Cradling their tiny baby, securely nestled in the crook of his arm, he reached out a hand to cup Josie’s cheek. “And I promise you,” he whispered, “for the rest of my life, even if I make a mistake here or there, I’ll love you both with everything I’ve got. And if I screw up, or if we fight, I’ll always be the first to say I’m sorry.” He looked at her. “I give you my word.”
Reaching up, Josie wrapped her hand around his head, tangling her fingers in his dark hair. “Your word of honor?”
His eyes were dark. “Yes.”
She took a deep breath.
“Show me,” she whispered.
And as Kasimir lowered his head to hers, proving his words with a long, fervent kiss, Josie felt his vow in her heart like bright sun in winter. And she knew their bold, fearless life as a family, complicated and crazy and oh, so happy, had just begun.