by Lucia Franco
"What is wrong, Malysh?" I asked, stroking her hair away from her neck.
She shook her head, unable to answer.
"Is it because the doctor said the baby could be over ten pounds? You are having a C-section again so—"
"It's not that," she said quietly.
I thought for a second when it hit me.
"I thought you wanted a boy."
We were actually having a boy. Finally.
A healthy boy ahead of his due date by a few weeks, actually. He was already so big, bigger than the girls.
She lifted her head and her green eyes shifted back and forth between mine, filling with tears. Her lips turned into a frown and my chest started to feel tight from seeing her like this.
"Adrianna? Sweetheart? What is wrong?"
"I just…" She stammered, her chin wobbling before she burst into tears. I wrapped my arms around her. "I just… It just hurts to name him after my dad when he's no longer here anymore. He wanted a grandson so badly, you know? And now all these feelings are back and I'm just really upset."
Her tears were falling faster now and I had nothing but my shirt to offer her. She couldn’t stop crying, so I lifted the hem and gave it to her. She wiped her eyes and then sniffled.
Frank had gone into cardiac arrest three months ago and passed away suddenly. Adrianna thought she was good at hiding her grief, but I saw it every day and mourned her loss with her.
He loved all his granddaughters equally and spoiled the shit out of them, but he wanted a grandson. He wanted to be able to teach him golf and watch sports with him.
It had taken a while, but after Mia was born, Frank finally accepted us. Adrianna had joked that first he did not want us to be together, then he was telling us to have more kids. In the end, he had nothing but love for his daughter, and wanted to see her happy.
"I just can't believe we finally get a boy and he's not here. It's so unfair."
Her voice was so small and she trembled against me. All I could do was hold her closer to me.
"Malysh, please do not cry."
Adrianna sniffled and burrowed her head against me. She wrapped her arms around me.
I stroked the back of her head and played with her hair. "It is bittersweet, but that seems to be our theme, yes?"
She nodded quietly.
"You can change the name, you know," I told her gently.
She shook her head and looked up. "No, I don't want to change it. I'm just sad he's not here to see we finally have a boy. He won't get to hold him…" Her watery eyes studied mine. "Unless we should name him after you." She paused, then said, "We should probably do that. How about we make one long name?"
"You allowed me to name the twins after my mother. Whatever you name our son, I will be happy with. I promise."
Her chin quivered and she looked so fucking adorable. I kissed her lips, and she said, "Really? So, if I wanted to name him Konstantin Frank Rossi-Kournakova you would be okay?"
"I think it sounds like a mouthful, but if it is what you want, then yes."
Her lips puckered and I returned the gesture knowing she was purposely baiting me. Her face was pinched, twisting with indecision. She was quiet for a long moment, visibly torn between names. Truly, I did not care. I would be happy either way.
Cupping her face, I smashed a kiss to her lips.
"How about we decide when he is born? That way we can look at him to see which name fits him best," I offered. I did not want her stressing out over this right now. We had time. "Just want to add again that I am okay with whatever you want to do."
She leaned up and pressed a kiss to my lips, then let out a heavy breath, and nodded. Gratitude blanketed her face. "Thank you," she said softly. "I'm ready to go home, hubby. Let us go get our babies."
Later that night when my wife and kids were long asleep, I took out my journal and penned my thoughts for an hour or so.
Only when I filled a journal was Adrianna allowed to read my entries. She loved to see what I was writing, and was always trying to peek over my shoulder. She too now had a journal and traded with me. She only filled one over the years, though, because she was so busy with the kids.
Adrianna shifted in her sleep and whimpered under her breath. She rubbed a spot on her stomach and scissored her legs. I placed my pen down and reached over.
Carefully, I slid a pillow under her growing belly and then one between her knees. Our bed was overflowing with foo-foo pillows she had accumulated over the years.
Picking up my pen, I started writing again.
Countless times I lined the pages with words of how I saw her with our daughters and the way they adored her. It was beautiful and I never wanted to forget the feeling they gave me or the look of utmost love in their eyes. Each daughter had their own journal that Adrianna and I wrote in. It was something we would present to them when they got married one day. Some people had pictures to capture memories, we wrote letters.
Turning to the side, I placed the pen and journal on my nightstand. I shut off the light then scooted underneath the sheet until my wife's head rested on my chest. I pulled her in as close as she could get with her growing belly between us and tangled my legs with hers. I wrapped my arm around her and kissed the top of her head. She sleepily kissed my chest before throwing a heavy leg over mine and sprawling across me, kicking the sheet off her body. She nudged her head into me until she was comfortable. The woman was like an inferno. Her body was scorching hot and twisted in an uncomfortable position. Yet she looked so peaceful, so I did not dare move. One thing I had learned was to never wake a sleeping Ria, even if I was sweating.
I stroked the small of her back and she let out a soft breath. I never held her from behind when she was pregnant. Adrianna said her back got too sweaty for that nowadays. Half the time she only wore a T-shirt—usually one of mine—and a pair of panties to bed because she was too hot for anything else.
I gazed down at my wife under the soft glow of the low light she left on in the hallway for the girls if they needed us at night. She was the most remarkable woman, and for some reason, she had chosen me.
"I love you, Malysh," I whispered, and hiked her leg up higher on me. Her legs jerked all night looking for cool spots.
She mumbled under her breath and stretched over me again. "I love you forever."
My lips twitched. She had no idea how off key she sang that response. I was pretty certain she had no idea she had.
I hugged her tight to my chest, feeling a torrent of heavy emotions rush through me. Our anniversary was a few weeks away. I had a feeling she would be more emotional than usual simply due to her pregnancy, and the perfect time for me to convince her to name our son Frank. Frank Konstantin. I knew it was something she wanted. I did too.
Adrianna was the love of my life. Her happiness was a radiance I was drawn to. I planned to give her a life to remember, one where she was smiling and glowing all the time.
Time.
Our love tested time.
What I would not go through to have a thousand lives with her.
Looking back, I had no idea how we made it to this point. We should not have. The foundation of our story began with lies and deceit. Our relationship at the time had been filled with more sorrow than happiness. Yet, here we were, and in love more than ever.
I had joked that God was testing me, but the truth was, he had been watching over me the whole time. He gave me her.
Adrianna rocked into me, a soft whimper falling from her lips. Her hand flew to her stomach and she inhaled, holding still. I brushed her hand away and gently rubbed her stomach until she was breathing normal again.
"Relax for me, Malysh," I whispered, then kissed the top of her head.
The End.
Acknowledgments
Five years of working on the Off Balance series, there were a lot of emotions that came with writing the final book. It was a journey and a half and I'm not ashamed to admit that Dismount would not be possible without my team of women whom
I call my best friends.
Jill, my incredible assistant. Nadine, my editor. Amber, my proofreader. Author Nicole Fiorina, my formatter from BohoBooks Publishing.
You guys are rock stars and the glue that kept me together.
Thank you will never be enough for what you ladies did for me while I wrote this story and then revised it eighty-seven times. There were moments when I didn't think I would be able to finish it. Too many times I considered walking away. Each of you were there for me when I needed you the most, pushing me and encouraging me to keep going because you believed in me and this story. Thank you for allowing me to cry on your shoulder and vent while helping me craft the last book until it was perfect. I will forever be thankful for you ladies. I hope one day I can be there for you the way you have been for me.
To my husband who carried me when I couldn't handle another step on my own. Thank you for catching me when I fell and holding on to me. You are my rock. I don't know what I would do without you.
To my street team, thank you for being part of this journey with me. Every week you're eager to help promote my books. I couldn't do this author gig without you guys, and that's the honest truth. Your passion to stand with me through thick and thin moves me to pieces. Thank you for everything.
My passionate readers, thank you for hanging with me all these years waiting patiently for the final book. From your messages, to tags, to edits, your love and support matters and what makes this all so worth it. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I hope I did the final book justice for you guys.
About Lucia Franco
Lucia Franco resides in sunny South Florida with her husband, two boys, and two adorable dogs that follow her everywhere. She was a competitive athlete for over ten years – a gymnast and cheerleader – which heavily inspired the Off Balance series.
Her novel Hush, Hush was a finalist in the 2019 Stiletto Contest hosted by Contemporary Romance Writers, a chapter of Romance Writers of America. Her novels are being translated into several languages.
When Lucia isn't writing, you can find her relaxing with her toes in the sand at a nearby beach. She runs on caffeine, celery juice, scorching hot sunshine, and four hours of sleep.
She just finished writing her ninth novel.
Find out more at authorluciafranco.com.