76 - Azira.

One year later...

Blaine stands at the helm of the boat, navigating the sea as if he was born for this. The change I've seen in him in the past year has been immense as he opened up to me little by little, letting go of all that hurt and anger that he harbored toward himself.

When he finally told me about what he'd done before Oak found him, I can't deny that I was freaked out. He's a murderer—one that got away with it—but I know that's not what defines him. His past further back haunts him and he still won't talk about his life in Russia before he emigrated to Toronto with his brother.

I swallow hard as I place a hand on my swelling stomach. We're expecting twins in the fall, less than four months away. When I told Blaine I was pregnant, I think his brain misfired in shock. After all, we'd only just decided to start trying that month and it happened instantly.

And then when we had the first scan, and the lady told us it was twins, he almost ran out of the room. I could see the panic