Epilogue

Anya

T he late spring sun is warm on my back where I sit on a picnic blanket in the shade of the maple tree in the backyard. Nicole is squeezed onto a small pink chair on the porch of the dollhouse, drinking imaginary tea from a minuscule porcelain cup. Emma sits opposite her at the tiny table on which plastic cupcakes decorated with glitter are set out.

Dante and Logan are flipping burgers on the barbecue. Livy is mixing blueberry G&Ts at the makeshift bar set up on the patio. My gaze is drawn to my husband who stands at the edge of the infinity racing track he built at the edge of the garden, cheering Claire on and calling out advice from the sidelines while she steers the battery-operated sports car around the bends. Under the red racing helmet, her face is scrunched up in concentration, her tongue peeking from the corner of her mouth.

“That’s it, angel,” Saverio says with enthusiasm when she whizzes past him again. “Step on the accelerator now.” He runs along the track, his limp so faint it’s hardly noticeable. “That’s it. Now brake before the bend. Yes! You’re a natural, angel. Very good. Take your foot off the brake before you hit the bend.” He pumps a fist in the air when she skids around the track. “That’s my girl.”

He’s dressed in charcoal slacks and a tailored white shirt, the clothes showing off his powerful body. His thick black hair is brushed back, but the breeze stirred the longer fringe into falling over his forehead in a sexy way. He wears the earring because he knows I like it. These days, his stubble is tamed into a neat, shortly-trimmed beard. Instead of hiding his scars, the beard somehow enhances them. The embossed lines are whiter now than the angry red they were at the beginning. He doesn’t like them, but they don’t bother him as much as they used to. I make sure he knows how devastatingly handsome I find him. He’s an enticing mixture of virility, masculinity, and scarred beauty. To me, he’s still the most perfect male specimen on Earth.

I lean back on my arms, enjoying watching the people I love. A pleasant, fuzzy feeling spreads through my chest. The smile that curves my lips feels the same—soft and warm. The sigh that escapes my lips is content. The moment is perfect. Peaceful. Happiness doesn’t get better than this.

A shadow falls over me. I squint up at Livy who holds out a tall glass with frozen blueberries and pink gin. Her long hair is braided over one shoulder. She wears a cornflower blue dress with an asymmetrical hem. The chic design sports a long chiffon sleeve on one side and a thin strap over the other shoulder. Her eyeshadow matches the color of the dress while her lips are painted lollipop-red. The dark make-up makes a striking contrast with her silver hair.

“Drink?” She tips the glass from side to side, clinking the ice. “I made it with my gin.”

Livy lives with us permanently. She sold the apartment building in the Meatpacking District and used the money to launch her own brand of gin. Harvey’s Gin quickly became a hit on the market. Nowadays, she runs a successful boutique distillery. Her face and personality are big parts of her branding. When she’s not at the new upmarket plant or in her Manhattan office, she’s After Dark’s most favorite bartender. The club doubles on income from drinks when Livy is behind the counter. She not only completed that bartending license but she also enrolled for a mixology course. Even if I have to say so myself, no one puts on a show like Livy.

I smile at her, shading my face with a hand from the sun. “I love your gin, but I’ll have to opt for something without alcohol.”

“Ah.” Her midnight blue eyes sparkle. “Have you told him?”

“Not yet.” I glance to where Saverio lifts Claire from the car. “I thought it would make a nice birthday present.”

Livy beams. “Nothing will make him happier.”

I cup my stomach, smiling as I take in my growing family. Emma will be five in July. There’s just over a year’s difference between her and Claire. Saverio and I wanted a break before trying again, but the timing is right. I was getting broody. Saverio even more so.

“Is that for me?” Dante asks, snatching the drink from Livy’s hand.

She waves a finger at him. “Play nice.”

He takes a sip. “I always play nice.” Grinning, he says, “Food’s ready.”

Claire comes bouncing up, shaking out her strawberry-blond curls as she takes off her helmet. She nicked one of Saverio’s T-shirts that she knotted on the side. Her jeans are torn on the knees from climbing trees and falling off her bike. Her red Converse sneakers are scruffy with holes on the sides, but she refuses to part with her favorite shoes. As much as Emma is a girlie kind of girl, Claire is my fearless tomboy.

Saverio catches my gaze as he saunters over, heat sparking in the see-through blue of his eyes. As always, my stomach flips. One look from him is all it takes.

Logan carries over a stack of burger patties on a plate that he leaves on the table with the bread rolls and the salads. “Better dig in before it gets cold.”

“Can we give Daddy his birthday gift first?” Claire asks, shoving her hands into the back pockets of her boyfriend jeans.

“Daddy! Daddy!” Emma runs over as fast as her short legs can carry her, stopping in front of Saverio with her back turned to him. The tooth fairy was here again. She asks with a cute lisp due to her missing milk teeth, “Can you please tie my dress?”

Saverio’s smile is soft. Unguarded. “Sure, princess.”

He ties the big ribbon at the back of her yellow Princess Belle dress with efficiency and gentleness. Those big, manly hands are always tender when he lifts the girls into his arms. My husband became an expert at styling two little girls’ hair into braids and ponytails. Emma will sit in front of her small dressing table mirror with her box of hair clips clutched on her lap and hand them to Saverio one by one when he’s helping her with her hair before she goes to kindergarten. She’s very fussy about the placement of every clip. She’ll make him redo it until she’s satisfied. Both girls claim no one can brush tangles out of hair without pulling on the knots like their daddy.

“There,” Saverio says, turning her around with his hands on her shoulders. “All done.”

Emma stares up at him with a big, gap-toothed smile. “Thank you, Daddy.”

He bends down and kisses the crown of her head. “You’re welcome, princess.”

“Mommy.” Claire blows out an impatient sigh. “Can we give Daddy his gift now? Please?”

Nicole, who’s abandoned the tea party, stops next to me. “I agree. Gifts always come before food.”

Logan swings an arm around her shoulders. “You’re just incurably curious.”

She kisses his cheek. “Guilty.”

“Go ahead,” I say to Claire with a smile. “You know where it is.”

Her face lights up, making her freckles stand out. Not letting me invite her twice, she rips her hands from her pockets and sprints to the house.

Emma grins at Saverio, wrapping her small hand around his large one. “It’s really nice. Claire said you’re going to love it.” She puts emphasis on love, dragging the word out.

From the look Saverio gives her, he’s a conquered man. “The picture you drew for me is all I want, princess.”

That makes her smile wider. “You can have tea and cake in my dollhouse for dessert.”

He brushes a hand over her dark blond hair. “I’d love that, sweetheart.”

Claire exits the kitchen and jumps down the porch steps before running to us with a small box in her hands.

“Here, Daddy.” She thrusts the box at him. “Happy birthday.”

Saverio frowns through his smile. “What is this?”

Claire bounces on the balls of her feet while Emma claps her hands. I swore them to secrecy, and I know how hard it was for them not to let anything slip. But they did it for Saverio, to make his birthday special, and that makes my heart burst with pride.

“Open it,” Emma says, jumping up and down.

Saverio takes off the lid with the red ribbon and removes the key. He glances at me before holding it up in the air to inspect it.

Unable to contain herself, Claire says, “You have to open the garage first.”

Saverio narrows a playful gaze on her. “What are you girls hiding in the garage?”

“You’ll see,” Emma says with a bubbly laugh, clapping her hands again.

When Saverio trudges to the kitchen, everyone follows. We wait until he’s opened the adjoining door to the garage. He flicks on the light switch, and then he stills. The Corvette is polished to a shine, its bodywork like a mirror under the light. It took me a long time to find an original red one. I could’ve bought a yellow one last year. A white one came onto the market the year before that, but it’s not the same.

When I tracked down the previous owner of this one, he didn’t want to part with the car at first. It took five million to convince him. It’s a million over the market value, but it’s worth every penny. The car Saverio sold meant more to him than four fancy, collectable wheels. It was a symbol of his achievements, and on that, there’s no price.

I know all about priceless treasures. I still have the to-do list I took from Saverio’s trash can on the night of our engagement. I keep it in my box of sentimental knick-knacks that holds the girls’ first locks of hair, their first teeth, the cards they drew for my birthdays, and the bullet Nicole cut out of my arm. I read it often, not only because handwriting is so personal and I love to look at it but also because that list resembles everything my husband is—meticulous, protective, caring, and considerate.

Saverio is quiet for a long time. When he finally turns around, his face is tight with emotions.

“Anya.” He cups my hips between his large hands. The audience behind us is forgotten as he stares into my eyes. We’re isolated in the moment, lost in one another. “I don’t know what to say.”

I wrap my arms around his strong back. “Thank you?”

He leans away, only half joking as he searches my face. “Please tell me you didn’t gamble for the car.”

“Not even close.” I kiss his lips. “Bought it fair and square.”

He pins me with a piercing look. “Thank you.”

Those two little words are loaded. They say so much more than conveying his gratitude for a gift he should never have had to part with. They say everything I always wanted to hear.

He lowers his head and slants his lips over mine. Just as I’m about to give myself over to the kiss, Dante wolf-whistles, saving us from taking things further than we should in front of the kids and our friends.

Claire and Emma squeeze past the grownups to sweep Saverio up in a hug. In their fight over who gets to hug him first, I’m sandwiched between my babies and my husband.

Emma hangs on to the back of Saverio’s legs, holding him with all her might.

Claire tips back her head. “Can I drive it, Daddy?”

Saverio ruffles her hair and chuckles. “Ask me again when you’re fourteen.”

“Fourteen?” I exclaim. “Not a day before sixteen, young lady.”

Claire pouts. “That’s not fair.”

“How about you come with me later when I take her out for a spin?” Saverio says.

“Yeah.” Claire high-fives Saverio. “I’m the oldest, so I get to go first.”

Nicole clears her throat. “I hate to point this out, but the food is getting cold. And I’m starving.”

“Who wants burgers?” Saverio asks.

“Me,” Emma and Claire yell in unison.

“Let’s go pick our toppings,” Dante says, holding out both hands.

Claire takes his right hand while Emma takes his left.

“The crispy onions are mine,” Nicole says as she cuts a beeline for the back door with an evil laugh following in her wake.

Dante chases after Nicole, dragging his goddaughters with him. They run shrieking and laughing through the kitchen.

Logan follows the others with a lopsided grin. “I guess I better reheat some of that meat. Nice car, Sav. Anya, you did well.”

Livy’s phone pings with a notification in her pocket. She takes it out and checks the screen. “Oh.”

“Is something wrong?” I ask.

“Thurston Rigas invited me to do a special performance with him on stage.”

“ The Thurston?” I ask. “The biggest rock star in the States?”

Livy types a reply and pushes the send button. “The one and only. He asked me to be the frontline dancer at the opening concert of his world tour in June.” Continuing with pride, she says, “He’d like me to do my special repertoire .”

“How do you even know Rigas?” Saverio asks.

Livy lifts her chin. “From After Dark of course. That’s where he saw my repertoire the first time. I did a demonstration on the bar counter.”

“That’s wonderful,” I say. “You’ll be amazing.”

“Of course I will,” she says with a coquettish wink before going after the others.

“Finally,” Saverio says, tightening his hold on me.

My smile is coy. “Finally what?”

He lowers his head and whispers in a heated voice over my lips, “I’ve got you alone.”

I arch backward as he dives for my mouth. “You heard Nicole. The food is getting cold.”

“The food can wait.” His expression turns serious. “Thank you, Anya.”

My chest warms with that happiness of earlier again. “I’m glad you like it.”

“I don’t mean only for the car. I mean for everything. For this day. For giving me a beautiful family. For giving me two beautiful girls. For giving me more than I could ever dream of.” His voice drops an octave. “For you.”

I don’t answer because he knows all my answers. He knows my dreams, my hopes, my fears, and my questions. And every single time, he gives me the right response.

He yanks me closer, pressing our bodies together. His tone turns raw and dark, the promise underlying his words wicked. “I think we should inaugurate the car.”

I quirk an eyebrow. “Is that so?”

“Your naked ass will look stunning on the red leather.” He adds suggestively, “And bent over the hood. Especially with your skin painted with my handprint.”

I laugh, but desire spreads through my veins like wildfire. “We have guests, remember?”

His comment is callous. “They’ll wait.” He nips my bottom lip and licks away the sting, fanning the flames to a raging inferno in my belly. “I’ll get two glasses and bring a bottle of champagne.”

It’s never beneath my husband to use incentives to get what he wants.

“The champagne will have to wait for a while.” I intertwine my fingers behind his neck. “For seven months to be exact.”

Astonishment washes over his features followed by surprise. Hope. Reverence. He freezes for a second before dropping his gaze to my stomach. “Are you…?”

He almost seems scared to say it out loud, worried that it’s just a dream and not our life.

“Yes,” I say gently. “A boy.”

Too many emotions to discern wash over his features. His hold turns gentle. The light in his undamaged eye shines like the infinite blue of heaven and tears. He gave up so much for me, but we gained everything together.

Resting his forehead against mine, he closes his eyes briefly before opening them again. “I thought we didn’t want to know.”

“He kind of made sure we did.” I grin. “It was difficult to miss on the ultrasound.”

Pride washes over his features. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I wanted to make your birthday special.”

Brushing back my hair, he lets his gaze play over my face. “Every day with you is special. Every day is a gift I don’t deserve.”

I press my cheek against his broad chest. “I love you, Sav.”

His tone is simultaneously playful and earnest. “I loved you first, treasure.” He lifts me into his arms, inviting a squeal. “A woman in your fragile condition shouldn’t be on her feet for so long.”

I hold on. For life. Forever. Despite how we started out, I’ve always been drawn to him with a force that’s unbreakable. It’s the kind of bond that can never be severed, not with separation or with death.

He kicks the door shut and locks it without hiding the intention that darkens his face. His steps as he carries me to a car that symbolizes both our past and our future are strong and sure. Steady. He walks like a man who knows where he’s going. He makes sure I understand that when he carefully lowers me onto the hood and spreads my legs.

Taking my hand, he presses it over the bulge in his pants. “This, tesoro , is only for you. Come and take it.”

So I do. I wrap my legs around his waist and embrace the darkness as well as the light, allowing him to make me weak and strong at the same time.

THE END