Epilogue 2

Two Months Later.

Relaxing for an extended period of time wasn't exactly my forte.

In fact, it had taken me several days into our vacation to actually get used to it.

To stop waking up in the middle of the night or at the crack of dawn as I was used to doing in order to keep up with the seamless operation of King.

To stop checking my phone every five minutes.

Not that any messages or calls were coming in. Dante and Luke had seen to that. The two of them were running things in my absence, while Matteo was overseeing the Mancini Syndicate while Dante was assisting me. There'd been no complaints from him or any of their members now that it was out in the open that I was Dante's heir. When I returned from vacation, I'd actually be visiting the Syndicate. Although Dante didn't want me having an integral part in the sorts of operations he was involved in, it was important to him—and to me actually—that I was officially recognized as his son.

It was something we were both now leaning into.

I'd never renounce Jameson and Laura King as my parents, they'd raised me, they'd loved me with everything they'd had, but I could still make room for Dante. I'd honored my parents with King and through finally exacting justice upon their murderer after all these years.

I looked down at my father's ring now residing on my finger in all its glory and I smiled, a peace that had been so long denied me now infusing me.

I peered out over the balcony of the palace of a home we were staying in courtesy of Dante, and looked out at Caleb, Skylar, and Bastian in the distance relaxing on the beach of the private island. The island belonged to Dante, one of his covert acquisitions. He'd invited us to stay here on vacation because he'd wanted to ensure I was far removed from Rossun and King, that I took a complete break from it all.

Just like my loves had also insisted upon.

Although, just one check-in wouldn't hurt.

I pulled my phone out from the pocket of my red board shorts and fired off a text.

Thanks to King-Tech I was able to sustain a connection here even miles away from civilization.

Caspian: Update on operations. Summary will do.

Dante: Nice try. No update for you.

Caspian: Don't be stubborn.

Dante: Where do you think you got it from?

Caspian: Humor me.

Dante: Denied. And don't try reaching out to Luke, he's on the same page as me. He'll deny you too. He knows it's for your own good. All is well, I swear it. That's all you need. Get back to your vacation. Enjoy your well-earned rest, my son.

Caspian: Fine.

Dante: *smiley face emoji*

I chuckled to myself then walked back into the house and secured my phone in the nightstand by the bed of the master bedroom.

And then I made my way down the winding white steps, marveling at the white stone structure some more, it was a true beauty. Bastian had called it an architectural masterpiece.

My bare feet sunk into the warm sand as I made my way over to my loves.

Bastian was leaning back on a sun chair, aviators on and in just a pair of snug black swimming trunks.

Skylar was building a sandcastle empire, it looked like.

That was, until Caleb kicked off one of the turrets.

She lunged at him and drove him down into sand. With one of her jujitsu moves she had him pinned beneath her on his back and she grabbed some sand and tried to force-feed it to him as he thrashed his head to get away from it. Bastian was laughing his head off as he observed their antics while sipping on some freshly squeezed raspberry juice.

"You asshole! You just destroyed my sand art!"

"I was improving it, darling!"

"I'm gonna improve your face!"

"Aww, nice try, but you know it's already the epitome of physical perfection." As she leaned in, he licked her face, making her still. He chuckled. "Just like you," he said, his gaze raking over her in her vibrant-blue string bikini, her hair all wild and blown out.

He rolled his hips in his gray board shorts and she jolted. "I should've known me getting rough with you would make you rock-hard, you pain whore."

"That's me, darling." He licked her chin and stared up at her with that incredibly seductive look of his out in full force. "You want a piece?"

"I'll take that offer," I said, stalking to them and pulling Skylar off Caleb.

His eyes hooded at me as he recognized where I was headed.

Bastian did too, taking off his sunglasses and pushing to his feet.

And then Skylar was squealing as I ran with her into the ocean and dipped her beneath the surface.

The boys were there in the next moment as I eased her back up and she flipped her wet hair out of her face.

"Oh, you're in for it now," she warned me.

"Fucking bring it, darling," Caleb challenged as he and Bastian closed in around her.

She grinned out at them, then lunged at me, driving me down into the water.

"That's right, show him, beautiful!" Bastian cried.

And then we all jumped on each other, wrestling in the ocean and spraying water all over the place.

I laughed and I couldn't stop laughing.

This was what happiness looked like.

The four of us together.

In high spirits.

Happy.

Free.

Open.

Raw.

And I wouldn't have it any other way.

My loves.

THE END