Epilogue

Jade

Two Months Later

Ithought my husband was mouthwatering before, but nothing compares to how he looks holding our two babies. It's unfair, really. I can't keep my hands off of the man even more now that I've been cleared for sex, but I am not ready for another pregnancy.

While I watch from the door, Dmitri murmurs to our two-month-olds in Russian as they sleep soundly on his bare chest. He rocks them gently in his chair, turning his head to give equal attention to our daughter and our son.

These three mean everything to me.

Apollo catches me staring and makes a dramatically disgusted face. "Don't lust after your husband in my presence. I'd like to keep my lunch in my stomach, thank you."

Matteo chuckles at our brother's grossed-out look. "I think it's sweet."

"I can't help it," I sigh dreamily. "Doesn't he just make your ovaries melt?"

"Oh yeah," Matteo chimes easily. "My non-existent ovaries are in a puddle."

"Thank you for understanding," I laugh, loving his easy-going attitude.

A lot has happened since their birth, including the giant ring on my finger. Dmitri proposed to me at our first family dinner, where I could sit on an actual chair. While we've been married on paper for months, he told me he's going to give me a proper wedding. All the bells and whistles included. Of course, I said yes, but made him promise to give me at least a year so that our twins can participate.

I mean, what's better than two adorable toddlers all dressed up and walking with their mama down the aisle?

Dmitri put immense thought into my engagement ring too. It's a sage green emerald, princess cut with tiny white diamonds along the band. Now I can carry my brother with me everywhere I go. I'll never forget him, the color of my ring a permanent reminder.

"Won't lie, though," Matteo continues more seriously. "Your kids are giving me baby fever. They're too perfect, Jade. You killed it, little sis."

Apollo groans. "Lord, help us all."

Matteo lifts his middle finger, scowling at our brother.

"I dunno," I hum, smiling at the thought of Matteo becoming a dad. "Those would be some pretty incredible babies. The house would never stop laughing."

"Thank you," he emphasizes.

I chuckle. "Just being honest."

I can't imagine what Matteo's party throwing skills would have in store for his children. Unfortunately, he hasn't been able to show them off to me personally yet, but I'll make it a point to let him have free reign over my twentieth birthday. Losing Cesar so close to my nineteenth this year didn't exactly put everyone in the partying spirit.

It's okay, though, we're healing, and we have plenty of time.

"Your guests are pulling up," Apollo reports dully, looking out the window.

A rush of excitement hits me, but Matteo still beats me downstairs. I'm more cautious with running as I'm still losing some baby weight and adjusting to the difference in my body. I don't mind it, though.

I get to hang out with my first girl friend today!

Matteo and Cole look like they're in some kind of stand off when I round the corner, and I find Ana standing behind her stepbrother patiently.

"Hi!" I call out excitedly. "You made it."

Matteo seems to relax when he finds Apollo trailing behind me. Anything to make Cole the outnumbered one, I suppose.

Whatever, I don't care about the antics today. Today I try my second attempt at making a friend, and broody boys will not ruin my mood. My gorgeous husband is looking after our babies, and I can relax knowing it.

"Was the drive okay? Do you need anything?"

Cole allows her to step around him and greet me. "It was fine," she answers easily. "It's not a very long trip."

New York City is about two hours from where we live.

"Well, good," I chirp. "We can have drinks in the garden, or I can give you a tour. Or?—"

"Drinks in the garden sound nice," she cuts me off before I can ramble on for too long.

"Cool." I grin, that was my first choice too.

I'm about to direct her to follow me when Apollo speaks.

"Killian decided not to come?" The question is for Cole, not Ana.

"He's nearby," Cole answers cryptically.

"Trusting," Apollo notes. "Out of character for the future Monarch. Is he feeling okay?"

"Your false concern needs some work," Cole deadpans.

"I attempted." Apollo shrugs.

"I can't believe you gave birth to twins two months ago," Ana says, shifting the mood seamlessly. "You look incredible."

I almost attack her with a hug. She's just so nice!

"Thank you," I respond happily.

We ignore the guys following to watch us from afar as I take her into the gardens where Martha has set out three kinds of tea and two different pastries with fresh fruit options. I can't fault her for going overboard, she's just as excited as me, knowing how much having a real friend means to me.

Ana and I have been texting for weeks, trying to plan this.

We each pour ourselves a drink, and I bite my lip, not sure where to begin.

"Something on your mind, Jade?" Ana asks, stirring her tea.

"I feel a bit like we"re having a supervised play date," I admit nervously, looking over my shoulder to the window of men watching us. "I mean, my father actually organized this with your family. I'm married with two kids, and my dad is scheduling out the best dates for me to hang out with you."

She chuckles. "First time meeting up with a society friend, then?"

"First time meeting up with any friend," I correct. "I have Ivan, but he's also my brother now. All of my friends are either my brothers, paid to protect me, or my husband."

"Sounds about right," Ana muses, smiling. "This place is cute," she tells me, scanning the backyard. "Are you and Dmitri planning to stay on the east coast?"

I nod, taking a sip of my strawberry tea with coconut milk. The fresh, summery, sugary taste is perfectly balanced. "For a while, at least. I like having my dad so close, and it's sort of nice to see my brothers slowly accepting Dmitri and Ivan here."

"Men are like cats," she states. "Stubborn and slow to accept things they don't like, but loyal and loving to the ones they care for."

"I like that," I chuckle.

When she smiles, I do too.

"You live with Cole and Killian, right?" I ask, trying to learn more about her.

I googled how to make friends before she showed up—don't judge me, I can use all the help I can get—and it was heavily suggested to be conscious of a balanced conversation. I have to show her that I'm interested in her life too.

"In New York half of the year and London the other, yes," she agrees. "My mother stays in London with Bron, but Cole and Killian don't like me being out of their sight."

Relatable with a capital R, girl.

"Do you guys get along?"

She sort of sighs. "Depends on the day, really. Sometimes I don't know whether Cole is trying to be my brother or my husband."

"Yikes, that must be confusing." I take a sip of my drink again. "Although, there's probably a way we could test it."

Ana tilts her head at me, lifting a brow. "That looks like an idea face. You look like Matteo when you're considering something mischievous."

"Mischievous?" I gasp playfully. "I was just going to suggest we go for a swim."

Her white teeth peek out from behind her glossy lips, mouth widening into a grin. "Just an innocent swim, hm? I didn't bring a swimming costume."

"Oh, I'm sure I have one you can borrow," I reply, shrugging lightly. "And if Cole happens to see you, I'll make sure to tell Armani he has great taste. He's picked out all of my clothes, after all."

A girlish giggle leaves Ana, and she covers her mouth. "Oh, you're trouble, Jade. We'll be great friends, I can feel it."

I can feel it too.

Good things happen to me now.

After all the fear, trauma, and pain, I get to be happy.

So worth it.

Dmitri

Despite it being well past his typical nap time, my son is wide awake and all giggles. He was dozing off for a while, and I almost believed he was out cold when he sprung back up, chipper than ever. How his twin sister is sleeping soundly on my chest while he continues to drool and babble right next to her is beyond me.

Isobella is a little princess through and through, so I suppose it makes sense that she'd be able to sleep through the storm that is Cesar. My baby boy, on the other hand, is full of energy. Cesar is always ready to socialize and hang out. It's as exhausting as it is beautiful.

Like now, if I attempt to lay Isobella down, Cesar will reach for her and likely cry, which would rouse her. Isobella is extremely sweet and hardly experiences outbursts, but she does cry when startled, and I fucking break every time her eyes swell with tears.

Being a father is as miraculous as it is heartbreaking. I want to bundle them up and shield them from the big, bad world around us. Sometimes I want to protect them so badly that it hurts, and they couldn't be more safe. It's like I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop because being this happy never seemed like a possibility in the past.

Jade did that for me, opening up my eyes to a whole new level of happiness. I love my wife so fucking much.

"Is he still not asleep?"

At the sound of the familiar voice, Cesar wobbles his head to the side to find one of his many uncles at the door.

"Wide awake," I confirm, chuckling softly. "Do you mind distracting him so I can put Isobella down?"

Nico eyes my son, tilting his head at him. He hasn't quite adjusted to having babies around the house, but he's doing well enough. Cesar loves him, so clearly, he's doing something right.

"Sure," he agrees, approaching us and holding out his hands. Cesar reaches for him greedily, squealing as Nico brings him to his chest.

Thankfully, Isobella continues to snooze peacefully.

"Come on, little man," Nico says, cuddling him close. "We'll go for a walk, and I'll pawn you off to Matteo. You seem wound up. He'll fix that."

"Thank you," I mouth, and he nods. Carefully standing up, I sway my daughter in my arms before dropping a kiss on her head and moving her into her crib.

Her nose scrunches up as I set her down, and her eyes tighten. But she eventually softens up again, remaining in her sleepy state.

Grabbing the receiver end of the baby monitor, I glance down at her one last time before leaving the nursery room. Anatoly is at his post, sitting right outside of the door while holding a book he isn't truly engaged in.

While we're all home, he doesn't need to be so strict with his guarding style, but that doesn't stop him. I've told him several times he's allowed to be on his phone or laptop when this many of us are around, but he won't hear it. He is constantly on edge, ready to dive into action at any given time. Even though I feel a bit bad that he can never seem to relax, I couldn't ask for a better mindset. It's the reason why he's been appointed my children's guard, after all.

There are men who have worked for my family for decades, and I wouldn't trust a single one of them like I trust Anatoly. He'd die for my babies.

Many men would kill for them, but putting their lives on the line? That's an entirely different level of commitment. It's familial, not transactional.

"I'm just going to check on Jade," I inform him, nodding to the door I just walked out of. "Isobella is asleep, and Cesar is with Nico and Matteo."

Anatoly dips his head in acknowledgment. "I will stay."

"Good work," I reply with a nod.

Anatoly is bad with thank yous, but typically receives praise well. He almost cringes when Jade expresses her gratitude toward him, so I typically avoid it.

Turning on my heels, I make my way to the kitchen. Jade has been visiting with Ana Knight for a little over an hour now, and I already miss her. My chest aches for her when we're apart, but I knew I wanted to give her space today. Jade deserves the chance to make friends, and I'm damn well not going to stand in the way of that.

I find Cole before anyone else, oddly enough. He's standing by the bay window, watching the pool and garden area from inside. I'd half expected him to glue himself to his stepsister's side for all of today, but it seems he's exercising restraint.

I don't mind the kid, I suppose. Since unlike his older brother, he didn't put in an offer for my wife's hand, I don't hate the sight of him.

"Did anyone shoot anyone yet?" I ask, approaching casually.

Cole's eyes flick to me and he grunts. "No."

Apollo must be taking supervising seriously then. He'll be keeping Matteo in line, I'm sure.

"Your baby just joined them," he tells me, his tone remaining bored and lifeless.

When I peer through the glass, I find Matteo tickling my baby boy's chin, making him positively gleeful.

"He likes the attention," I reply, smiling fondly.

Nearby, the fridge opens, drawing my eye. My lips lift, and my feet start moving immediately.

"Look at you learning how to tip-toe," I comment, grinning at her blushing face.

My wife is wearing a towel like it's a robe. She has it split down the middle, wrapped around her shoulders, and barely covering the most obscenely tight little green bikini. Her hair is damp from the pool, draping messily around her swollen breasts. She's a fucking vision.

"I have been known to sneak around a bit," she teases in return, biting her lip.

Jade uncaps a cold water bottle and sucks back a few big gulps. Swimming makes her thirsty fast.

"Are you having a good time, Krasotka?"

Her smile grows wide. "It's been great. Cesar woke up?"

I snort, reaching for her hips and tugging her against me. The water clinging to her body doesn't bother me one bit. "He never truly fell asleep. Isobella is out like a light, though."

"My sweet girl," Jade coos. The way her eyes sparkle when we talk about our children never fails to make me weak in the knees. "Hopefully, being in the sun for a bit will have Cesar tuckered out by bedtime."

Fingers crossed, because I'd love to be able to fuck my wife tonight. Quietly and in the shower, but inside her nonetheless. I can't get enough of this woman.

I drop a kiss to her lips, teasingly pulling back before she can press for more. "How'd you convince Ivan to let you walk inside alone with Cole here?"

She rolls her pretty blues. "He saw you, of course."

Chuckling, I smile. "Of course."

If anyone is more paranoid than me about Jade's safety, it's my little brother.

"Oh, for fuck's sake," a deep voice groans. "Try not to breathe on her so damn much, or she'll end up with triplets this time."

Matteo Moretti, everybody.

Jade giggles, burying her face into my shirt before addressing him. "You'd love it if I had three more babies."

My wife's youngest brother sniffs. "Maybe. But that doesn't mean you should do it now! Wait until these ones can walk at least, sheesh."

Given that Jade and I have been fucking raw since she got approved for sex, I should tell him not to hold his breath. I pull out since she's not on birth control, and she doesn't want to be pregnant right now, but that's only going to work for so long.

I offered to use condoms—painfully, but I did—and Jade glared at me so hard. She craves that true skin-on-skin experience and won't be convinced otherwise. I'm certainly not going to complain about it. I love how she feels wrapped around me.

"I should go back out to Ana," Jade suggests, using my shoulders to push herself up and kiss me quickly. "Need anything?"

Your ankles on my shoulders.

"No, baby. Go have fun," I tell her easily.

I'm not in a hurry. As much as I crave her, I know I'll have her forever. I can allow some of her time to go to others if it means keeping her as happy as she looks and feels right now.

Being her husband and the father of her children, it's my greatest fucking achievement and my every true purpose. My life has surpassed my every want, dream, and expectation. All because of Jade Moretti crashing into me while lost on a boat.

The best day of my whole fucking life that kick-started a string of increasingly better days.

And that string is still going strong.