Epilogue

Mattia

F ive Years Later

"It's literally terrifying how much you know about the mafia, Passero," Diego says to Coda, staring at him across my dining room table. "You're like a fucking walking encyclopedia of death."

"Here we go again," Athena groans, making Karina crack up.

"Jealous, Butera?" Coda smirks.

"Yes," Diego's wife says. "It drives him nuts that you know everything."

"He only thinks he knows everything," Diego scoffs.

"I know more than you, motherfucker."

"Coda!" Karina says, smacking her husband.

Diego lifts his middle finger in the air, flipping Coda off.

"I'm impressed," Nico says, lifting his beer to his lips to take a pull. "If you ever decide to go straight, there are about nine universities that'd kill to get their hands on you."

Coda's grin widens, which makes Diego scowl.

"Wait," Callandria says, her brows wrinkled. "They teach mafia classes?"

"Yep." Nico's wife, Norah, beams at them. "They teach everything these days."

"She's not lying," Genesis mutters, her eyes wide. "I accidentally signed up for a kayaking class. I thought I was going to die."

"How do you accidentally sign up for kayaking?" Amalia asks.

"That's what I want to know!" Domani's wife, Ireland, cries.

"Don't even ask," Genesis groans, making the girls laugh. "It's entirely Gabriel's fault."

"Hey, I had nothing to do with that," he protests.

I chuckle, shaking my head as I glance around the table at our family. Aurelia dragged everyone here tonight to celebrate my birthday. Until her, that wasn't something I did. I let the day pass every year without marking it. What was the point when it just reminded me of the family I'd lost?

Aurelia changed that. She's changed everything.

The past five years have been the best five years of my life, as fucking cheesy as it is to say. They haven't passed without their challenges. In this life, there are always fucking challenges. But we meet them when they come and appreciate peace all that much more when we have it.

Every man at this table knows what it is to fight. And they know precisely what we fight for.

We've all had to face our own demons and deal with our own shit. Somehow, we've all managed to find a way through the darkness.

We owe that to every woman at this table.

That's what we fight for.

That's who we kill for.

We know violence, but they know strength. They give it to us every fucking day.

I glance at Coda, who's now engaged in a lively discussion with Diego and Nico about some obscure mafia war from a century ago that only he'd know about. He grew up on the streets, but he finally knows where he belongs.

I see Nico, finally reunited with his brothers, sharing a laugh with Rafe and Luca. They're at peace, one twenty years in the making.

And then there's Gabe and Domani talking quietly together at the end of the table, both still with us when, once upon a time, I was sure we'd lose them both—Gabe to his demons and Domani to his decisions.

We're all still here, still together, because we share a singular purpose—protecting the women at this table and defending this family. Nothing will break us. Not a fucking thing on this earth is strong enough.

"Are you okay?" Aurelia whispers, squeezing my thigh gently.

"Never better, little mouse," I reply, leaning in to press a soft kiss to her lips.

She smiles up at me, her eyes sparkling with happiness. That look rarely fades from her eyes these days. She's happier than she's ever been. In the last five years, she's grown more fierce, more confident, and so fucking perfect it hurts to look at her.

I fall even more deeply in love with her every damn day. She's given me a perfect daughter, a perfect life, and a future I'll wage war to protect. She is my world, and everyone knows it.

Raising my glass, I clear my throat, drawing everyone's attention. "I just want to say thank you to all of you for being here. We've come a long way over the past five years, and I'm honored to be part of this family."

"Here, here," Domani agrees, lifting his own glass.

"Happy birthday, Mattia," Rafe murmurs, his eyes light. He and I are good. Better than ever, in fact. What needed to be fixed between us was the day I woke up in the hospital. We bump heads on occasion. It's inevitable. But we're solid.

As we clink our glasses together, Aurelia places a small box in front of me on the table. I glance up at her, instantly suspicious since she already gave me her present. Her. She was my present. I tied her to the bed last night and fucked her all night long.

"What's this, topolina ?"

"Open it," she says, grinning mischievously.

I notice all of the wives watching with matching smiles, as if they're in on some secret. None of the men at the table seem to have a fucking clue what's going on, though.

The wives tell each other everything. They never fucking tell us anything, however. We're always the last to know.

I lift the lid off the box, a lump forming in my throat as I stare down at the tiny pewter mouse nestled inside. It matches the one she gave me when we found out she was pregnant with our daughter.

"Little mouse," I choke, unable to hide the emotion in my voice as I look up at her. "Are you—?"

Her grin widens, and she nods. "I'm pregnant again, Mattia."

She's pregnant.

I sweep her off her feet into my lap, my lips crashing against hers in a fierce kiss as pride and joy crash together in the center of my chest.

The room erupts into cheers and congratulations, but all I can focus on is the woman in my arms and the hot tangle of emotions coursing through me.

" Ti amo ," I whisper against her lips. "Fuck, I love you, Aurelia."

"I love you, too," she whispers back, her gaze locked on mine. "You deserve this happiness, Mattia."

"Thank you," I murmur into her hair, my heart overflowing with gratitude for this incredible woman and the life she's given me. "For everything."

"Always," she promises, resting her head on my shoulder as everyone at the table rises to come to congratulate us.

Rafe reaches us first, smiling down at his baby sister. "Pregnant, huh?"

The soft crackle of the baby monitor interrupts before he can pull Aurelia into a hug, our daughter's voice piercing through the air. "Daddy! Daddy!"

"Excuse me," I murmur, gently lifting Aurelia off my lap and rising to my feet to go check on Sofia. Like her mom, she's the center of my world. There's nothing I won't do for her.

Aurelia's eyes follow me, her expression soft. "You're the best father, Mattia," she whispers just loud enough for me to hear. "Your mom would be so damn proud of you."

My chest pulses at her words. I hope she's right, and if my mom is up there watching, I'm making her proud. I already know Aurelia is making her mom proud.

"Hey, piccola ," I greet our daughter a moment later, stepping into her bedroom. She's sitting up in her bed, her little cheeks wet with tears.

"Daddy!" Her tiny face lights up at the sight of me, her tears instantly forgotten. She reaches out her arms, seeking comfort.

"Shh, it's alright," I reassure her, scooping her up in my arms and holding her close. Her little body relaxes against mine.

As I rock her gently back and forth, her breathing slows, and her eyelids begin to grow heavy.

"Daddy's here, tesoro ," I murmur, pressing a tender kiss to her forehead. "You're safe now."

"Love you, Daddy," she whispers, her words muffled by my shirt.

I close my eyes, taking a breath as she drifts off to sleep, her trust in me absolute. If heaven on earth exists, this right here is it—my baby girl in my arms, my wife pregnant, and my family downstairs, waiting for me.

I don't know what I did to deserve it, but I'll fight like hell to keep it.