Epilogue

CAL

" Y ou're going to be late." Trident shoves a package into my hands.

"I'm not going to be late." I check the time. "Fuck, I'm going to be late."

"I told you?—"

"Not now, Trident. Where's Harlow?"

"I'm here." She waves from the elevator bank. "I'm sorry I'm late. The production meeting went long."

"It's okay." I lean down and kiss her. "The car's here with the two kids. Let's go before they try to lynch the driver. He's new, and we can't lose this one."

"I'm ready. Do you have the gift?"

"Yes." I lift the golden box so Harlow can see it and then hustle her back toward the elevator.

"I gave it to him. You can thank me with a bonus check," Trident yells after us.

"On it, Tri," Harlow yells back.

"I gave him a bonus last month," I grumble as we step onto the elevator car.

"What did you do that time? I forget." She punches the basement button.

"Nothing that deserved a bonus." I give Harlow a once-over. "This is a nice dress." It's black and slinky, and there's a sweet bit of cleavage from my vantage point. I frown. There will be other men at the party tonight, and they might be taller than Harlow. "Hold this." I shove Aunt Gia's present into Harlow's hands and pat my pockets. Surely I have something to cover her cleavage up.

"I know what you're thinking, and I'm not putting a handkerchief or napkin on my chest."

"You're practically naked."

"It's not my fault that pregnancy makes my breasts balloon into giant gazookas." She gives me an accusing glare.

"It's not my fault either." I find a contract folded in my breast pocket. I snap it open and try to stuff it into her neckline. She bats at my hands and turns away. The doors open, and a bodyguard greets us with a puzzled expression.

"Thank you, Steve." Harlow waltzes past him.

"Eyes up, man," I order.

"He wasn't even looking." Harlow drags me to the car.

"He could have been thinking about it."

"Not everyone is obsessed with me like you are."

"I'm ossessed with you, Mommy," declares Georgie, our youngest. At three, she's a walking, talking, piano-playing genius who can't bear to be away from her mother more than two seconds. She climbs onto Harlow's lap and snuggles around the bulge in Harlow's tummy and lays her head on Harlow's chest. The car starts moving, and she falls asleep.

My heart clenches at the visual. Mother and daughter with another on the way. How did I get to be so fucking fortunate? The image is replaced by the curious eyes of my eldest, Kosta.

"What's in the package?" he wants to know. "Another animal or an egg this time?"

"An egg, and when you open it, there's a dancing bear."

"I like that. Will she let me play with it?"

I ruffle Kosta's mop. "When has Aunt Gia ever said no to you?"

He appears to seriously consider this.

"Maybe when Georgie was born? I asked her for a brother and got Georgie instead."

Harlow coughs into her fist to disguise her laughter. Me? I bite the inside of my cheek. "Aunt Gia's not in charge of that, so it wasn't so much her saying no to you as it was her saying it's up to God."

"What's God gonna do about this one?" He nods toward Harlow's stomach. She's avoiding our eyes to avoid hurting Kosta's feelings by laughing.

"We don't know. We're going to wait until the baby is born to find out."

Kosta wrinkles his nose. "I bet it's going to be a girl. Mommy, if you have another girl, you need to keep going until there's a boy. I can't be the only boy in this family."

"What am I? A loaf of bread?" I thump my chest.

"No, Daddy, you know what I mean. A little boy like me."

"Come here, darling." Harlow gestures for the boy to climb over to her side of the car now that it's stopped in front of Aunt Gia's. "If you're the only boy I ever have, I'll be so happy."

"You're just saying that because you know you're having another girl." Kosta folds his arms over his chest. "I'm telling Aunt Gia that you're refusing to have more kids. She won't like that."

Harlow winces. His threat is spot on. Aunt Gia thinks we should have a football team worth of kids. Harlow said there's no more beyond four. Since I'm not the one cooking these kids in my body, it's all up to her.

"I'll put in a couple prayers for a boy, champ."

Harlow rubs her belly. "Feels like a boy to me, too."

This apparently placates Kosta, who lays his head on the side of Harlow's belly not occupied by Georgie. "If you're a boy, we'll have lots of fun. We'll go fishing and biking and take apart Aunt Gia's toys. Just wait and see. Being a boy is the best. Come out a boy, okay?"

I hurry out of the car so I don't laugh in front of Kosta. The boy tumbles out next, followed by a sleepy Georgie, who I pick up and cuddle to my chest. She sleepily says, "Daddy?"

"Right here, darling."

She snuggles her head under my chin. I reach out my free hand to help Harlow out of the car. The doors open, and Aunt Gia rushes out. "Where's my precious boy?"

Kosta leaps into her arms. "Happy birthday, Aunt Gia. We got you another egg!" he screams.

"Hush, Kosta. It's supposed to be a surprise," Harlow admonishes.

"Oh, right, Aunt Gia, we got you a surprise." He beams, not even an ounce of remorse in his face.

Aunt Gia smiles happily. She dotes on him. "I am sure it will be the most wonderful surprise since it's from you. Let's go inside. I had Cook make you your favorite dishes."

"But Aunt Gia, it's your birthday, shouldn't it be your favorites?"

"Your favorites are my favorites, so it works out perfectly." The two walk hand in hand up the brownstone steps.

"It's magical how grape jelly and peanut butter sandwiches are her favorite food," Harlow murmurs as we follow behind.

"Who can resist that combination?" I say.

"Me," Harlow says. "I've had too many of them."

"Nelson made sure there's adult food, didn't you, Nelson?" I hand him the gift.

"We have a full assortment of dishes for all palates." He nods.

"You're a prince, Nelson." Harlow pats his arm. He blushes. Thankfully, he's eye level with Harlow and can't really see down her chest. At least I don't think he can. I guess I should check that out.

"I can hear your thoughts, and no, you are not going to test to see whether Nelson can see down my dress," Harlow hisses under her breath as we move away from the door.

"I didn't say anything."

"I can see your boobies, Mommy," Georgie says. She reaches over and pats the top swell of Harlow's tits. Harlow sighs.

"This is really all your fault," she accuses me.

"I know. I accept it. I can't keep my hands off your gorgeous body. I love you too much."

"Get me something then."

And that's how we end up at dinner with Harlow wearing a lovely shawl from Aunt Gia's closet. I smile at her. She smiles back. Dinner's served. Harlow and I get steak while the kids—and Aunt Gia—have peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. The dinner table is stuffed with family. It's loud. People are laughing, sharing stories. Karen is plotting with Harlow about the ad campaign for the new television our subsidiary is rolling out. There's so much happiness at the table that I barely need to eat. I still do, though, because Nelson would be offended if I didn't.

I didn't imagine that this is what I was missing in my life, but now that I have it, now that I have Harlow and Kosta and Georgie and a third on the way, I'd do anything to keep it. I'd kill, lie, steal—just anything. Because this, these people, my love, is the reason to live.

My loves!

Fall is here and that means football. If you haven't had a chance to pick up FU High series, what are you waiting for? It's the perfect back to school, fall football books that you need right now: Ace of Hearts , Deuces Wild , and Two of a Kind .