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All good things must come to an end. Ella sat at the table and looked around the large group surrounding her. They were now her family. No, she didn’t share DNA with them, but they’d become the people she loved the most. They’d taken her in and treated her as their own. They’d done the same with Bass. There weren’t too many people in the world like them.
Yes, all good things end. No, it wasn’t tragic. It was beautiful. Her story was told and she knew she was entering the next chapter of her life . . . the comfortable phase where there weren’t huge ups or sad downs. It was going to be white picket fences, school PTA meetings, dinner on the table at six, and glorious vacations. Her life would never be ordinary, but it would be stable.
Martin and Rosebella Palazzo headed this great family. They were still madly in love after more than forty years of marriage. They seemed more like teenagers than the mature adults they were. Their children all still loved them immensely and vied for their attention. It was sweet and beautiful. They still held hands and stole off to the bathroom to sneak in some kisses . . . and maybe a little more. Ella hoped she’d be just as in love as they were after forty years of marriage to Bass.
Lia and Shane had two children and swore they were done, but the way they gazed into one another’s eyes Ella thought the two of them might end up with an entire football team full of kids. They were funny and sarcastic, and they joked with each other nonstop, but their love was more than clear. Shane would sit and joke around with Rafe and Bass, but he never let Lia out of his sight. No matter where she was in a room, his eyes would follow. It was like he was falling in love with her every single day, finding something new about her that fascinated him.
Rachel and Ian were a bit different. Rachel certainly had some spunk to her, but she was more reserved. She held herself a little differently than the rest of her family. Ian had become a lot looser in his years of being a part of the family, but he was the king of a prosperous country and though you could bring the king to America, you couldn’t take the royal upbringing away from him.
Ian was passionate in all aspects of his life, and when it came to Rachel and their three children, that passion was crystal clear. He was royally protective of his wife and kids . . . pun intended . . . but he also respected them, and knew he had to loosen his reins around them and let them live their lives. He looked at Rachel with love, respect, and joy. It was easy to love the royal man when there was so much love in his expression at all times.
Rafe was a different beast all together. To be fully honest, the man still intimidated Ella. She believed him when he said he trusted her and was grateful Nana Bee had taken her in, and he was glad she’d been such a huge part of setting up the foundation where Nana Bee’s memory would forever live on. Even with that, she still walked lightly around him.
If his wife, Ari, and his two sons and one daughter were in the room the man was more alert than normal. He kept an eye on his family and it was clear that his wife, children, parents, and siblings were his world. He also considered Shane and Bass his brothers. He swore he’d never again let someone come between those relationships like his ex-wife, Sharron, had.
Bass spoke often that Ari had changed Rafe in all of the best ways. The love between them was very clear, so Ella believed him. The man would forever intimidate her though, even if according to all of his family he was truly a soft teddy bear. She’d let them hold that opinion of him, but it would never be how she’d describe the man. He was scary in her humble opinion.
She still loved being with the entire family in these large group gatherings. She also loved ladies’ nights, when it was just the four women, sometimes five when Rosebella joined them. She’d forever miss Nana Bee and no one would come close to replacing that woman in her heart, but she’d found good people to stand in for her.
Ella had never thought she’d find that romance book kind of love. Her aunt had made her think she was unworthy of being loved. When a child is told often enough she’s the reason her family broke up, and a real pain in the butt to have in their home, it knocked her confidence, even as an adult. It might be years before she fully believed she was loveable.
Whether she believed it or not, shefeltit. When Bass looked at her, she felt like the most beautiful, talented, wanted woman on the planet. She might be biased, but she thought the way Bass looked at her made Martin’s, Rafe’s, Shane’s, and Ian’s gazes pale in comparison. Bass looked at her like she was a goddess sent from the heavens just for him. She looked at him the same way.
Then again, her husband could play a very convincing Zeus if another movie was ever made. He wasthatdelicious . . . his body and his face. The man was beautiful and he was all hers. She didn’t fear anymore that he’d be taken from her. She didn’t understand it, but she was confident in their love.
They chose not to have only one home. She’d been stuck in California and Oregon her entire life and she wanted to see the world. She knew when they had kids they’d have to settle down a little more, but for now, they were living the dream.
She was back in school getting her master’s degree. She’d expressed an interest to Bass and he’d been more than encouraging, telling her he was already living his dreams and he wanted her to do the same. She loved him all that much more. So she was getting her degree in child psychology. She might go on to get her doctorate. Maybe one day there’d be kids out there who talked about her the way she talked about Nana Bee. That would be the greatest blessing she could ever think of.
“What has you so deep in thought?” Bass asked as he leaned over, his hand resting on her thigh as they ate Thanksgiving dinner.
“I’m thinking about how grateful I am that you found me and how much I love this family I’m now a part of,” she answered.
His eyes softened. “I sometimes forget myself I’ve been a part of them for so long, but seeing it all through your eyes has humbled me all over again. I love you, Ella.” He leaned over and gave her a soft kiss that had her hungering for more.
“I love you too, Bass, more than I can ever say,” she whispered as she gently cupped his cheek.
“Oh, I so love newlyweds,” Lia said with a giggle as she sat across from them.
“Newlyweds. We’re still like that,” Shane quickly said, then made Lia gasp when he pulled back his chair, lifted her from hers, and then set her on his lap before giving her a scorching kiss.
“Really, Shane?” Rafe growled. “Can younotmanhandle my sister in front of her siblings and parents?”
“Nope, can’t keep my hands off of her,” Shane said as he winked at Rafe, who rolled his eyes.
“You go right ahead. A woman likes to know she’s desired,” Rosebella said with a giggle.
“You’re still desired, my dear,” Martin said before leaning over and kissing his wife, who still blushed more than forty years later.
“This better not turn into a wild orgy,” Ian said. “The papers in my country would get a lot of material out of that.”
Rachel giggled. “Our kids might be traumatized for life.” Ian leaned in and kissed her.
“How do you think those kids were made?” he whispered, which had Rachel blushing.
“I hope not at wild sex parties,” Ari said with a laugh.
“There certainly will be no wild sex parties,” Rafe said in horror. “No one but I get to look at my wife’s unquestionable beauty.”
