EPILOGUE
ELODIE
One Year Later
I place the fresh bouquet of red roses on the earth beneath my feet before resting my palm on the gravestone before me.
Emiliano Ribisi
Beloved Brother. Dear Friend. Human Shield.
As always, when I read that last part, my eyes well with tears, and I brush them away with my free hand, wishing with all my heart that my gentle giant was here to witness the life he selflessly gave to me.
A life I live to the absolute fullest each and every day.
“Grazie, amico mio.” I press a kiss to the tips of my fingers and lay them over Sasquatch’s name, whispering a prayer beneath my breath before I stand. With one last look at the gravestones of Rafe's family, I turn and leave the small grassy knoll that overlooks the beautiful turquoise waters of the Mediterranean.
As I make my way back toward our house, I turn my face up toward the bright summer sunshine, gratitude filling me from head to toe, and it’s when I get within view of the house, my heart fills to overflowing.
In the aftermath of the Conclave and the alliances that were forged, both Rafe and Alessio deemed it was time for Alessio to take his true place at the head ofla famiglia.
As such, we no longer called the compound our primary residence. That honor belongs to Alessio and his soon-to-be wife, Gabriela Salvatore – a more ill-conceived match I’ve yet to see, though I pray for Alessio’s sake that my intuition is wrong.
Rafe and I had set up home on Isola Rosa a mere month after our wedding, and thanks to hisconsigliereduties being less hands-on, there’s rarely been a night I haven’t fallen asleep locked in the safety of my husband’s warm embrace.
We’d even had a shocked Levi ferried in to visit for close to a month alongside hisboyfriend, Adriano, shortly after we’d moved here permanently.
An effusive Adriano had thanked me profusely for making it possible for him to find his soulmate. Both men were as infatuated with one another as they had been that first day in Lazise, and my heart sang, knowing my dear friend had also found love in such an unlikely partner.
They visited from time to time, but as Adriano had been assigned to Aurelia’s security team, visits were fewer since her wedding.
As I cross the threshold of ourcasa, my heart does a little flip-flop when I hear Rafe’s chuckle from farther down the long hallway. I follow the sound, stopping when my eyes light upon my husband leaning over the crib of our three-month-old daughter, Emilia-Rose.
“Who’s Papa’s best girl, hmm?” he coos down at her enraptured face, her big brown eyes identical to his watchinghim with a hero-worship akin to my own. “Emilia is, that’s who. My Emilia-Rose is Papa’s best girl.”
RAFE
My wife’s giggle makes me stand up straight, pinning her with narrowed eyes. “What did you hear?”
She shakes her head, still smiling as she moves closer, sliding an arm around my waist as I tuck her in against my side. “Just how much you love our little girl, Handsome.”
I chuckle as I kiss her smooth brow and inhale her sweet fragrance. “I love all three of my girls,Stellina. Don’t ever doubt that.”
Elodie turns wide navy-blue eyes to mine, delight flashing across her perfect features. “Almost summer vacation for Andros-Baumann.” Her smile widens. “I can’t wait for us all to be under one roof for longer than a handful of nights.”
Skye visits often, but her love for her school and friends — not to mention her attachment to Sebastiano — means that she spends most of her time in Zurich. This past spring, Sebastiano turned eighteen, and as such, he’ll take over a more prominent role inla famiglia, so Elodie is thrilled at the thought of having more precious time with our firstborn.
Emilia starts to whimper, and I immediately scoop her into my arms, ignoring the look on my wife’s face when I cradle my little girl against my chest. She quietens instantly, and I shoot Elodie a smug smile.
“You’ll spoil her.” She arches an eyebrow, and I chuckle, quirking a brow of my own.
“And it’s mychoiceto spoil the ones I love.”
Elodie sends me a small smile before she saunters from the room, shooting over her shoulder, “I can’t argue with that logic.”
Once I’ve settled Emilia-Rose, I place her back in her crib, press a gentle kiss to her pale blonde head, and follow after my wife, smiling when I find her busying herself in the kitchen.
Wire racks, cake pans, and cupcake tins emerge from cupboards, and I slide up behind her, hugging my arms around her waist with a chuckle. “What’s got you stressed out now?”
