“I have no idea if he believed me or if he thought everything I said was a lie,” I admit. “Honestly, I expected him to shoot me in the back afterward, but he let me go. I’m not sure yet what that means.”
Candi’s eyes widen. “It means your plan worked.”
“No. He was skeptical the whole time—”
“Armani, I’m telling you, itworked. I talked to Juliana a few minutes ago. Orloff called off the wedding. He’s not going to be Bruno’s ally.”
Goosebumps rise on my arms.
“This isn’t a ploy? You’re sure he was serious?”
“It sounded like he was serious. He was pretty nice about it, I guess. Apologized for the breakup and told Juliana it was just a business thing, and to go have a nice life without him. Does that mean…that it’s over? The alliance, the war, the…all of it?”
“I think it is. We’re free to just…live. All of us.” I reach down and cup my palm gently over her belly. “Baby too.”
“So what happens now?” she asks.
I can’t help it. I laugh.
“Anything we want,” I tell her. “No more war. No more mob. No more looking over our shoulders. And the best part is, we won’t have to raise our child in a mafia family the way my brothers and I were raised. The way Juliana was raised. We get to start a new chapter. Together. If you’ll have me.”
“Of course I’ll have you. And you’ll have me. Always.” She throws her arms around me, her tears warm against my neck. “I love you.”
I close my eyes. My heart feels like it’s expanding in my chest. This is everything I want. This woman, this baby, this life.
“I love you,” I tell her.
Fuck. I finally said it out loud. And somehow, it was the easiest thing in the world.
“Do you, now?” she asks teasingly, as if my declaration isn’t news to her at all.
Cupping her face gently, I kiss her. Softly, purposefully. With every last ounce of conviction inside me.
“More than you’ll ever know, Candi.”
She smiles against my lips. “Then I guess you’re going to have to tell me that every day until Idoknow.”
“Every day, for the rest of our lives. That’s a promise.”
EPILOGUE
ARMANI
The bed-and-breakfast is deckedout in full holiday regalia. After going back and forth about what to call the place, Frankie’s mother Miriam suggested, simply, The Inn. My family instantly and unanimously agreed. I think it suits the establishment perfectly.
Sparkling string lights highlight the ornate architecture of the Victorian farmhouse’s freshly restored exterior, and glow from the trees and shrubs on the lawn. Inside, you immediately breathe in the fragrant boughs of fir and pine, the live wreaths studded with pinecones, the clove-studded oranges. There are multiple Christmas trees positioned throughout the house, each decorated with its own different color-coordinated ornaments and glittering garlands, and there are also brass menorahs and electric candles that flicker cozily in each window. The weather report said we might even get a light dusting of snow tonight.
I have to admit, the overall effect is nothing short of magical.
There’s a bittersweetness in the air, though, since this might be the last time we’re all together as a family for a while, at least here in Napa. Because after the New Year, most of us will be scattering to the winds.
Frankie’s got her heart set on a house in Tuscany where she can cultivate a small vineyard of her very own, so she and Dante are taking baby Lili on a trip abroad for the next few months so they can look at properties and get a feel for the area. Meanwhile, Marco and Karina will be going to Monaco, so Marco can build a top-of-the-line garage and establish a new homebase for his racing career. As for Candi and myself, we’re still making plans to explore the world, though we’ll have to time our travels around the birth of our baby.
Charlie and Clayton, for their part, are more than happy to celebrate their newfound freedom by simply staying at home in Nob Hill with their new baby—toddler is probably more accurate; his name is Gregory and he was adopted from Ukraine—and Livvie, who just started a program in Equine Studies at Santa Rosa College. Meanwhile, Miriam Abbott is still planning to manage (and live at) the B&B. It’s a relief to know the Inn is in good hands.
But that’s all in the future. For now, we look like a billboard for a Hallmark channel movie, and I couldn’t be more pleased. I honestly can’t remember a holiday when my family has been together quite like this. We’re gathered around the massive dining table, which has been moved into the sitting room at the rear of the house. The vaulted ceiling makes our conversations echo, filling the space with the sound of happy chatter, and there’s a cozy fire roaring in the stone fireplace, with Mrs. Abbott’s huge English Mastiff, Miggy, snoozing on the rug nearby. The ambiance is perfect.
At the other end of the table, I can see Candi talking animatedly with her mother and Mrs. Abbott. Probably something to do with The Inn’s upcoming grand opening.
