I believe him. Julian always keeps his promises.
He slips his arms under the jacket and pulls me against his body. Stretching up on my tiptoes, I angle my face in search of a kiss. He delivers one and holds nothing back. My eyes close and my body throbs with the need to feel more of him.
I can hear his brothers exclaiming over another shooting star, excited as schoolboys.
“You guys weren’t looking,” Tye complains. “You missed it.”
“No, we didn’t,” I argue and Julian smiles down at me.
How could I possibly have missed out on anything?
I was kissing my husband.
EPILOGUE
JULIAN
The Following Spring…
Nothing stops the passage of seasons. They circle around as inevitably as the sky keeps watch above our heads.
Every spring carries the scent of new life and this one is no different. There’s not an acre of the ranch that isn’t touched. A vivid carpet of grass already covers the graves of my parents.
They rest side by side now. Cassio and Teresa. Together in death long after they were brutally separated in life.
The stone angel is no longer alone. Her dark prince has come home to her.
Fort and I have already left our carefully selected wildflowers, spoken our silent words of mourning and returned to our mounts. We don’t speak when Getty lingers for longer. Our brother is entitled to take as much time as he wants. We’ll never judge.
Beneath my saddle, Omerta remains impressively still. I’ve spent my life around animals and I know they understand more than we assume. It’s not unthinkable that my father’s horse understands this is sacred ground.
The two of us have become good friends in recent months. I gently pat Omerta’s neck as a thanks for his patience.
In time, Getty withdraws and returns to his waiting horse. He gives us a solemn nod and we leave our parents to their peaceful rest for now. But only for now. We’ll be back.
Perhaps next time I’ll bring my sons. It’s never too early for them to learn their history. Today they are ten weeks old. They don’t know it, but this is also their mother’s birthday.
Within a minute we’re within view of the house. The ranch is full of activity today. Miguel and the cowboys are overseeing the arrival of two hundred head of cattle. Construction sounds echo from the site where the new clubhouse and sheds are being built.
On the business front, Sonny and his boys are due back by evening. Long before our most loyal Capo took a bullet for this family, he proved his worth and his promotion is very deserved. I’ve entrusted him to convey messages in person when the need arises.
If anyone has a problem with this, they learn to quit having a problem with one phone call from me. And they get put on notice to expect a visit from my brothers if they don’t back down.
As for me, I don’t leave the ranch too often anymore. The heart of our family is right here so it makes sense to run the family from here, with my wife and children nearby. They will forever come first.
Fort and Getty walk a few paces ahead but I gently tug on the reins with a “Whoa” command to bring Omerta to a pause. I just want to take in the sight of my family.
Cecilia is sitting on a picnic blanket spread out in the flat grassy field in front of the barn. A shade umbrella is unfurled overhead. Her legs are tucked underneath her and she’s a vision in a pale pink dress with her hair loose. She doesn’t see me because she’s looking down at our boys. The sound of her laughter carries across the field and speaks directly to my heart.
Nearby, Tye is sprawled in the grass with his sunglasses on. He stayed behind to keep Cecilia company. Of my three brothers, Tye is enjoying his role as uncle the most. It’s not uncommon to run into him in the middle of the night when we’re trying to get the twins back to sleep. If one of the babies wakes up, usually both of them wake up. But no matter the hour, their doting Uncle Tye never fails to come running when he hears their cries.
Any other time, I would take Omerta back to his stall myself. But today when Caleb jogs over and asks if I need a hand, I climb down and hand the reins over.
“We’ll ride again soon,” I promise the horse and tell Caleb to make sure he gets a treat.
Cecilia is watching me now. As always, when our eyes lock, an electric current races through my blood. The day she chose me was the day my destiny began.
Quickly erasing the distance between us, I drop to my knees at the edge of the blanket, remove my hat, and lean over to kiss my wife’s cheek. At the last second, she turns her head and our lips meet. My deep groan of desire is suppressed. She’s still healing from her C-section and exhausted from breastfeeding two infants so I’ll keep my sex-deprived thoughts to myself for a little while longer.
