AllFreeNovel
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It was sick and vicious.
But so was mine.
We dropped the canisters into the van we rented just to torch this fucking place. Of course, we removed the art and things of any value before we lit the match. Alex was now the proud owner of millions of dollars of Renaissance art. She was so fucking happy when the moving company delivered it to the house. The jewels went into the vault beneath our estate for safekeeping.
“Bash.” Damian looked at me with those haunting green eyes that sliced through me. “I’m ready to go home.”
I nodded. “Let’s go.”
As we drove off the property, sirens sounded from a distance. I had disabled the security system, so there would be no proof of our crime. The closest neighbor was down the block and wouldn’t have seen us coming. Especially not in a van with an untraceable license plate.
Damian turned on the radio, drowning out the fire engine that passed us on our way out of town. He glanced over at me, a smile on his face. For the first time in years, he looked like he was finally at peace.
“We’re free.” I tapped my fingers on the steering wheel. “It’s all over, D.”
One year later
Our lives had finally settled down enough for us to take a much-needed vacation. A late honeymoon our Sicilian friends offered us as a token of their appreciation for risking our lives to help take down Lorenzo Basile.
With a new baby and Alex’s responsibilities to the Franco Foundation, we hadn’t had the time to take a honeymoon. Alex wanted to wait until Sofia was sleeping well enough that her nanny could watch her while we were gone for a week.
We were at the Apostolic Palace in Vatican City. The last stop before we were leaving for Sicily. From the time they opened, we toured each of the Vatican Museums, leaving the Sistine Chapel for last.
Alex walked between Marcello and me, holding our hands, staring up at the ceiling in awe. Her mouth hung open as she noted every detail of the fresco. The ceiling of the Sistine Chapel was a true work of art, the highlight of Vatican City.
My mother had spent years studying Michelangelo, so she could paint her own fresco. For seven years, she had plaster in her hair, paint and chemicals on her skin. And she loved every moment. Some of my favorite childhood memories were of her standing on a scaffolding ladder, with a paintbrush in hand.
She looked so peaceful and in her element. I often thought about her when I watched Alex paint. It was as if the universe had taken my mother from me, only to give me someone just like her. So special and unique. I didn’t deserve either of them. And yet they both loved me, even after they saw the darkness in my soul, which only made me love them more.
“I wish Mom was here with us,” Marcello said, as if he could read my mind.
“Me, too,” I muttered.
My mother had been to Vatican City dozens of times with my father. But to experience this with Alex, and the babies growing inside her belly, would have given her so much joy. Our children wouldn’t have grandmothers, only grandfathers. Not unless we counted Blair Wellington, which we didn’t. She was even worse than Savanna.
“I can see how much Michelangelo inspired your mom’s fresco.” Alex pointed her finger at one pendentive. “Stunning. Your mom really nailed the essence of his work.”
After she’d explained the meaning behind my mother’s fresco, I spent a lot of time in her studio to see if she was right. Of course, she understood my mother. They were so much alike, and yet different in so many ways. That was the start of me feeling like I could understand Alex, the first time I truly related to her.
“We need to leave soon,” I told her. “The chapel closes in twenty minutes.”
She turned her head to look at me, a frown in place. “I’m going to miss it here. But I miss Sofia even more.”
“I can’t wait to get home,” Damian chimed. “Adriana keeps sending me videos of Sofia. She keeps asking for me.”
Her face brightened. “She loves her daddy.” Then she looked at each of us. “All of her daddies.”
I hired Adriana to help us with Sofia right after Alex gave birth. She had postpartum depression and could barely get out of bed, let alone bond with the baby. And even after reading the baby books, Damian still didn’t know what he was doing.
Watching him change a diaper for the first time gave me fucking anxiety. So I hired a highly recommended nanny, who was well into her forties and had years of experience with children. Even my father took a liking to Adriana, which surprised the hell out of me. He finally seemed open to the possibility of moving on with someone who wasn’t my mother. And I was okay with it.
“It’s a miracle we can step inside this place without setting on fire,” Bastian joked. He slapped Damian on the back. “Especially this one. He’s beyond prayers.”
Damian shook his head and laughed. “God must think I’m worth saving, or he wouldn’t have given me Alex and Sofia.”
Bastian nodded in agreement.
Once we left the chapel, we stood outside and took in the scenery one last time. I rubbed my hand over Alex’s belly. She got pregnant immediately after Sofia. And now, she was having my twin boys.
