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Epilogue
6Months Later
Igroaned as Marco’s fingers hit a knot in my back. The sun was shining on my skin, and I was as content as a newborn kitten despite the fact that I was getting to the point where I was massively pregnant. So pregnant that I couldn’t lay on my stomach for this little massage.
Marco’s fingers strayed from my back and snuck into my bathing suit top. I groaned as he cupped my breast in his hand and pinched my nipple gently. “I’m pretty sure this isn’t part of a massage,” I groaned before shifting to my back. The action caused Marco’s hand to pop out of my top.
He pouted at my actions but leaned down to press his lips to my own. My fingers tangled in his hair as he swiped his tongue against my own. “Aren’t we not supposed to leave the bed during our honeymoon?” he asked as he pulled away from his lips.
I snorted and rolled my eyes. “We haven’t left bed in a week,” I reminded him. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you might be trying to get me pregnant again.”
This time Marco laughed. His dark eyes twinkled as he reached down to help me sit up. His hands went to my stomach. He pressed his palm gently against my warm skin. “I’d love nothing more than to make you even more pregnant, but I’m not sure that’s possible.”
I laughed. If it were, Marco would have found a way. When I’d first become pregnant, I’d worried he wouldn’t be happy about it, but Marco loved my new pregnant body. I groaned slightly as I got off the table.
“What’s wrong?” he asked. He reached down to cup my stomach. “Is everything alright?”
I swatted him away. He was like a mother hen sometimes, always hovering over me. “I’m fine,” I told him. “Your son is just a future soccer player.”
This brought a smile to Marco’s face. He loved it when I talked about our son. I knew he would have been happy with a boy or girl, but when the doctor told us that I was carrying a boy, he was ecstatic.
“Are you hungry?” he asked. “I can call for some lunch.”
I shook my head. “I’m okay,” I told him. “I just want to relax.” I closed my eyes as I leaned back into one of the sun chairs by the pool.
Marco had taken me to Hawaii for a week to enjoy a quick honeymoon before our son made an appearance. I’d been hesitant to leave, but I was so glad I did. We’d been married for nearly eight months, and things had been pure insanity. This was the first time we’d been able to get away and breathe since the moment we met.
“Are you ready to head back?” Marco asked. He reached out and grabbed my hand. His fingers played with my wedding ring. It was something he did often, as if he were reminding himself that our life, our marriage was real. They were. They were realer than anything I’d ever had before.
“I wish we could stay here forever,” I said. “But I’m excited to see Mikey and Fiona.” Fiona was our new niece. She was a beautiful little girl who had all of us wrapped around her finger. “I checked in with Mikey’s doctor,” I told Marco.
Though we’d been able to sneak away for a week, he was still in constant communication with Dom. Though things had been quiet since my kidnapping, I knew that Marco and Dom were worried about the Russians, and now, the O’Connors. I shivered as I thought about them.
“What did the doctor say?” he asked. His fingers squeezed mine, almost as though he were lending me his strength. He did this when he noticed I was starting to fall back into the past. It had taken months for the nightmares to subside, and I knew they’d scared the shit out of Marco. Though he would never tell me that.
Thinking of Mikey made me smile. “It’s too early to tell, but she’s hopeful that the treatment is working. His blood counts are good, and did you notice that he’s been able to walk without his wheelchair?”
After I killed Liam O’Connor, whose name I hadn’t learned until later, I’d struggled for months. Mikey’s progress and my pregnancy had been the only two bright spots. My brother might not be cancer free, I didn’t know if he ever would be, but he was getting better.
“We’ll have to bring him here when he can travel,” Marco said. “I think he’d like it.”
I smiled. Marco and Mikey were close. Watching my husband with my younger brother showed me how amazing of a father he would be.
“I think you are right,” I said. I reached out and caressed Marco’s face. When I first saw him, I thought he was a monster. He’d killed someone, and I didn’t think that there was anything that could drive a person to take another’s life. “You’re a good man.”
He raised a brow, and a slow smile overtook his face. His smile made my heart thump in my chest. He was always handsome, but when he smiled, he was heartbreaking. “Where’s that coming from?” he asked.
I shrugged. “I just wanted you to know.”
The last few months had been the hardest in my life. I had watched my father die. I’d had to deal with the fact that I’d murdered a man, and that had been tough for me. Mostly because I didn’t feel guilty. Liam O’Connor would have murdered me and my son to get what he wanted. I’d done what was necessary.
“Hey,” Marco said. His fingertips traced my chin. “Stay with me.”
These days, I was different. Sometimes I fell into the darkness, and I struggled to get out of it. “I’m here,” I said. “I’m always here.”
Marco pressed his lips to mine. I couldn’t stay in the darkness because my monster would always find a way to pull me back out.
“I love you,” I told him.
He kissed me once more. My prince charming had his sins. He carried a gun, and he’d use it to keep his family safe. But I didn’t care. We were both flawed, and that made us perfect for one another.
Our life might not be the traditional fairytale, but it was perfect.
