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“See? Even you think it’s too much.” I laughed softly, planting a kiss to the top of her head.
“That’s not it,” Scarlett replied. “I just miss you.”
Christopher groaned out loud. “I can’t be here for this. Excuse me while I go do something manly and in no way romantic and mushy.”
“Look at her,” Scarlett said, nuzzling closer into my chest. “She’s like an angel.”
“She should enjoy being the cutest kid alive while she can,” I said.
Scarlett poked me in the ribs, although she joined in my laughter. “Don’t be mean. She’s perfect.”
“And ours will be too,” I said, leaning in. “Just look at their mother… how could they not be?”
She smiled, coming up on her toes so she could touch her lips to mine. The kiss was soft and unhurried, like all of our days had been leading up to that moment. Ever since we’d come clean with the family, Scarlett and I were able to be together in the most real way. It just fell into place, our new dynamic. Even Leo adapted to her moving in as though that was how it had always been.
Scarlett broke the kiss and rested her forehead against mine, a sweet smile etched onto her face. “I can’t wait to spend my life with you, Luca. The closer we get to the wedding, the more impatient I become.”
“That’s how I feel about them.” I placed both my hands on her belly, stroking it gently. “I’m not even thinking about the wedding because this… they are when the rest of my life with you begins.”
She put her hands over mine, staring deep into my eyes. “You’re right. It starts with them.”
I captured her mouth again, and this time the kiss wasn’t as chaste as the first. Her lips parted easily for me, and I accepted the invitation, my tongue seeking out her depths. Scarlett moaned softly, her hands floating up to my neck and then into my hair. Her touch still had the same electrifying effect on me that it had when we’d first hooked up. When we were two strangers driven by primal lust and the thrill of something forbidden.
It felt good to know that our passion wasn’t based on only those things and still burned hot as ever through all the changes we’d been through. If I’d known that was possible in real love, I would’ve been ready to fall for her a lot sooner.
But none of that mattered now that I had all of forever to make up for it.
Epilogue
Scarlett
Sixmonthslater
I exited the bathroom, still dabbing my mouth with a paper towel, and walked straight into Julia. Her expression was one of concern.
“Are you okay?” she asked, holding the back of her hand to my forehead. “You ran through the kitchen so fast I was sure you’d take out one of the staff on your way.”
“I’m fine,” I lied, ducking out of her reach. “I think the Mexican we had for dinner last night was bad. But I’m fine.”
I hoped my smile was convincing, even though inwardly I chastised myself for using “I’m fine” twice. That was laying it on a little too thick for someone as astute as my sister-in-law.
But Julia seemed to buy it eventually. “Okay, if you say so. Wait for me before you go back out. I only know about ten of your five hundred guests,” she said, slipping by me into the bathroom.
“The guest list was all Luca,” I defended myself through the closed bathroom door. “He decided the twins’ christening would be a good occasion to weed out whoever we don’t want at the wedding. So he’s watching how the ‘maybes’ behave.”
I laughed to myself, still amused by my fiancé’s reasoning. Fighting him on it didn’t go as well as I'd hoped, and I ended up just giving in and letting him run with it. I was too wrapped up in first-time motherhood to care about minor details like that.
I folded my arms across my chest, feeling suddenly naked without my babies in my arms. “Can you hurry it up?” I called to Julia. “I want to go check on them.”
The door swung open, and Julia stalked out, shaking her hands so water droplets went flying every which way.
“I keep telling you, they’re fine,” she said, starting back through the kitchen and into the backyard. “They’re the guests of honor today, so everyone’s going to want a piece of them.”
“Miss James?” Rita, our event coordinator, stopped me just as I was about to step outside. “Would you like us to get everyone ready for the cutting of the christening cake?”
“That’ll be great, Rita, thanks,” I replied. “Just give me a moment to rally Luca and the kids.”
“Roger that.” Rita spun on her heel and gave three deafening claps to the kitchen at large. “We have the cutting in five, people! Get the plates ready for guests, and for the love of God, don’t forget the cake forks!”
