Matteo paints and sculpts every day, we travel to his shows and galleries whenever possible, but if we don’t want to, we simply don’t. Same goes with concerts. Basically, we fuel our passions and still act as functioning members of society.
We also have a side hustle, our “pet project.” The pets? Our monsters. The money we raise from it goes to help people who suffer from mental health. Who runs that? Brisa, my best friend. More into that in a bit …
We also bought a baseball team with my Crew when Steel started to get taken over. The Jersey Jags.
We have homes in Jersey, Italy, and Spain, where we live at any given time, depends on the seasons. That, along with our whole food diet, taking the right medications, sleeping—God, I love sleeping—therapy once a week and, yes, having sex at least once a day, they have given us a beautiful life.
We have had scares—some small, some major—but through it all, we’re happy. So fucking happy.
A year after the big reveal in Italy, Matteo found out I was giving Mel and Sabato updates on the sly. He was a bit upset, and I told him to suck it up because to know him is to love him. Marcello and he aren’t best friends, but they are finally cordial. Torrance, on the other hand, they are close, very close. Torrance and Marcello have healthy hearts. Sabato blames the way in which he was kept alive, his early birth and lack of care, for his condition. Matteo and I—more Matteo—believe it was a vessel that brought us together.
Marcello is going into his residency, in hopes of becoming a neurosurgeon, and Torrance is now in her last year of residency as a cardiothoracic surgeon. See? Close.
Today, we’re meeting with Mel and Sabato, which we do every year here in Mexico after Matteo and I swim in the cenotes, which I’m convinced is healing him, or at very least keeping him healthy. The other thing we do is visit churches wherever we are, and we light a candle.
“Are you coming in or just going to stand there?” he yells to me.
“The view is amazing, Matteo. Can’t blame a girl for gawking.”
I have other reasons for standing here. I have a little announcement to make, and I want to see his face when I tell him.
“This only works if you’re in here with me,” he says, poking fun.
“So, if there were two joining you, do you think that would double our time?”
“Not into that. You are all I want and”—he laughs—“all I can handle.”
“You sitting down?” I ask, joking, of course.
“I’m treading water,” he states.
“Should probably wait till you’re sitting down to tell you this, but you’re going to be a daddy.”
“You don’t want kids.”
“You do.”
“But you don’t,” he says, swimming toward the rock that I’m standing on.
I sit down as he gets closer.
“Is this another scare?” He asks.
“No, and actually, I’m not afraid at all.”
He puts his hands on either side of me, searching my eyes the way he does, the way he sees everything going on inside of me. “Did you take a test to confirm—”
“Gray monsters leashed.” I hook my feet under his arms and smile. “I’m happy.”
“You sure, Tris? Because I told you I didn’t need that.”
“You want one.” I smile bigger, seeing his eyes sparkling.
“I wanted you to stop thinking you wouldn’t be a good mother,” he says, trying not to smile, but his dimple is deepening.
“I’m gonna be the best mother, and you’re going to be the best father.”
“We’re having a baby?”
I grin as I unhook my feet and slide into the crystal clear blue healing water. “We are.”
“Safe to come down now?” Dad yells.
“Your parents are here?” He brushes his lips across mine.
“Figured you wouldn’t be able to hide that happiness from Mel and Sabato, so they may as well be here. You know, keep things fair.”
“You two alive?” Sabato yells.
“Yeah, we are.” I laugh then whisper, “Tell them.”
I thought it would take some convincing, that he would say not yet. Instead, he yells, “Make that three!”
Laughing, I wrap my arms around him and kiss him in the way we do—softly, sweetly, and reverently, which is my favorite kind of kiss.
Next In Steel Crew
Want more of the Steel Crew series?
Max’s Story Releases July 1st
Preorder Maxed Steel Today!
More Tris and Matteo?
Tris and Matteo’s story began at the end of Tricked Steel, their honeymoon is fleshed out in Busted Steel, and Smashed Steel gives you more of the in-betweens.
Interest in their ‘Pet Project’?
Click the link below.
Tris & Matteo's 'Pet Project'
Books by MJ Fields
MJ Fields
THE STEEL WORLDS
(Recommended reading order)
The Men of Steel Series
Jase
Cyrus
Zandor
Xavier
Forever Family
Raising Steel
Or get the
Men Of Steel complete box set
The Ties of Steel Series
Abe
Dominic
Eroe
Sabato
Or get the
Ties of Steel complete box set
The Rockers of Steel Series
Memphis Black
Finn Beckett
River James
Billy Jeffers
or get the
Rockers of Steel complete box set
The Match Duet
Match This!
ImPerfectly Matched!
or get the
complete duet
The Steel Country Series
Hammered
Destroyed
Wasted
or get the
Steel Country complete box set
Tied in Steel series
Valentina
Paige
Gia
or get the
Tied in Steel complete box set
Steel Crew
(Generation 2)
Tagged Steel
Branded Steel
Laced Steel
Justified Steel
Tricked Steel
Busted Steel
Smashed Steel
Marked Steel
Maxed Steel (July 2021)
THE LEGACY SERIES FAMILY OF BOOKS
(Recommended reading order)
The Love Series
Blue Love
New Love
Sad Love
True Love
The Wrapped Series
Wrapped In Silk
Wrapped In Armor
Wrapped Always and Forever
The Burning Souls Series
Stained
Forged
Merged
LRAH Legacy Additions
Love You Anyway
Love Notes
The Way We Fell