I never want to leave this bed.
“There is no me without you. There is only us,” Zane whispers into my hair.
“Us. Forever. For always,” I croak and let my heavy eyes fall closed, knowing that tomorrow we have nothing to fear. There is no one to hide from, no one to watch for. There is only the future, and it looks a whole lot brighter now.
Epilogue
Family becomes everything when you’ve never had it before. A year ago, I was all alone, living on my own, with only one person who I thought cared about me. Lonely didn’t even begin to cover what I felt. One year later, and I’ve got a whole new family. Xander and Damon have taken me in as if years didn’t separate us. They have families of their own, and I cannot wait to share mine and Zane’s happy news with them.
Zane and I got married in a tiny little ceremony three months ago. Xander walked me down the aisle and gave me away while my nieces threw rose petals along the way.
Being married isn’t much different to dating. Zane is still as possessive as ever, not letting me out of his sight unless he absolutely has to.
Tonight we’re doing our weekly Sunday dinner. Xander and Ella, Damon and Keira, and Ivan and Violet are here tonight.
Since getting to know my brothers, I’ve heard their stories of how they came to know their wives. I’ve also met their children and been told countless stories about how ruthless a father we shared.
They also shared some memories of our mother, the few nice ones they had anyway. I’ve come to terms with the fact that my mother was doing what she thought was best, that she did love me, but that she couldn’t handle a life on the run. It seems her life was ruined long before I came along, and even though she tried to run from it, in the end, she just couldn’t get away from her own demons.
Quinton rushes through the dining room, his baby sister hot on his heels, their squeals of joy cut through my thoughts. Xander reaches down and takes his daughter, Gia, into his arms.
She whines and pushes against him, trying to get away and to her brother, but he squeezes her a little tighter and peppers her adorable face with kisses before releasing her again. I can’t believe that’s going to be Zane and me soon.
“How is married life? I feel like I haven’t seen you guys in ages,” Violets asks, giving me a wink as she bounces her daughter on her knee.
“Yeah, I know. Zane has basically tied me to the bed,” I joke, well half-joke, since what I’ve said is partially true. Every night before bed, we make love. Sometimes it’s sweet, and other times, it’s raw and consuming. There is nothing in this world like the love he gives and shows me.
“I mean, it’s not like you’re lying.” Zane smirks and tugs me closer to him.
“Men.” Violet shakes her head. “I swear, they can never get enough. I told Ivan I need at least two years without getting pregnant again.”
I look over at Ivan, who is smiling like a fool. His love for Violet and his kids is profound. It’s crazy to think that she was once his prisoner. Then again, looking back on mine and Zane’s love story, we kind of came from the same thing.
“Doubt Ivan is going to let that happen,” Damon says, chuckling.
“Yeah, me too.” Violet rolls her eyes.
“When are you and Zane going to have a baby?” Keira, Damon’s wife asks, taking a sip of her wine. Her question makes my cheeks flame, and suddenly, I feel everyone’s eyes on me.
“Well, we actually had news to share with you all.”
“Oh, my gosh, yes!” Ella basically jumps out of her chair. “You’re pregnant, aren’t you?”
I nod, unable to contain the smile that appears on my lips. “It’s still early, but there is definitely a little peanut in there.”
“Yes, mine,” Zane growls into my ear, his teeth nipping my lobe in a possessive way. I swear, since discovering we’re having a baby, he’s become even more possessive and controlling.
He’s currently working for Xander as a hitman. After we killed Matteo, we took over most of his territory. Xander asked me if I wanted to be in charge of it, but truthfully, I didn’t have any idea what I was doing, so I told him he could run it.
“I’m happy for you, Sister,” Xander exclaims, his eyes twinkling with joy. “We’re building an empire of little Rossi’s.”
“We sure are.” Ella giggles, looking up at her husband.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Violet narrows her gaze at her sister as if she can read her thoughts. Ella bites her bottom lip and looks like she’s going to explode with happiness.
“Well, we would never want to ruin this moment for Dove and Zane because we’re so very happy for you, but Xander and I are expecting again as well.”
“I’m so happy for you two!” I say, taking a sip of my orange juice. I’m beyond happy. I feel safe, secure, and protected, but above all, I feel loved. I feel as if I’ve finally found my home.
Xander snickers. “There is nothing quite as delicious looking as my wife’s belly, swollen with our child.” Ella’s face turns red as a tomato, and she shakes her head, dismissing his teasing.
Xander’s phone starts ringing, and he curses when he looks at the name on the screen before hitting the green answer key.
“What can I do for you, Luke?” he barks into the phone.
All the men around the table sit up a little straighter, waiting for an order most likely. Luke says something, and Xander starts shaking his head.
“Okay, make sure you have someone on her at all times. We don’t need any issues with the police, and I don’t want to have to kill someone so young. Report back to me in a week and let me know how things go. If she talks before then, bring her in.”
Luke says something else, and then Xander hangs up the phone. I’m tempted to ask what is going on but keep my lips pressed firmly together. It sounds like someone saw something they shouldn’t have.
“That didn’t sound good,” Damon says.
“It wasn’t good, but if anyone can keep people in line, it’s Luke. Everything will be fine. I’m sure of it,” he assures Damon, and dinner carries on. After we eat and say our goodbyes, Zane and I head back to our little cottage that’s just outside the Rossi estate.
We walk into the house, and Zane reaches for me, tugging me into his arms. I crash into his chest, giggling. Max greets us at the door, curling his body around and between our legs.
While I was Christian’s prisoner, Zane picked him up and brought him to the shelter I used to work at. They kept him for me, while we were dealing with all of this. I picked him up as soon as I could. Max purrs, but I’m too consumed by my husband to give the cat any attention right now.
Since he started working for Xander, his muscles seem even more firm, his abs more defined, and because my sex drive is through the roof, I find myself tracing those abs every night. Also, grinding against them.
“I never thought we would be here. Married and having children. My plan was always to let you live your life, to let you be happy. Never in my wildest dreams did I expect to be the man you’d choose to spend your life with.”
I roll my eyes. “As if you would’ve let me pick anyone else.”