Epilogue
Sailor
The day had warmed considerably, so I wound my hair into a bun on the top of my head as I headed out to the patio. Humid air shifted sluggishly under the ceiling fans until I turned them on higher, standing beneath one for a minute to let it cool off the back of my neck.
Beneath the shade trees, a cluster of chairs sat grouped tightly together on a concrete pad, and that was where I found everyone. The scent of grilling meat followed me down the terraced slope, and I grinned at Noah when I approached.
“Everything okay?” he asked as I wrapped my arms around him.
“Absolutely.”
Benito was the only one seated, along with the sleeping toddler on his lap. Vicki and Gio stood beside the drink cart, pouring lemonade into tall glasses of ice and arguing about whether they should add vodka to them. Noah had been busy making lunch for most of the day and was only now taking a well-deserved break.
“Here you go,” Vicki said, handing me a glass. “We decided against making them adult beverages.”
“For now,” Gio added, handing a glass to Noah.
As soon as Vicki approached her father, he stirred from his nap, inevitably waking the baby. She fussed, but he ran his hand over her back as he tried to shush her.
“No more nap, Grandpa Nito,” she whined, climbing down from his chair.
Vicki handed the lemonade over to Benito as he sat up straighter. “It’s okay, Ava, you can go play.”
My sister-in-law had named her daughter Ava Maria to honor her late mother, though she rarely called her by her full name. It was a mouthful for a two-year-old child. She favored her father with her honeyed hair and blue eyes, but her facial features screamed Vittoria to me.
Noah wandered off to tend to the grill, and the other two followed their daughter to the swing set we’d recently put in the yard. Sighing lightly, I sat in the chair beside Benito’s and drank my lemonade.
“How is everything at work?” he asked.
Tilting my head to look over at him, I replied, “I didn't expect to be so tired after all the time I took off.”
He smiled indulgently. “I did.”
“Yeah, well, you’ve been there and done that.”
Whatever major life step I took, I could be certain Benito had done it first. His wisdom came in handy more often than not, so I always listened to his advice. For instance, when he suggested I name my son Ethan, I agreed with him.
I’d just gone inside to check on him and found him sleeping peacefully in his crib. Thankfully, he lived in a safer world than the one I grew up in, which was mostly thanks to the Russos helping us out. We’d let them have the Lombardi territory without argument, and in return, they’d done the cleanup.
I didn't want Noah involved in murdering his rivals, and he’d been kind enough to take that step back and let Leonardo Russo commit mayhem instead. At first, the amount of bloodshedscared me, knowing the feds were sniffing around and that it wouldn't go unnoticed.
But we truly didn't have our hands in it, especially since we were focused on Benito’s recovery at the time. The streets were safer without the ruthless men Lombardi liked to employ, and knowing we had allies in the Russo family made me feel more secure about Noah stepping up with Gio at his side.
Berkshire had texted me a few times, extending his condolences over Matteo’s death. I told him to save his empathy for someone who cared, and then I blocked his and Lauder’s numbers. I knew she was furious with me for turning my back on her case, and even worse, marrying the man she had her sights locked onto. Call it going back to my roots, but I found it funny that I’d thwarted her plans.
“Is Ethan sleeping?” Benito asked me, and I blinked. I’d been in my head and had almost not heard his question.
“He is, yes.” I left the baby monitor on the side table in case he woke up, but something had made me go into the house even though I hadn't heard him stir.
Sometimes, I just wanted to stare at his face. It was a miniature version of his father’s, the dream I’d never believed would come true. I had everything I wanted, with the exception of hopefully having a little girl in due time.
“You’re a good woman, Sailor.”
I flushed. “Um, thank you.”
“I know you know how much I consider you my daughter, but I just thought you should know I see how good you are to my son. You two are a better match than I anticipated you’d be, and it makes me extremely happy to know you’re carrying on my legacy.”
Those words made me frown. “Don’t start opining about the end of your life. You’re only sixty-two.”
