At nineteen, Caleb is still too old for her, but in time, the difference won’t seem so great. I know he doesn’t share her devotion, but he’s always been good with her. And who knows? Maybe in the future, there might be something between them. Elisa has crushed on him for a long time, and I don’t see it fading any time soon.
“Me down, Momma,” Will says, wriggling impatiently in my arms as Elisa disappears inside the house to change Rosa.
“I’ve got my boy.” Alesso appears, as if out of thin air. He leans in and kisses me before setting our son on his feet. Will instantly makes a beeline for the playground, and I’m glad when Mom hops up and takes his hand, walking him toward where Raven and Brando and Marlena’s twin girls are playing. Rowan and Romeo are riding their bikes, and I can just make out their heads in the distance.
David trails behind Mom, and I smile, so happy she’s found love again. I have a feeling her billionaire beau of the last two years is going to pop the question soon, and I couldn’t be happier that life is working out great for everyone.
“You should sit down and rest. You’ve been on your feet for hours,” my husband says, pulling out a chair for me.
“Stop fussing,” I say even though I love it. Alesso is an attentive, adoring husband, especially when I’m pregnant
“That’s an impossibility.” He steadies me as I slowly sink into the chair. “You’re carrying precious cargo, and it’s my job to take care of you both.” I tilt my head back and his lips descend on mine. “Love you,” he says, like he does every day.
“Love you more.”
He tweaks my nose. “Another impossibility.”
Before I can reply, more guests arrive. “Hey, everyone!” a woman with a high-pitched voice says, and my sister’s face transforms into a scowl.
“Oh, God. I really need alcohol for this,” Sierra mumbles as Alesso heads off toward his cousin.
“I’m not Anais’s greatest fan either though I have tried to like her.”
“She makes it difficult,” Nat agrees.
“Thanks for inviting her.” I pat my sister’s arm as she sits down on the other side of me, still cradling baby Leif against her chest. “Alesso knows she’s difficult, and he appreciates it.”
“She’s Don DiPietro’s daughter-in-law now, so I couldn’t refuse without insulting him.” Sierra glances over her shoulder, and her scowl deepens. Anais’s sense of style is still on the trashy side, and she’s wearing a tight hot-pink thigh-high dress that really isn’t suitable for a family barbecue. “I’m still pissed Ben arranged that marriage. Couldn’t he have sent her to Alaska or outer space? Why did it have to be New York?”
“Damn mafia politics.” Nat narrows her eyes at Anais as she presses a lingering kiss to Caleb’s cheek, her hand resting on his hip. “I don’t like the way she looks at my son.”
“The woman has a problem. She’s married to a great, good-looking guy, yet she still eye-fucks every man she meets. I don’t understand her.” It’s one of my issues with Anais. That, her vanity, selfishness, and lack of girl code really irk me. Alesso has tried to look out for her, but his advice goes in one ear and out the other.
“She’s trouble,” Sierra says as Leif wakes and immediately starts bawling. She hands him to his mother. “And we all know Caleb loves trouble.”
“That’s my concern,” Nat says, standing to go into the house to feed the baby. “Over my dead body will I let that little witch anywhere near my son.”
EPILOGUE 2
ALESSO
“Iam at my wit’s end with her,” I admit, removing more burgers from the grill and dropping them onto the warming plate. “It’s like she deliberately wants to get into trouble.” I shake my head as I watch Anais flirt up a storm with Caleb. He’s not exactly deflecting it, and Cruz DiPietro, her husband, looks close to pummeling Caleb. Even Caleb’s friendship with Cruz’s little brother Christian won’t save him if they don’t cut it out.
“Did you ask him?” Ben inquires, coming up beside us and eyeballing Leo. A few feet back are Frank, Brando, Nario, and Ciro. Apart from Brando, the rest of the guys are still single, and I thank my lucky stars that’s no longer me.
I have the family I always dreamed of, and my reality is even better than the fantasy. Serena and our kids are my everything, and I would lay down my life to protect them. My career is going well, and The Commission has finally achieved unity and stability within the Italian Americanmafioso. There are still issues and tensions from time to time, and rival mafia families continue to be a thorn in our side. The authorities are actively targeting crime families, and more and more, we are legitimizing businesses and trying to keep our noses under the radar. Ben’s smart thinking years ago, in buying up IT firms, has paid huge dividends as we have harnessed technology to enable us to stay ahead of the game.
There are rumblings the Bratva is attempting to restructure again, and we only got word last night that the damn Colombians have surfaced in the city again, so there are constant problems to solve and fires to put out.
But there is no denying themafiosoin the US is the most progressive, successful, and structured it has ever been.
“Yeah, I asked him,” Leo says after taking a long pull of his beer. “He denies anything is going on.”
As one, we turn and stare at Caleb. Cruz has a protective arm slung around Anais’s waist, and he’s glowering at Caleb like he’s ready to rip his head off his shoulders.
“I’m not buying it,” Ben says as we turn around and focus on the grill. If we burn any more of the meat, the women will go crazy on our asses.
“Nor me,” Leo says. “I think he’s fucked her, and if Cruz finds out, it will be World War Three.” Leo sighs and runs a hand through his hair. “I don’t know what to do with Caleb. He’s so reckless. He thinks our rules and the law don’t apply to him. He does whatever the fuck he wants, and he couldn’t care less about the consequences.”
