She’s asleep as soon as she gets comfy, and although I’m not fully hard, I can’t resist a thrust here and there just to make sure I’m still inside her.Fuckthe Bratvaandthe Mafiaandhockey. I want to fly away with her to somewhere far away and do nothing but this until the end of time.
Knowing that we’ve all made it out of this mess alive feels like winning the lottery, and I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to thank her enough for just…being her.My person. My family.My home.No matter how many places we live or how many times we have to move. I have a forever home, now.My Ellie.
Epilogue
The playoffs werea bust this year, but after everything, I’d say losing the Stanley Cup is the least of my problems. Honestly, if I never played hockey again, I’d be fine. My new little family is everything I could ever want in this life and more. Well, “little” isn’t really the right word. I learned that the Santori family is larger than I could have ever imagined when Ellie and I started making a wedding guest list.
Luckily, Guilia and Nonna agreed to a more intimate baby shower, only inviting immediate family and our closest friends. I have my grandma, Thatcher, Mila, and Misha, and Ellie has…well what seems like a never-ending stream of her “bestest friends.” Even my team members claim to be her guests since they’ve known her longer. I couldn’t care less if safari animals started coming through the doors as long as my girl is happy. It’s really all about celebrating her and our little nugget anyway.
I sit in the corner and watch as she lights up the room, bringing a smile to everyone she sees. I realize with every arriving guest how lucky I am to have such a woman, and how lucky our children will be to have her as their mama. Even if I’ve never met the majority of the people here, I know how special they must be to Ellie.
I roll my eyes playfully as the doorbell rings for what has to be the thousandth time today, and make my way to let the newcomer inside. I’m prepared to greet them the same way I have all night, introducing myself as the lucky bastard who knocked up their friend when I open the door to a familiar face.
“Horace?” I hug my old friend and spin him around before closing the door behind us. “What are you doing here, man?”
“I’m here for Ellie of course! Wait.You’rethebastard who knocked her up?”
“Yep, that’s me!” I say proudly.
Ellie comes to greet Horace with a hug. “Girl, I don’t know which one of you is the lucky one here! I didn’t knowTeddywas the baby daddy!”
Ellie’s brow scrunches in confusion as she turns to face me. “Wait…you two know each other?
“He made me learn a whole Lady Gaga dance routine to perform together the day we met.” I chuckle, remembering the pride night party I attended when I first moved here. “He’s incredibly flexible for his age.”
Horace fans himself. “Phew, child, you just tell me if you ever want to test those limits more…intimately—”
“Horace!” Ellie gasps. “Stop hitting on my fiancé!”
“Girl, I don’t see no ring,” he sniffs.
“It’s in the shop right now getting adjusted.”
I bought it before I knew she was pregnant, and I wanted to get another stone added to symbolize our baby. I know we’ll have more, and maybe I’ll add a stone for each one, but this one is special.
“Alright, well, I’m going to go findthe punch. I know your Nonna has it spiked as hell. Oh, and congratulations to you both.”
I pull Ellie into my arms as Horace makes his way to the refreshments, hoping for a stolen moment of affection. Our lips have just met when someone slaps the absoluteshitout of my shoulder.
“Ow, what the fuck?” I turn to see Nikki grinning at me.
“Gabri just got here. Thought I’d save you from getting your ass beat…again!”
Nonna slaps Nikki on the back of the head. “You leave that poor boy alone, Niccolò.”
She wraps her arm around my back, and I pull her in for a bear hug, then wink at Nikki.
“Hey! You’re the one who told Ellie to find a man who’s not involved in hockey or the Mafia!”
“And? What’s your point?” she asks.
Nikki throws his hands out in my direction and opens his mouth to say something, then stops himself and sighs instead. “Nothing, Nonna. Never mind.”
“That’s what I thought…Oh! Mila dear, how was your tour?”
Mila and Gabri join us, with Thatcher right on their tail. He hasn’t been ten feet from my sister since he got here.
“It was very nice. Thank you, Gabriele. I feel much better about leaving Teddy here to go help run things in New York. Especially since Misha will be coming with me. It’s nice to know someone has his back.”
