“Fucking perfect,” Gio says as he looks at me.
He takes my face in both of his hands and kisses me on the lips so sweetly I start crying. I have zero control over my body right now, but that’s okay. Gio kisses the tears away and then helps me get dressed.
“You okay?” he asks once we’ve both gotten our clothes on.
“Yes,” I say, and I truly am. I’m filled with love and happiness and I’ve got two more pieces of Gio’s heart on the way. How could life get any better?
“Guess we’ve got to get home and tell everyone the good news,” Gio says, smiling from ear to ear.
“Hey, no fair. You got to tell everyone last time,” I say as we walk out of the office.
“Okay fine. But next time, it’s my turn.” He winks at me.
“Next time?” I can’t imagine having more than four kids. But I also can’t imagine a time when I tell Gio to pull out.
Yeah, next time.
Epilogue
Giovanni
Fifteen years later…
“I’ll need ten please,” I say, handing over my card.
“Ten?” the guy asks, and I roll my eyes.
“Congratulations, you heard me correctly.”
“Yes, sir. I’ll bring those right out.”
Emma elbows me in the ribs and I growl at her. Then she winks, and I’m a slave for her. Never in a million years did I think a woman like her would have me wrapped around her finger. But I guess I should have always known. She was the one I’d waited for, and now that I’ve finally got her I’ve spent my life making her happy. Which, in turn, makes me happy. The old saying is true. Happy wife, happy life.
“Go easy on the guy. I’m sure it’s not every day a couple with eight children comes in,” she scolds me.
It’s Christmas and we’ve decided to get the kids cell phones. Then we decided we wanted to get new ones for us so we can try to keep up with them.
“Please, one look at your curves and they understand why I can’t keep my dick out of you.” I pull her into my arms, and like always, she melts into me. Her arms go to my chest and my hands go to her ass. “This right here is the root of the problem,” I say, squeezing it.
“You keep saying that. But I don’t hear any complaints in the bedroom.”
“Or the shower,” I say, nibbling on her ear.
“Definitely not in the shower,” she agrees.
We had eight kids, all boys, before Emma said it was time to stop. I knew she couldn’t handle another pregnancy, even with her having three sets of twins. I wanted to try for a girl, but Emma said she liked being the only woman in my life. I’m selfish enough to admit that sometimes I get jealous of all the boys getting her attention, but she always makes time for each of us, so I can’t complain too much. Having eight kids is a lot to juggle, and I’ve never seen a better mother than her.
“You keep talking like that and I’ll have you bent over the table in this store,” I say in her ear.
“Please. You’re way too possessive to let anyone watch us, and this storefront is made of glass.”
“True,” I say, but grab her ass again anyway just because I can.
I still work with Sal, leading the Los Angeles mob and keeping our families protected. We’ve had peace for nearly two decades, and we plan to continue our life that way. When we were younger we had hope of growing our area and making money. We’ve done both and set down a legacy our children can be proud of. They may not understand it all at first, but in time, they will see that we are the ones who keep watch. We are the ones who make the place they live a safe place to be. I do hope that one day, when my sons are older, they will help carry on the name, just as Salvatore wishes for his sons. Just as our father before us did.
Emma and I have talked many times over the years and she knows everything about my life. I’ve never kept a secret from her, and as time passed she was okay with knowing more. She even began to help with our businesses and legitimized a lot of what we do. Just as Thea helps Salvatore lead, Emma helps me. We all work together as a family, because that’s what we truly are.
I joke a lot with her about how long it took her to find me. But in truth, we met at the exact right moment. I found her at a time when I was finally ready to take care of her, when I could handle all of my responsibilities and anything that came our way. Wanting to be a father and actually becoming one were two different things. But seeing Emma as a mother and a wife changed me forever.