“And me,” Henrietta said.
“You did get your head blown off,” Isabella said.
“No, I just used a little tomato sauce and Damon helped with the rest. One of his soldiers did the shooting and we’re all good.”
“Oh, God, I killed a soldier.”
“That was one of my father’s men. He wasn’t part of the plot to bring him down.”
“Oh, thank God. I don’t want to kill innocent people.”
“No more innocent people will die,” Damon said. He cupped her face again and tilted her head back. “I love you. I won’t let anything happen to you and you will never doubt my feelings.”
She took his hand and slid the ring onto his finger. “And I love you and I want to be with you for the rest of our lives.”
“Now, I need to leave,” Randy said. “I better go and face the Boss.”
“Hey, maybe give him a hug, seeing as you two were able to work out your differences,” Damon said.
“What?” Isabella asked.
“I took Randy with me to organize all of this. To cut a long story short, let’s just say father and son have nothing to argue about anymore. They found something that worked for them. Now, back to my wife. I’m going to leave this piece of shit for others to deal with. I think my wife needs to be taken on a honeymoon and made love to so she knows just how much in love with her I am.”EpilogueTen years later“Daniella, you do not hit your brother like that. Not here,” Damon said.
“Oh, come on, Dad, he can take it. He’s older than me,” Daniella said.
“I’ve been told not to hit girls.”
Damon heard his wife laugh as she stood on the sidelines. She wore a floral dress that didn’t hide her heavily pregnant body. On her hip was their third child, Louise. August, his only son, was their eldest child.
From their last appointment at the hospital, they had said there would be another boy as well, but he didn’t care about the sexes of his children.
He loved them all equally.
“Yeah, well, we’re on the mat so anything goes,” Daniella said.
“Can I hit her, Dad?” August asked.
“No, this is just sparing. Daniella, I will put you in time out.”
“But I’ve got to be big and strong. If I don’t hurt my brother, who can I hurt?” Daniella asked.
“Show restraint and discipline. It’s not about hurting your opponent, Daniella. It’s about being able to protect yourself and listen to people who give you guidance and advice.”
Damon eased off the mat, going to his wife. He blew the whistle and he watched.
“Do you think we should put her in a time out for a couple of weeks?” Isabella asked.
“Nah, it’ll be fine. She’s going to learn one way or the other.”
He pulled his wife against him, taking their daughter from her hip and watching as Daniella and August finally sparred without killing each other.
“Do you regret this?” she asked.
“Not a single moment.”
He had his wife, three beautiful children with a fourth on the way, and he was happier than he thought was possible. Each night he had his wife in his arms, and he held her to go to sleep, and each morning, he made love to her.
Life couldn’t get any better than that.The End