Total pages in book: 62
Estimated words: 59004 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 295(@200wpm)___ 236(@250wpm)___ 197(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 59004 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 295(@200wpm)___ 236(@250wpm)___ 197(@300wpm)
“Congratulations,” Dad turns to Troy, extending his hand. “I want to fuckin’ punch you in the face and hug you all at the same time.”
“I’d say that’s fair,” he chuckles, taking Dad’s hand. The two of them embrace, and then Troy comes straight to me, wrapping his arm around me.
He kisses the top of my head. “I guess all that’s left to do is marry you, Liz.”
My heart flutters at his words, and I gaze up at him. “I think you have to ask my dad for his blessing first.”
“He knows he’s got it,” Dad huffs, folding his arms across his chest. “It’s still gonna be hard to get used to this for a while. We have a lot of business to sort out in the meantime.” The way he switches back to business brings me relief. I feel lighter than ever, leaning against the man that I’m madly in love with.
“We do, and I need to pay Vitali a visit tonight for trying to pull what he did on my woman,” Troy growls.
“And my daughter,” Henry adds.
“I think I’d like to have the night off from chaos,” I say, yawning as I rest my head against Troy’s chest.
“Then you can crawl into bed here and know that I’ll always keep you safe,” Troy says, kissing my head again. “I promise.”
EPILOGUE
ONE YEAR LATER…
Liz
“You’re literally the cutest baby girl in the whole world,” Beth coos, leaning over Ella’s crib as she sleeps soundly.
“Just don’t wake her up,” I warn my best friend before plopping down on the edge of Troy’s and my bed. “It’s been a nightmare getting her to sleep for over an hour.”
“Ah, yeah,” Beth nods, gesturing for us to head to the door. “Colic is the worst.”
I nod, pushing myself back up and leading the way to the door. “It’s worth it, though. We have to make it through.”
“Yeah, well, I’m glad Daniel gave me the day to have a break. I love Danny Junior, but ugh, I was dying to get out of the house.”
“I know the feeling,” I agree, heading to the stairs and turning on the baby monitor on my phone. “We do get to get out some, and I kind of like not working right now. All those civil suits were making me crazy.”
“So, soccer mom, it is then?” Beth teases, nudging me as we make our way to the kitchen.
“Ha ha.” I shoot her a glance. “I’m not ready for that title yet, though Troy’s already been looking at SUVs. He thinks it’s time to upgrade to a more family-friendly vehicle.”
Beth giggles. “He’s just the sweetest.”
I can’t argue with her. “He is.” My big, tough Mafia man is really a giant marshmallow on the inside.
“Is your dad still good with it all?” She leans against the counter as I reach for a bottle of wine and two glasses.
“Oh yeah,” I wave her off as I fill the two glasses. “He’s obsessed with Ella, and he always comes over with new toys—toys that she can’t even play with for another year. He’s already purchased a foal from one of the big farms upstate, too. It’s insane. The girl is more spoiled than I was.”
“I’m not surprised,” Beth laughs as she takes the wine glass I hold out for her. “That’s how grandparents are. It’s only probably going to get worse, too. You’re an only child, so that’s all the grandkids he will ever have.”
“True,” I reason. “But I’m determined not to have just one.”
Beth’s eyebrows shoot up. “Oh? When are you going to start trying for number two?”
I grin. “I want them to be as close as possible.”
“No…”
“Yeah,” I shoot her a smirk. “We’ll still wait until Ella is a year old before we start trying. I think two years is close enough. Some say that’s too hard, but I can handle it. Troy is a freaking dream when it comes to Ella.” I smile proudly, my eyes drifting toward the wedding photo on the wall above the breakfast table across the room. We were married within two months of that night, and I don’t regret it a bit.
“You’re lucky, you know. Daniel is helpful, but sometimes his help can be frustrating,” Beth giggles. “When he dresses him… Oh my god, it’s like nothing ever matches. You’d think he was color blind.”
I burst out laughing. “Maybe he is.”
“He’s not,” Beth sighs. “I made him take a quiz online. It turns out he can see all the colors perfectly. He just can’t put them together very well.”
We laugh and sip our sweet red wine, enjoying the late afternoon sun peeking through the windows.
“Who would’ve thought we’d both be married and have babies at the same time,” I think aloud, just as the front door chimes. My heart jumps with excitement. Troy’s come home early, and that’s always welcome.