Total pages in book: 62
Estimated words: 57287 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 286(@200wpm)___ 229(@250wpm)___ 191(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 57287 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 286(@200wpm)___ 229(@250wpm)___ 191(@300wpm)
My phone buzzed with Ella's FaceTime call. I sank deeper into my window seat as I answered, and her face filled the screen. "Hey girl, missed your face!" She paused, frowning. "Wait, what's that noise?"
"Kitchen chaos," I flipped the camera to show her Nico trying to maintain order while Sofia 'helped' with dinner. "Three hours and counting of culinary adventures."
"Oh my God." She dissolved into giggles as Rocco unleashed a string of Italian curses while chasing after Sofia. "How did we end up here? Me with my prince charmings and you with your dangerous protectors all playing house?"
I laughed quietly. "At least yours can sing. Mine are tone deaf; well, except maybe Luca."
"Yeah, but can mine disassemble a gun blindfolded?" Her eyes sparkled. "Though I have to say, watching your bad boys turn into overprotective dads might just be the sweetest thing I've ever seen."
"I know. Who would've thought?" I grinned, watching Sofia successfully dodge another attempt at kitchen containment. "And now with the new baby coming..."
"Our lives are ridiculous," she grinned. "And perfect."
"They are." I rested my hand on my belly, smiling at the tiny secret there. "Think we'll ever get used to this?"
"God, I hope not." Her laugh bubbled through the screen. "Normal is overrated anyway."
After we hung up, Vincenzo appeared silently beside me, offering tea the way he always did when I got lost in thought. His fingers brushed mine as he handed me the cup, that subtle touch that was so him, quiet care wrapped in unshakeable strength. "The twins are competing again over who Sofia takes after more," he murmured, his lips curving slightly. The port documents under his arm reminded me how far we'd come—turning shadow empires into legitimate businesses, building something real from the ashes of what Vittorio destroyed.
Speaking of my daughter—a blur of dark curls and yellow dress streaked past the library door, Rocco in pursuit with what looked like tomato sauce on his shirt. Some things never changed.
"Got you, principessa!" Rocco's triumphant declaration was followed by Sofia's delighted squeals.
"Poor bambina," Enzo drawled from where he lounged in the doorway, that devastating grin still making my heart skip even after all this time. "Though she's learning from the best when it comes to enthralling dangerous men." He winked at me, a reminder of how thoroughly we'd all fallen under each other's spells.
The scent of garlic and basil drifted up from the kitchen, along with Nico's voice explaining something about proper sauce technique. Luca had been determined to learn family recipes lately—I'd caught him practicing gnocchi at midnight last week, that fierce concentration on his face melting into joy when I'd kissed the flour off his cheek.
My hand drifted to my stomach, the tiny curve there still our secret. Well, mostly secret.
Giuliano's warmth pressed against my back, his arms sliding around me. I leaned into him, watching our family's garden bloom. His thumb traced patterns over my stomach—a gesture that made me freeze.
"How long have you known?" I asked softly.
His laugh rumbled through his chest. "About as long as everyone else, I'd guess. We've been taking bets on when you'd tell us."
Suddenly, so many little things clicked into place—Nico's insistence on extra portions at dinner, Vincenzo's careful selections of safe plants for the garden, the twins' mysterious meetings over what I now realized were nursery designs. Even the way Luca and Enzo had tag-teamed to keep me away from the east wing renovations made sense.
"We're not exactly subtle, tesoro," Giuliano murmured, pressing a kiss to that sensitive spot below my ear that still made me shiver. "Though watching everyone try to keep the secret has been entertaining."
I turned in Giuliano's arms, placing his hand more firmly over our growing miracle. "We're having another baby."
The joy that lit his face made my eyes sting. Before he could speak, thundering footsteps announced we were about to lose our private moment. They appeared one by one, drawn by some instinct that told them something important was happening.
They gathered around us, each finding their way to touch me—Enzo's hand warm at my waist, Angelo's fingers threading through mine, Rocco ruffling my hair in that way that always made me laugh. Luca dropped a kiss on my head while Vincenzo's steady presence at my back grounded me. Even Nico abandoned his kitchen to join our circle, still trying to maintain his dignity despite the flour in his hair.
Sofia squeezed between them all, climbing into my lap with the natural confidence of someone who knew she was universally adored.
My hand found the curve of my stomach as I watched the city lights blur beyond our garden. The future we were building here wasn't perfect—it was messy and complicated and absolutely real.
Just like us.
THE END