24. Epilogue
Cillian
Five months later
“ O h, fuck, right there!” Nova screams as my mouth is buried between her thighs. Her fingers tangle in my hair while mine pump in and out of her as my tongue circles her clit at a furious pace. Seconds later, her wet cunt tightens around my fingers and the taste of her orgasm floods my mouth. Fucking delicious . I slow my pace, following her down as her entire body melts into the mattress.
“God, that’s better than any alarm or cup of coffee in the world,” she moans with that doped-up smile on her face as I prowl up her body.
Then my fucking phone rings on the nightstand.
Nova groans as I look at the screen and see Eoghan’s name flashing.
“What?” I bark when I accept the call.
“Alessia’s on her way to the hospital. She’s having the baby,” he says excitedly.
“We’re on our way.”
I disconnect the call and look down at Nova’s sated smile. “We should shower and head to the hospital.”
Nova glances at my hard cock jutting out between us as I hold myself above her. “You wash my back and I’ll wash yours?”
I lean down and kiss her. “As long as you let me fuck you in the shower, I’ll wash anything you want.
“I’m a great multitasker.”
I hop off the bed and head to the bathroom while Nova is still lying in a mess of orgasmic bliss. “Come on, we need to make this quick.”
“Just what every girl wants to hear.”
“That mouth will get you in trouble one of these days,” I reply, walking back over to the bed.
“You know, you keep saying that, but—” She stops short to let out a loud squeal when I bend down, haul her up, and throw her over my shoulder, smacking her ass on the way to the bathroom. I open the shower door with her still over my shoulder and turn the water on.
“Hold on, you big brute! Let me take this off.”
When Nova gets her feet under her, she slides the three-carat ring from her left hand and places it on a little dish that sits next to the sink. When I sold off all those jewels from our heist in New Orleans, I held onto one. Of course, I made up for the money I would have gotten for it with my own deposit in her account since it was one of the more expensive pieces we lifted that night.
When I popped the question a month ago at the little bar she bought here in Boston, Nova’s eyes went wide as saucers as she looked at the ring.
“Is this…?” she asked, her eyes darting from mine then back to the ring.
“It is. Figured I’d hold onto it if I was ever in a position to nail down the little thief who stole my heart right after she stole my wallet.”
“That might not be the story to tell our kids one day.”
“We can tell them whatever you want, as long as you say yes.”
“Of course it’s a yes,” she said, and I slid the ring on her finger.
I smile, remembering that night. It’s right up there with the day she officially moved into my apartment and the day she opened the doors to her little bar with a distinct New Orleans flare to it. She wanted to bring Boston that crazy New Orleans voodoo that she obviously enraptured me with.
Turning toward me, she cocks her head to the side. “Why do you have that look on your face?”
“What look?”
“That one with the mushy smile.”
“You know why the wedding band goes on the left ring finger?” I ask, and her mouth quirks in a smile.
“Why?”
“Because people used to believe that the vein in that finger traveled directly to the heart. Of course, with modern science, they found out it wasn’t true, but I still like the sentiment.”
Nova cocks her head to the side and smirks. “You know, for a big, bad mob lieutenant, you sure are a softy.”
“Woman, that mouth…”
“This one?” She points her finger to her lips. “You love this mouth.”
“You’re lucky I do.” My arm wraps around her as I press my lips against hers. Kissing Nova is a high that no heist or territory takeover could compare to. She excites me and keeps me grounded in a way I never thought possible.
“You ever think about what would’ve happened if you hadn’t caught up to me at Geraldine’s?” she asks as I step into the shower, pulling her behind me.
“The only thing that would’ve happened is I’d still be looking for you.”
“To get your wallet back?”
I shake my head, bringing both of my hands up to cup her cheeks as I lead her under the spray. “To find the woman I want to spend the rest of my life with.”
And thank fuck for both of us that I found her.
“Now about that back washing…” I say, and Nova shoots me one of her wicked smiles as she leans up to take my mouth in a heart-stopping kiss.
We make it to the hospital about an hour later. Alessia’s bodyguard, Enzo, is sitting with Gemma and Eoghan, while Luca and Giada are standing with Mario Amatto, Maeve, and Cormac.
Giada spots us first and has a wide smile on her face as we walk up to the group, and she grabs Nova in a hug.
“Isn’t this exciting? We’re going to be aunties,” Giada exclaims.
In the last few months since Giada and Luca have been back from their extended honeymoon in Italy, the women have formed a close bond that Nova never had with anyone other than Harper. Giada and Gemma even went with Nova to New Orleans for a girls’ weekend with Harper. Alessia had to stay home because of doctor’s orders, but she made the girls promise to plan another trip after she had the baby, on Finn’s dime of course. Watching Luca fret over being away from his wife was honestly hilarious to watch, but he’s adamant that Giada gets to lead the life that she was never allowed to when she was under the oppressive thumb of both her father and brother. Eoghan reassured him that he had it covered, probably putting trackers on all their phones or some shit.
Cormac pats me on the shoulder and hands me a cigar. “The next generation of Monaghans. I’m so fucking lucky to be here to see this day.”
“If you light that cigar, Cormac Monaghan, you might not live to see the next one,” Maeve says, pulling it from his hand.
Cormac laughs and kisses his wife square on the mouth. “Yes, dear.”
“Is there any news?” I ask Maeve.
“A nurse came out about thirty minutes ago, since Lilliana and Finn didn’t want to leave Alessia’s side, and said everything was moving along. We should hear something soon,” she replies.
“Uncle Cillian has a nice ring to it,” Nova says, leaning up and kissing me.
“So does Nova Doyle,” Maeve interjects.
“Leave them alone, Mom,” Eoghan chimes in with a laugh. “They just got engaged.”
“You’re right,” Maeve replies. “Let’s talk about when you're going to slide the wedding band onto Gemma’s finger instead.”
Gemma laughs and Eoghan sits back in his chair. “Never mind,” he says and waves his hand at his mother. “Proceed with the inquisition.”
Maeve turns her attention back to us just before Alessia’s mother walks into the waiting area.
“She’s here,” Lilliana announces.
Mario walks up to his wife and envelops her in a strong hug as tears of joy run down her face.
“Let’s go see our granddaughter,” Cormac says. He grabs Maeve’s hand as Lilliana leads us to Alessia’s room.
“Aren’t there rules about how many people can be in the room at once?” Nova asks me as we follow the herd of our excited family.
“Sweetheart, no one in Boston is going to say no to the Monaghans,” I reply, kissing her on the forehead.
The suite they put Alessia in is huge but still crowded with the amount of people packed in it.
Finn is lying on the bed with his wife and daughter as we walk in, and when he looks at us, he’s wearing a smile bigger and brighter than any I’ve ever seen.
“Everyone, meet Isabella Lilliana Monaghan.” He looks down at his sleeping daughter in his wife’s arms and gently trails a finger over her cheek. “Izzy, this is your family,” he says in a soft voice.
In all the years I’ve been a part of the Monaghan family, I’ve never seen my best friend cry. But when he looks from his wife to his daughter, his eyes shine with the kind of tears you only have when you’re immeasurably happy. And I’d be lying if I didn’t feel my own eyes begin to well up.
The moment is broken when my phone begins vibrating in my pocket, and I pull it out to see Liam’s name flashing on the screen. I duck out of the room before accepting the call.
“Hey, kinda busy here. Alessia just had her baby,” I say.
“Good news, mate. Give them my congratulations.”
“Will do. What’s going on?”
“Well, since New York and New Orleans went so well with you working with our team, I was thinking you’d like to do it again. I could even use your girl’s skill set of relieving people of their belongings.” That’s a very Liam way to put it. “It will require a passport this time around, but good news is, I have my very own private jet now.”
“How is that good news for me?”
“Fair point. I may have wanted to brag for a moment.”
I shake my head. Fucking Liam .
“I’ll talk to Nova and get back to you.”
“Right, right. Check in with the missus. I’ll need confirmation by tomorrow if she agrees.”
“Jesus, you don’t give us much time.”
“Yeah, sorry about that, but it doesn’t always work that way.”
“Okay. I’ll call you later.”
I disconnect the call and head back into the room, taking my place next to Nova.
“Everything okay?” she asks, looking down at the phone in my hand and back to me.
“Liam wants us to help him with something that he apparently needs a pickpocket for.”
Nova’s lips tip up in a smile. “Good thing you know one.”
I lean down and press my lips against hers. “Correction. It’s the best thing.”
The End
Thank you so much for reading Cillian and Nova's story.