Mafia's Broken Omega (Mated in the Mafia #6)

Epilogue

CORD

We were in the grocery store when I rounded a corner and found Avery standing in a puddle with water pooling around his feet. Shock was painted across his pale face like he'd just witnessed an unsolvable crime.

"Cord." He clutched his stomach. "It's time."

We don't need anything at the store, love

Let’s see if we can get it delivered, my sweet.

Please, Avery. I don’t think a trip to the store in your condi–

That last comment had been cut off with a stern glare from my largely pregnant husband. My protests about going to the store had fallen on deaf ears. He was hell-bent on going, and no amount of logic or reasoning was going to stop him.

We had spent months preparing for this moment, but all those plans went straight out the window when I was faced with the actual reality of having a baby. The cart was full of items we had selected–including several boxes of the peanut butter cookies Avery couldn’t get enough of. I left the cart in the aisle and hurried him into the car. “Don’t worry, sweetheart. I’ve got you.”

Why hadn’t we had Davison drive us? Oh yeah, because Avery insisted that he wanted it to be just the two of us to go on this outing.

After getting Avery into the backseat, I hopped in the front. I fired off a quick text to my contact at the hospital to let them know we were on our way. We had opted for a hospital delivery rather than utilizing the Ferrini house, because as much as I loved Andro, I didn’t wish to be indebted to him for all the things. Plus, I had plenty of connections at the local hospital. The tires screeched as I peeled out of the parking lot. The town car handled nicely and was imposing enough that people got out of our way.

"You’ve got this, Avery. You’re gonna do great." The words spewing out of my mouth were more for me than for him. I’d never been great in emergency situations. I caused emergency situations, I didn’t deal with them.

"Just breathe." His voice was surprisingly calm. “Don’t get us into an accident.”

When I glanced at him in the rearview mirror, I saw Avery grinning at me through clenched teeth. “I need you to get us all there in one piece.”

I inhaled a long, slow breath and nodded as I blew it out. “Yeah, you’re right. You’re the one who’s supposed to be panicking.”

Avery laughed. “No one needs to panic.” He grimaced and started panting quickly through a contraction. Sweat beaded on his brow and was soaking through the oversized T-shirt he wore. When he could speak again, he groaned. “Okay, I’m gonna panic a little. I can’t have this baby in a car.”

He was trying to lighten the tense atmosphere, but every word he said sounded like a ticking clock in my mind. His contractions were just a few minutes apart and getting closer with each round. "Remember how you told me to breathe?" I turned onto the main street where the hospital was. Almost there. "Now's the time for you to practice."

The sound of his laughter steadied my nerves as I pulled up to the emergency room doors. I left the keys in the console so they could move it or tow it or steal it for all I cared. I just needed to get my omega inside. "We’re here now. You doing okay?" I opened my door to grab him.

"More worried about you." He had his door open before I got to it and was already trying to climb out.

“Here, let me.” I carried him close to my chest as I ran through the double doors. “Help!”

Nurses appeared on both sides of me, and I was quickly lowering Avery into a wheelchair as they led us into the artificially bright lobby.

“Mr. Mennetti, welcome. We’ve been expecting you, and we have everything ready.” The nurse stared at us with kind eyes and a bright smile.

I was a mess, but Avery was cool and collected, just like he'd been in the car. "See?" he whispered as he squeezed my hand. "Nothing to worry about."

I finally exhaled, then leaned down and kissed him. “You were right, as always.”

Just a few minutes later, Avery was reclined in a bed with a doctor and two nurses orbiting around him. His breaths grew more ragged as he squeezed my hand.

“You’re doing great.” I wiped the hair from his brow and kissed his forehead. “So good.”

He bore down when the doctor told him to push, and I held my breath, wishing I could transfer my strength into him.

The delivery room was sterile and bright as his chest heaved from the exertion. All I could do was stay close and let him crush my fingers with each powerful squeeze. "You've got this." I wanted to come up with something more reassuring and witty, but all I could do was repeat those words again and again. “We’re going to meet our little girl very soon, love. You’re doing so great.”

"Just one more big push." The doctor’s voice was smooth and confident, bringing me a sense of calm that I desperately needed. At least one of us knew what we were doing. If my enemies could see me now…

I tuned out the activity around me and focused on breathing with Avery, keeping him centered while he welcomed our daughter into the world.

When the nurse placed our baby girl on Avery's chest, I was speechless. Tears filled my eyes as I stared at the impossibly small, impossibly perfect bundle with dark hair and deep dimples. My heart caught in my throat as I kissed Avery. “You did it, sweetheart. She’s perfect.”

Avery looked down at her with a soft and loving expression. "She looks like you."

“I hope she’s smart and sweet and kind like you.” I looked at them both, the two people who were now the center of my universe. Nothing else I’d been dealing with truly mattered, as long my little family was safe and sound.

He reached out, took my hand. “I love you, Cord.”

I pressed my lips to his. “I love you too, Avery.”

Our baby girl was snug against the man I loved more than I thought possible. I couldn't believe how lucky I was. I wanted to shout to the world about this miracle we'd pulled off. Instead, I just watched my mate fall in love with our sweet baby.

After a while, Avery's eyes began drooping and his grip relaxed.

“I've got her," I murmured as I took her from his arms and transferred her to mine. I had my shirt open so I could nestle her against my bare skin. Avery and I had read all about skin-to-skin and kangaroo care.

“Wait.” He seemed to perk up and shifted toward me, curling into my side. "What should we name her?"

She seemed to look right at me for a moment before her eyes drifted closed. "Sofia."

He nodded against my shoulder. “Yeah, that’s perfect.”

The two of us were worn out but exhilarated as we tried to memorize every second of her new life. "She's everything, isn't she?" His voice held all the love and awe I felt.

"More than everything." There was a lump in my throat that was overwhelming, the fullness of it, like the universe had given us this single, perfect moment and asked for nothing in return.

He rubbed the soft fuzz on the top of her head. “How did you come up with the name Sofia?”

"After my baby sister." I swallowed hard, unable to imagine how hard it must have been for my family to lose her so soon after her birth. "Feels like she's here with us."

Avery nodded and kissed my shoulder. "It’s perfect."

"I can't believe we did it," I finally said, brushing my thumb across our daughter's impossibly soft cheek. Her eyes blinked open and they bounced between me and Avery. Her daddies. "We're gonna give her everything, Avery. Everything I had, and everything I didn't."

Avery chuckled softly. “In a house full of alphas like Rosco and Knox? Between the three of you, this girl will want for nothing. She’ll be a princess.”

She already was.

In a day or so, we’d be going home. But I was already home. With the love of my life and our precious baby girl, I had my whole world in my arms.

This was my family, and I would never let it go.

Next in this series…

Rosco has been chasing down lead after lead to figure out who is coming after the family. But every time he gets close to an answer, his source ends up dead and he’s back to square one. Until the day he gets lucky and sees the man behind all the threats. And that particular omega is the last person he expects it to be.

Orlando Russo has one goal in life. Take out the man who destroyed his family. Unfortunately, that man heads one of the strongest families in the state and is aligned with the one family who should be aligned with the Russos. Which means Ori has some negotiations to do. And he knows exactly who to start with.

Every man has a price, and as an unmated omega, Orlando has everything he needs to manipulate Rosco to get what he wants. At any price.