Epilogue – Sage
Two and a Half Years Later
I t took a lot of sex and some threats of releasing a video of Elias singing karaoke, but I finally convinced him to move out of the city and to the suburbs.
Mafia Dons don’t live in homes with white picket fences, he had argued.
Well, they do now.
I’m in the kitchen grabbing an iced tea and some chips to bring outside to the barbecue. I waddle my ass out the door and down the steps with the bowl of Doritos on my hip and the glass of tea in my hand.
“Sage!” Elias grumbles, reaching me the moment I step on grass. “You should be staying off your feet. ”
He grabs the bowl and holds out his arm for me to use as a crutch.
Despite my stubbornness about not wanting to accept his help, I sigh at the release of pressure it provides.
“I’m fine. I’ve been through this before. I know my limits.”
“You almost died giving birth the first time,” Del snorts as we reach the chairs placed around the fire pit in the backyard.
I scowl at my brother-in-law and motion the tips of my fingers across my neck.
“I didn’t almost die,” I say as Elias helps lower me into the Adirondack chair. “I passed out because of a uterine rupture that caused blood loss.”
Noah slaps the back of her hand against Del’s chest. He mouths ‘what’ at her, and she shakes her head.
“This pregnancy is being closely monitored too.” I turn my scowl to my husband. “By the live-in doctor somebody just had to hire.”
Elias holds up his hands. “I’m not taking chances.”
I roll my eyes but smile because my Level 100 Clinger hasn’t changed at all.
“I’m on Elias’s side,” Noah says, giving him a wink.
She does that to piss off Del, and he reacts accordingly by balling his hands into fists.
“The only person I trust with her life is Elias,” she continues .
“Yeah, because he’s fucking obsessed,” Del grumbles.
Kevin, the corgi that Noah got for Del a few years ago, barks as it chases Imogen around the backyard. My little girl giggles, her little fingers trying to get a hold of the dog, but Kevin is too fast for her.
She trips over something in the yard, and I jolt, ready to get up to help, but I don’t move as fast as I normally do with this baby boy in my belly, now four weeks away from entering the world.
Elias prepares to stand, too, but Immy gets back up and continues laughing while running around after the dog.
She’s the spitting image of Elias. Dark wavy hair and blue eyes. Elias says her chipmunk cheeks and attitude are from me.
Little Gene better have blonde hair and greenish-blue eyes like me.
“I don’t know how you do it,” Noah says with a sigh.
She takes a drink of wine and relaxes in the chair. She’s wearing shades and a bikini top with short shorts since it’s summer and hot as hell.
Noah and Del live next door, but we have a pool, so they’re always over here on sunny days. At least, when they’re not traveling the world killing the corrupt and powerful.
“So you and Del are still not interested in having kids?” Elias asks .
“No, no, no,” she says with a laugh. “I’m perfectly fine being Aunt Noe.”
“And Uncle Dwel,” Del adds.
Dwel is what Immy calls him since she can’t say Del correctly yet.
“We have Kevin. We have our weapons. We have lots of uninterrupted travel and sex.”
“Hey!” I protest. “We have that too!”
Never mind that Immy tried to barge into our room this morning while Elias was balls deep.
I’ve never been hornier in my life. My obstetrician said increased libido is normal for pregnancy.
We also travel plenty. Last year, Elias and I made it to LA for a WWE taping and a trip to Disneyland. And just a few months ago, we went to Disney World. Immy was in heaven the entire time, and I can’t wait to bring her back when she’s older.
My parents were also more than happy to watch Imogen for two weeks while Elias and I traveled to all the places he promised he’d take me.
I flip off my best friend, and she sticks out her tongue at me.
Elias kisses the top of my head as he stands to check on the burgers and hot dogs on the grill. Del joins him, beer in hand as they talk animatedly. It’s probably about wrestling, or baseball, or something stupid like if they would win in a fight against a bear .
Elias is in full-on dad mode, and my heart squeezes at the sight.
He’s wearing an apron that says, ‘Hi Hungry, I’m Dad,’ and he was so fucking proud of that purchase.
He’s also retired some of his all-black mob outfits in exchange for brighter shirts.
I nearly choked on my juice the other morning when he walked out in a Hawaiian shirt and blue shorts.
He’s still in charge of the Five Boroughs Alliance, but he’s stepped back some to spend more time with his family. His uncle, Martin, and head of security, Jax, are taking charge, only looping in Elias when necessary.
He’s more of a CEO now.
My event planning business was a near-overnight success, and I know it’s all because of Elias and his connections.
I’ve had to expand three times now, adding dozens of employees each time just to keep up with demand.
Of course, now I’m on maternity leave, so I’ve left other people in charge for the next year—which is how long I plan to be out of commission.
As for Noah and Del, they run a successful business that appears legal on paper—a travel agency—but it’s just a cover for their murder-for-hire company. They still take on jobs, mostly pro-bono ones, but they’ve also scaled back on that life.
We’re getting a little bit of both worlds.
That normal life and the one that brought us all together .
Noah picks up her book and sighs as she flips it open.
I’m so glad to see her happy.
She deserves this peace and the man who helped her get to this point.
“Deadly Obsession?” I ask, noticing the title and the half-naked couple embracing on the cover.
Noah peeks over the top of the book and wags her eyebrows.
“It’s so good. This woman walks into a nightclub owned by a mafia boss.
She’s in trouble, running from an abusive ex, so she asks this dangerous man for help.
He becomes obsessed with her, killing everyone who’s hurt her in her life.
But then she becomes a target to his rival so they get married that way he can protect her. ”
“Sounds familiar,” I snort.
“There’s a ton of sex too. Like, chapter one he’s fucking her.”
“Sold. Can I read it after you?”
“What’s mine is yours, sister.”
I still get giddy when Noah calls me that. Neither of us had siblings, so I never imagined I’d have someone who I can call sister, even if it’s only through marriage. Noah has always been my best friend. From the moment we met, I knew she’d be someone special in my life.
“Food’s done,” Elias announces. He’s already preparing mine and Imogen’s plates .
Noah helps me out of the chair, and we all head over to the picnic table.
We pile food on our plates. Noah and Del brought pasta salad and brownies that they baked together.
I call Imogen over, and Elias sets her on the bench next to me. She’s perched on her knees as she picks up the hotdog to eat, smearing ketchup and mustard on her face.
“What’s in this pasta salad?” Elias asks, taking a big bite. “It’s really good.”
“Nothing crazy,” Noah says. “Some feta cheese, red wine vinegar, garlic, and Dijon mustard.”
“And nuts,” Elias wheezes.
“Yeah! Walnuts. I almost forgot,” Noah beams.
“Oh, shit. I forgot to tell you, Rainbow Bright.” Del winces. “My brother’s allergic to nuts.”
I sigh and scooch myself out of the picnic table.
Elias is already stabbing himself with his EpiPen that he keeps in a cute little holster around his shoulders. Not all the time, mostly when he’s expecting to eat somewhere.
I’m not taking chances, he’d said.
“Noah, watch Immy,” I say and point at Del. “You help me. Thankfully walnuts aren’t as bad as peanuts.”
Del follows me into the house to grab Elias’s oxygen tank from the bathroom. By the time we return, Elias is breathing somewhat normally, likely after using his inhaler and taking some Benadryl .
“Did I tell you about the time I baked chocolate chip and walnut cookies for Elias and almost killed him?” I say to Noah.
She snorts. “Girl, this is so funny.”
“Thanks a lot,” Elias grumbles.
“No, I just mean you’re this scary, dangerous mafia guy, but a little ole nut could literally take you out. Could you imagine if your enemies knew this?”
I gasp. “That’s what I said! Death by nut.”
Noah and I break out into a fit of giggles and Imogen joins in despite having no idea what we’re talking about. She just knows something’s funny.
Even Del is amused.
“You’re all so fucking hilarious,” Elias gripes.
“Dada, you said a bad word,” Immy scolds.
“Sorry, belle fille.” Beautiful girl. “Daddy will put a dollar in the jar later.”
She twists herself on the picnic table bench to hug Elias’s big belly.
The other day, she asked if he was also growing a baby in there, and I peed my pants laughing so hard.
Elias kisses the top of Imogen’s head and gives me a wink. Pressure builds behind my eyes.
My perfect little life with my obsessive mafia man.
He gave me the bad romance.
Except it was never bad at all.
The End