Epilogue
Five Years later
“Rosie!” I call out, shifting Aster higher against my shoulder. “Be careful and listen to Gio!”
The four-year-old throws me a gap-toothed grin over her shoulder before cannonballing off the side of the pool. Water splashes everywhere, catching the sunlight like shattered glass.
The air is warm with late afternoon sun, thick with the smell of chlorine and the sound of splashing water.
Rosie lifts her tiny arm and waves back at me, all curls and determination as she dog-paddles toward Gio.
He’s thirteen and already trying to be a little man, chest puffed out like he can take on the entire world.
Gwen and I can’t stop laughing. The sight of them—Gio trying to wrangle Rosie, Toni kicking like a little storm at seven years old, and Mia, so patient, guiding them all with her long, graceful strokes—feels like summer bottled.
Even King cannot choose between jumping into the pool or chasing butterflies that are just trying to rest on flowers.
Aster stirs against my chest, a small, warm weight in my arms. One-year-old and already so much of Aleksandr in those stormy grey eyes.
I kiss the soft curls at the crown of her head and adjust the light muslin blanket over her.
She smells like baby lotion and milk, a sweetness that has taken over every inch of me.
I laugh softly, brushing my lips over Aster’s dark curls. “I don’t think we’ve had a calm day since I met Aleksandr.”
“I feel like that’s the entry requirement for this family,” Gwen giggles from her chair beside me, her legs stretched out in the sun.
She’s not wrong. My life has been a storm from the moment I crossed paths with Nadia—and when Aleksandr claimed me, it became something else entirely.
Wild. Fierce. Beautiful. Looking down at Aster’s sweet face, her lashes fanning over her cheeks, I know with absolute certainty that every whirlwind, every fight, every moment that led here was worth it.
My gaze drifts away from her to the other side of the pool, where the air smells faintly of charcoal and smoke.
Alek stands at the grill, his attention split between flipping burgers and talking with Nik, who’s carefully turning skewers of kebabs.
They’re deep in conversation—probably sports, knowing them—but my eyes linger on Aleksandr. On the easy way his hands move, strong and sure, the sleeves of his shirt rolled to his elbows, buttons undone just enough to reveal a glimpse of sun-warmed skin, abs streaked with a smear of grill grease.
Even after all these years, the sight of him still makes my chest tighten in ways I can’t put into words.
I chose right. I chose him. I’d choose him every single time.
The sliding glass door opens behind me with a quiet sweep, and I glance back as Nadia steps out, Sho’s hand in hers.
They look so casual, so unbothered, but I know her well enough to catch the brightness in her expression.
I’ve seen her through so many versions of herself: the goth phase that left even our teachers wary, the punk rock streak that lasted for years, the guarded, bristling years when everything she did was shaped by Bratva expectations.
I never thought I’d see this version—her edges softened by something like joy, a spark in her eyes that makes her look almost young again. And all because of him.
The past hasn’t been smooth. We’ve all bled for this peace, and I know life has a way of testing the walls you build around happiness. But right now, here, in this small sunlit corner of our world, it feels like we’ve carved out something untouchable. A pocket of paradise.
A shadow falls across me, pulling me from my thoughts. I tilt my head up and find Aleksandr standing there, his gray eyes soft and steady, as if I am the only thing in his view. My heart flutters in my chest.
“Hey, Moya. Food’s ready.” His voice is gentle, grounding.
With one arm, he lifts Aster from me, holding her easily against his shoulder, and with his other hand he offers his palm to me.
I slide mine into it and he pulls me up effortlessly, only to tug me closer and kiss me, slow and sure, as if there’s no one else around.
“C’mon, kids. Time to eat!” he calls over his shoulder, his deep voice carrying across the pool.
The water splashes as the kids climb out, droplets sparkling in the sun as they run for towels, and one by one, everyone gathers at the long outdoor table.
King takes his royal throne next to Rosie, the weakest link when it comes to spoiling him.
Aleks and Nik have laid out a feast—burgers piled high, skewers dripping juice, salads glistening with dressing. It smells like summer and safety.
I settle into my seat, and Alek drops into the chair beside me. The heat of the grill still clings to his skin, and when he wraps an arm around me, pulling me close for one more embrace, I melt into him without hesitation.
“My Moya,” he whispers against my temple, his voice quiet but sure, filled with the kind of peace I know he’s been searching for his whole life.
I tip my head up to meet his gaze. “All yours.”
Thank you for reading Lily and Alek’s story, I hope you enjoyed it as much I did writing it.