Epilogue
EPILOGUE
ARIANNA
Six Months Later
I stared at the little bundle in my arms with the dark hair and the complexion of his father. Our little boy decided to make an early appearance and I couldn’t say that I was upset about it, because he was born in Italy. Just like his papa.
“I hope Matteo’s back soon,” I muttered, missing him already. My husband went to buy a car seat since our son made an early appearance.
“I’m sure he will be.” Gianna sat at the foot of my bed, stretching her back. Matteo’s and my parents went to grab some food, putting Gianna in charge of my well-being. I wasn’t sure how smart that was because she eyed my son like he was some sort of alien. “Well, he looks like his papa. Huge and hairy,” Gianna drawled. “Hope your… pussy… survived such a big baby.”
I pursed my lips and met my sister’s gaze while my son slept safe and sound in my arms.
“My pussy’s just fine, thanks for your concern.” Her attention fell back to my son and I softened my voice as I asked, “Would you like to hold your nephew?”
“It feels wrong,” she muttered.
My brows furrowed. “Wrong? Of course not. It’s the right thing to do. He’s your nephew.”
She smiled. “I feel like I’m cutting in line.”
“I don’t understand.”
She waved her hand. “You will.”
I sighed. Sometimes it was impossible to keep up with all the brilliant minds in our family. “If you say so.”
“My baby nephew is perfect.” Her expression softened as she watched his face.
“The offer to hold him is still up for grabs,” I teased.
She flashed me a smile. “I’m going to take you up on it, I promise.”
I chuckled. “Okay. Now tell me what have you been up to?”
This time she grinned. “Oh, do I have a scoop for you!”
“A scoop?” I asked slowly. You never knew what you’d hear from Gianna. “Please tell me you’re talking about gelato. Matteo would probably love some ice cream right now.”
She scoffed. “What do I look like, an ice cream freezer? No, I have a scoop on the man who helped us escape.”
I stiffened and pressed my son to my chest protectively. “You found his location?”
Over the last two years, she had been unsuccessful in learning the location of the man who saved us. Not even Matteo could dig up anything.
“No,” Gianna answered. “But I know he’s on our side.”
“I doubt that any FBI agent is on our side,” I whispered. “You do know what our families do.”
She shrugged. “Well, the guy is definitely on our side.”
“How do you know that?”
She shrugged. “I asked him.”
“You asked him,” I repeated slowly.
“Yep.”
“You talked to an FBI agent?” She must have thought me dense because she gave me a “why do you keep asking dumb questions” look.
“Yep.”
My eyes widened and I glanced around us, although my hospital room was empty. “Are you crazy?”
“No, I’m not, but thanks for asking.” She waved her hand nonchalantly. “Don’t go into panic mode. I have him and this whole situation under control. We regularly exchange cryptic messages.”
I waved my free hand. “Under control? What cryptic messages?”
She shot me an exasperated look.
“The kind of messages nobody else can read.” Gianna was sharp and smarter than most men, although at this very moment, I had a hard time believing it myself. As if she read my thoughts, she flashed me a confident smile while her eyes twinkled mischievously. “Trust me, sis. He’s under my spell.”
“Hello, are you delusional? We’ll all end up in jail if he?—”
“Oh. My. Gosh.” She squealed so loud that my son stirred in my arms. “Is that a diamond? It’s freaking enormous.”
She yanked my hand and stared at the large stone. Matteo had given it to me after the most beautiful proposal a few months ago. Of course, we were already married, and the rascal had tattooed his name on my wedding finger, but I loved the gesture nonetheless.
But before anything else could be said, the door opened and my husband strode in, announcing, “Your surprise is here.”
I chuckled. “Don’t tell me you forgot I already gave birth to?—”
My words halted when I saw who was behind my husband.
“Surprise!” Hannah’s identical eyes watched me with that familiar sparkle and I sat up to run to her but she was faster. “Don’t you dare jump out of that bed like you didn’t just birth a giant.”
“Oh my gosh,” I cried, hugging her with my free hand while my son protested between us. I pressed a kiss on my sister’s cheek. “You look so good. So healthy.”
“I am. And so happy. I missed you so much.”
“Ditto.” Matteo made me so happy, loving me without reservation and with such possessiveness. But there was a piece of me that still missed her. “I can’t believe you’re here,” I breathed incredulously, then cooed at my son. “Your aunt Hannah is here.”
Matteo gently nudged me and took our son into his large arms. “That’s right, my son. Your aunt is here and she’s here to stay.”
My eyes darted between my twin and my husband. “Really?”
I met Gianna’s gaze, her previous words finally making sense. “I’ll hold my nephew after Hannah. The world is as it should be.”
“It certainly is,” Mom chimed in as she walked in, Dad’s arm wrapped around her. “All my babies are finally happy.”
“I object to still being called a baby,” Gianna grumbled, pressing a kiss to my son’s forehead. “For the love of God, Hannah, please hold the boy so I can finally hold him too.”
A laugh erupted and my heart glowed in my chest as I met my husband’s loving gaze, the chatter of our families a mere background noise.
Our family was finally whole again.