Epilogue
Their son was born on a steaming hot day that seemed to mirror the boy’s screaming, furious entry into the world.
They named him Felipe. And promised each other they would do everything they could to support his fiery spirit.
And so they did. Raising both their children in the best ways they knew how, letting his mother spoil her grandchildren, telling them stories of the brother he’d lost too soon and surrounding themselves in love.
Mara introduced him to her family and slowly the Delgado and the Valdez clans became more intertwined than not.
When Daniela was done with university, she came to work at Sosten as Mara’s assistant.
Mara’s mother came and stayed with them sometimes, doting on her grandchildren and mending frayed ties with her daughter.
Christmases and other holidays were hosted at the castle on the island, with all of Mara’s many nieces and nephews running about with Julia and Felipe. And sometimes, Mara and Agustin came to the castle just the two of them, to toast the place that had finally brought them together.
There had been talk the first few years. Of course there was talk. Agustin would do anything and everything to keep it from his children, from his wife, but at the end of the day, more important than anything was just his family knowing that he loved them.
He would always love them.
“I hope you are not doing what I think you are doing.”
He turned from his crouched position to face his wife. Since they were on summer holidays, her hair wasn’t in one of its tight twists, just a band so the curls trailed down her back. She wore brief shorts and a ratty T-shirt and a very, very disapproving frown.
Felipe had been driving her crazy by turning the playroom into a kind of jungle gym. Agustin thought the answer was installing an actual indoor jungle gym in the playroom.
He stood, looked sheepishly at her.
“You are going to have to learn to say no to them,” she said sternly, but she crossed over to him, slid her arm around his waist and sighed. “He’s going to be a menace on this.”
“Perhaps he will be an Olympian of some kind, and we are simply giving him the training grounds to reach his goals.” He wrapped an arm around her, holding her close.
“You’re a pushover, Agustin Delgado,” she muttered, but she leaned her head onto his shoulder.
“You know me so well,” he murmured, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.
She tilted her head to look up at him with a loving smile. The heart of his life. “I do,” she said, before pressing her mouth to his.