Epilogue
ANGEL
The Tyrrhenian Sea spread out like a sheet of crushed sapphires beyond the cliff edge.
I settled deeper into my lounge chair, eyes on Mila.
A small fan whirred nearby, keeping our sleeping baby cool.
She slept hard, her tiny fists bunched up by her chin.
Out in the turquoise pool, Roxy drifted on an inflatable.
Her black-and-white swimsuit hugged her delectable curves, as the Mediterranean sun glazed her tanned skin.
Her pixie cut was growing into a halo of soft, dark curls that framed her stunning face, reminding me how beautiful she was.
She shifted on the float, adjusting her glasses, and my heart squeezed with so much love for her.
My wife was pure fire and moxie.
She was daring, passionate, and defended me to the death.
She forgave while I brooded.
She called me out on my shit, pushed me to be better, and taught me how to have honest, uncomfortable conversations.
We were two flawed souls in a real partnership; she was decisive where I got flustered, and while she hated waiting, I brought the patience.
I loathed asking for help, but she showed me how to rely on her just as she relied on me.
She took care of Mila and me with incredible tenderness, cherishing her role as a mother while thriving as an exceptional artist, cook, and entertainer.
She appreciated that I took care of our material needs, yet she brought the magic: the laughter, the kindness, the sass; with hips that worked wonders in bed, with a sensuality that drove me wild.
Neither of us was perfect, but she was absolute perfection for me.
She was wise, thoughtful, and kind to everyone she met, and she adored me unconditionally.
And of all the men in the world, she chose me with an unyielding force years before I did, which made way for our mind-blowing love.
As I thought of it, I got hit with the yearning to hold her close.
So I took one more glance at my sleeping baby, confirming she remained safe in her crib.
Rising, I shed my vest and slipped into the pool in shorts.
The water parted around my chest as I pushed through the ripples, targeting the float.
I moved without a sound until I reached Roxy’s side.
I cupped my palm and flicked a spray of water straight onto her midriff.
Roxy knifed up, her eyes flashing fire, though a smile tugged at her lips.
‘Angel, honey, how dare you!’
With a chuckle, I lunged forward, catching her waist, and hoisted her off the inflatable into the pool with me.
She sputtered and trembled at the change in temperature on her skin as I wrapped my arms around her.
‘You’re in such fuckin’ trouble, Angel Daniel Forrest,’ she murmured.
‘Is that right? How much?’
‘This much.’
She leaned back, whipped down her bikini top, then tugged it up again before I had the chance to feast my eyes.
‘Not fair.’
I growled possessively, my hand going to her neckline.
She pushed it away.
‘All’s fair in love and war, baby. You pulled me in the water when I was all toasty and warm; now you’ve got to work for it.’
I growled into her ear. ‘Bring it on.’
She wrapped her legs around my waist, her damp skin pressing against mine.
I locked my arms behind her back and claimed her lips.
We kissed as the world dissolved around us.
This was heaven; heck, it was bliss.
She was what I’d always needed in a wife, the one my foolish heart never imagined.
Thank the heavens fate intervened, and I now got to love the better sister.
She laughed out loud when I nibbled her ear, distracting her, managing to cup her breast and flick her nipple, driving both her and me wild.
Fuck I loved her.
‘You’ll always be mine, mama. My beginning, my middle and end.’
I shifted to singing, in a husky vibrato.
‘When weakness hits, and my shadows crawl / Down a dead-end street / I reach up high, knowing grace will find me before I fall / She will embrace me / I’m lovin’ Roxy instead.’
She bit her lip, which always turned the heat up for me, as I rumbled into her ear, nipping her lobe.
‘You’re my true salvation, babe. I’ll always adore you.’
‘And I you, forever and a day, my angel,’ she whispered back as my soul flew into the clear blue skies, soaring high over us.