Epilogue
Five Years Later
Mike
As I watched Ren chase our four-year-old daughter, Alessia Rose, around in the sand, my heart swelled with pure joy. It was days like this that made me unbelievably grateful for my life.
I couldn’t believe where the years had gone, but I wouldn’t trade a single moment for anything in the world.
Four months after our wedding, Ren received her work permit, and less than a year later, she and Vicky opened Bella Costa Design.
The name meant ‘beautiful coast,’ reflecting their love of both California and Italy.
Their motto was “California-inspired Italian luxury,” and the studio opened with much fanfare in a cute studio in La Jolla.
Laughing as my daughter tried her favorite gymnastic move, I thought back to the day she was born.
We had wanted to name her after Grammy and decided to use it as her middle name.
Alessia meant ‘strong protector,’ and that was exactly what she was.
Even though she wasn’t the oldest among the ‘cousins,’ she was bossy enough to think so.
I got an eye roll from my beautiful wife when I suggested our little girl didn’t get that attitude from me, but I knew I had a Spitfire Jr. on my hands, and I loved it.
Alessia did, however, get her Mama’s curly hair. I smiled from my perch on the beach chair as I watched her argue that she could, in fact, surf on her own.
“See what you did, Mike?” Ren called out from the water’s edge. “You put her on that board with you, and now look what you’ve started.” There may have been a few frustrated Italian words tossed in, but she knew she’d have to be careful with them since Alessia had picked up Italian like a sponge.
I launched myself out of the chair, eating up the distance between us in seconds as I grabbed Alessia in one arm and Ren in the other, both of them squealing with delight, curly hair bouncing everywhere.
When I set them both down, Alessia said, “Daddy, please tell Mama I can do it all by myself.”
I pinched my lips together to keep from laughing as I watched her signature pout, complete with both hands on her hips.
The girl meant business. Ren’s hands went up in the air in a move I knew well since becoming a father: “Look what you’ve done.
” I sheepishly smiled, hoping to distract her, since she said it was that very smile that won her over.
Well, that and my ridiculously good looks, which she mentioned helped seal the deal.
Niko said it definitely wasn’t my stir-fry.
“Spitfire, I really didn’t tell her that,” I pleaded while my wife glared at me, trying hard not to smile.
“She probably wanted to look like her beautiful Mama out on that board.” I was telling the truth, because when I finally got my gorgeous wife on those waves, my heart felt like it had been drop-kicked. Did I mention how beautiful she was?
“Daddy, why do you call Mama that?” Alessia asked.
I picked her up again, throwing her over my shoulders as she laughed and held onto my hair.
She told me recently that I was her pony, and she insisted on holding onto my mane.
I could only hope I didn’t need a hairpiece like Ren’s old boss anytime soon.
“I call your Mama that because she has fire, and passion, and sass,” I answered, lovingly looking at Ren, who smiled.
“And spit?” my daughter asked, making Ren and me laugh.
“Yeah, a little of that, too.” I earned myself a smack on the arm from my wife for that.
“Alli,” I said, using my daughter’s nickname, “you’re not quite big enough for that. But as soon as you are, I’ll teach you everything about surfing. I promise.” I crossed my heart, our way of making it an ironclad pact. She crossed her heart too, sealing the deal.
“Mama, when does Mimi and Papa get back? They will let me do it.”
Ren gave me a knowing look because that’s what Alessia called my parents. From the day she was born, they’d transitioned to another position within their organization so they could return to San Diego more often. She had them wrapped around her little finger.
“In two weeks. Remember, we counted it on the calendar,” I said.
Heaving out a loud sigh, she said, “Okay, Daddy. I hope it’s not too long. It was rad to be surfing like a big girl.”
Okay, well, Alessia actually knew three languages, to the horror of her Uncle Niko. The first time she used one of my favorite surfing terms, he murmured something about “Great, now there’s another one.”
My heart ached with the thought of my sweet girl ever growing up. When I squeezed her bare feet, Ren somehow read my thoughts and kissed me loudly.
“What was that for?” I asked with a ridiculous grin. This woman still held my heart in her hands. My love for her only grew more with each year.
“No reason. Just, fatherhood suits you so well.” Her eyes still mesmerized me when she gazed at me like this, both of us lost in our own little world. Those two girls were my everything.
I pulled Ren in closer, inhaling loudly as I nuzzled her neck. Alessia started giggling. “Daddy, stop smelling Mama. You’re silly.”
With a ninja move, I let go of Ren and grabbed Alessia down from my shoulders to tickle her. She screamed and wiggled, laughing until she almost lost her breath.
“Uncle Niko! Save me,” she called out. Niko and his son, Jon, came running to her rescue as we all got tangled up in the sand.
“Let go of my friend,” Jon called out, reenacting a Braveheart scene, trying to tear Alessia from my arms. I growled like a bear while Niko held me in a headlock. Jon was the one who dubbed her ‘Alli’ when he couldn’t say her name properly.
Niko and Leyla had Jon a few months before we had Alessia, and the wives had already decided our kids would get married one day. It was true that Jon was way more protective over my daughter than with anyone else.
If he ever saw her crying, he’d stand guard nearby as one of us consoled her, waiting for his chance to give her a hug.
Maybe there was something to their predictions, I thought as I looked at him, his shoulder-length blond hair swaying as he fought valiantly for my girl.
Alessia protected the other kids, but it was Jon who had her back.
“Knock him behind the knee,” Miles called out from the huge double canopy shade we always brought out on beach days.
“Not helping, dude,” I yelled back, barely getting out of Jon’s way before his tiny but bony elbow did damage that would keep me from having any more kids.
Finally freeing myself, we all headed back under the shade. I was out of breath, lunging for a drink from the cooler.
“Geez, dude, you sound like you need an inhaler,” Luke said as he wrangled his two kids.
“You try letting them gang up on you like that,” I countered, swigging loudly.
Vicky and Miles were taking turns keeping their son, Seth, entertained with sand toys.
Looking around, I asked, “Where’s Sofia and the kids?”
Pointing to a guy selling paletas from a cooler he had rigged to his bike, he said, “Dean and Abby cried til they went to get them an ice cream. Which means in about two minutes, they’re all going to want one.”
I chuckled to myself when I looked at our growing crew.
Having Vicky, Leyla, and Ren pregnant so close together had been an adventure.
The guys and I formed our own group text out of pure preservation.
We exchanged ideas and tips to keep our ladies happy during weird cravings and hormonal breakdowns.
Besides, we were tired of hearing them talk about their ridiculous Turkish dramas.
“How was Grammy this week?” Leyla asked, helping Jon and Alessia make a sandcastle.
“Much better. Honestly, I think we’re all but forgotten since Alessia was born. Grammy says she keeps her young. And as crazy as the Granny Squad is, their being there helps keep her going,” I answered. Grammy had slowed down a lot, so we spent as much time with her as we could.
I smiled, remembering the day my daughter was born. Grammy cried so hard Mom thought she’d hurt herself. It was a beautiful moment to have the four generations in that hospital room, and it’s a day I’ll never forget.
“Glad to hear it. She’s still feisty for eighty-five,” she said, laughing. “Did you get the text with the funny fails meme from her? Or was it Gemma?”
I snorted. “Yup. Got that one and a link to an article selling a miracle cream that took 20 years off your face. Something about snail juice.”
“It’s snail slime. We’re testing it in the lab at Earth Organix now, too. And at least you don’t get the inappropriate ones anymore,” Niko grumbled. “Gemma is a real menace.”
Ren laughed loudly. “She made me go get her more red lipstick this week. Apparently, she had a hot date.”
We all groaned in unison.
One of the biggest changes in Ren’s and my life came after Alessia was born, and she and Vicky opened Bella Costa Design.
Ren had encouraged me to follow my passion for woodworking, and I’d turned it into a small but growing business.
That’s when Cedar & Salt Co. was born and I quit my job at Lumina.
And even bigger news: I became a stay-at-home dad and only worked a few days a week.
Alessia and I went on little adventures that her Mama didn’t quite know about.
That’s how I got busted for bringing her on my board.
Ren had learned to surf a few years back and we practically lived at the beach on the weekends.
Knowing Alessia would start kindergarten in a year, I soaked up every moment I could with her.
Her Mama had taught me what work/life balance really was.
“Daddy, what’s a yeti?” Alessia asked, her head tilted just like Ren’s.
She also used her hands when she talked, just like Ren.
I narrowed my eyes at my wife, who laughed loudly.
Apparently, I wasn’t the only one having secret conversations with our daughter.
I’d let her explain that one to Alessia and why she liked her Daddy’s yetiness.
“Ask your Mama,” I answered, eyeing my wife.