ᴍʀ. ᴍᴀʀɪᴀɴᴏ

EPILOGUE

TEN YEARS LATER

GIO

She's beautiful as she swings them both on the two tire swings I just placed on last night.

Her dress flows in the wind as she laughs, moving her hair out of her face.

I feel something hit me in my back and I turn around looking back into the house.

I see a ten-year-old Zander holding a nerf gun.
"Target defeated." He says. " Got me," I say picking up the foam bullet.

" where is she?"
I point back out behind me and he runs outside. Raven sees him and picks him up as he runs to her. I see the ring glinting on her finger as Deja approaches behind me.

" Say, Mr. M, how many children are you two going to have?" Deja asks as we both stare at Raven's 6-month-old belly.

" I'm only on my first and you two are on your third and im a lesbian for Christ's sake, let me catch up."

I shake my head as I watch Deja go through our fridge.

Zander spends a lot of nights with us, especially since her parents still hate us together. At our wedding, Deja walked her down the aisle and was her maid of honor. She is the best friend anyone could ask for.

" Raven! Get inside I wanna order pizza! Oh and wings!" Deja grabs the menu and phone as she dials the number.

My two boys run inside and jump up to me until I catch them. They are only 5 but so heavy now, but I think I've grown a bunch of muscle carrying two at the same time. Having twin boys is a battle every day.

Raven comes up to me holding her belly. " she's hungry." She says grabbing for a menu. I hold her waist as she tells Deja to add a cheese dip onto that.

" you sharing that?" I ask. " get your own Mariano." She says. " How bout I get you, Mariano." I give it right back to her.

She shakes her head as I kiss her neck.

Suddenly all three boys and Deja are saying eww. I laugh as Raven gives Deja the middle finger and then all three boys start doing it.

I don't know about anyone else but I'm sure glad as fuck Raven Davis walked into my classroom on my first day.