Aella

Epilogue II

Delilah came into our life like a tornado. She sent me into labor three weeks early, then decided she wanted to stay in, so I went through 31 hours of labor before my doctor told us that a C-section was the best idea. Exhausted beyond belief, I agreed, and about an hour later, Delilah was born. 

She has filled our lives with so much utter happiness. The only time she ever cried as a baby was when she was hungry, and then when she started teething. Our little girl turned two a few weeks ago, and Aella and I are thinking about getting pregnant again soon, but we don't want to ruin Delilah's spoiled fun of being an only child. 

Ace, Sofia, and their son Matteo, who's about six months younger than Delilah, are over for a little family dinner. It's been so easy to just be friends with Ace the past however many years. Sofia and I have since become practically the best of friends, and there are no secrets between her and I. 

Aleksandra is here all of the time, too, with her husband. He is very quiet and sort of stand offish, but that's what a typical mafia man is like. Him and Ace get along great. 

The six of us sit out on our patio, enjoying the last bit of the Italian summer with glasses of wine and dinner. Our nanny is inside with the two kids getting them ready for bed, then Sofia and I will go in and put them to sleep as we always do. 

I finish the last few bites of my food, wipe my mouth, then Aella knows what's about to happen. We have been planning something for awhile with Papa, but we haven't announced it yet. 

I stand, and my friends all look to me. "I have a bit of an announcement." Aella clears her throat. "We have a bit of an announcement."

Sofia and Aleks both get very giddy, probably hoping I'm announcing my second pregnancy. "Aella is allowing me to do the honors, but she has finally decided that Ace will be her underboss when the time comes to take over as Don."

Sofia stands quickly, whirling around in excitement. Ace stands calmly, a smile on his face. Aella stands to shake his hand. "Thank you", he says to her.

Aella nods to him. "You've declared your loyalty to my family, and to the entire family. This is the only way I feel proper to repay you."

Aella has forever been indebted to Ace for saving her life. She almost died in his arms all those years ago, but he did not allow her to leave us so soon. After getting her to a hospital to medical staff, he and Papa held Paolo and his assistant for a while before they were no longer needed, and they killed them. The wife was spared, but she is being watched by some of our guards all the way up near Milan. 

"The official party will be in a few weeks, Mama and Irina have been planning it for a few days now." Irina is Aleks' Don's wife. She's known in her family for throwing parties, so her and Mama are going crazy with each one since the alliance was formed. 

I see the nanny in the window to notify us that it's the children's bed time. Sofia and I excuse ourselves and go inside to our children. Delilah, who is still a little wobbly when she moves, runs up to me. 

Though she is not genetically related to Aella, she is the spitting image of her. She has deep blue eyes that look like little sapphires, wavy, copper hair, and a smile that makes me melt. Theirs noses are a lot alike, and they have the same little dimples on just one cheek. 

"Mama", Delilah babbles for me. Dressed in her favorite pink pajamas, I pick her up in my arms, giving her a big kiss on the cheek, making her giggle. 

"Ready for bed, sleepy girl?" I ask her as she lets out a big yawn. 

"Yeth", she replies, hugging me around the neck. 

Sofia, Matteo, Delilah, and I all head upstairs for their rooms. Matteo still sleeps in Sofia's room while they're here, just because we do not have a spare room available for another crib, so she heads there, and I bring my daughter into her room. 

We just upgraded her bed to a small bed with railings around it, sort of like a crib, but it's big enough that I like to get into it with her to read a bedtime story. 

She and I get comfy in her bed. She snuggles into my side and reaches for her favorite book on the nightstand. I've gotten relatively better at Italian, and I've read this book to her so many times, I could probably recite it on the spot. 

I read quietly to her until her eyes flutter shut, telling me she's asleep. I move away from her slowly, and lay the blanket over her. Before leaving, I place a soft kiss on her cheek, and a sleepy smile appears on her face. 

For a bit longer into the night, us adults sit around and chat. We finish off a bottle, then another, and we all decide it's time to go to bed. 

Aella and I head up to our room, closing the door off from the rest of the house. Separately, we go to get ready for bed. We have our own routine down, and it's worked for the last few years. I go change out of my clothes first, whereas Aella goes to brush her teeth first, then we switch. We both take our rings off and set them down on our nightstands, then we crawl into bed to cuddle before one of us gets too hot and has to move away. 

But after Aella is changed, she sits on my side of the bed. She seems to wait for me, so I walk over to her after brushing my own teeth. 

"What's up, Baby?" I ask, stopping in front of her. 

Aella has a small smirk on her face. She grabs at my hips and pulls me onto her lap. While straddling her, I hold her face in between my hands, smiling down at her.

She leans up and places a kiss on my lips. It's soft and calming. She places one more, then looks at me again. "I just love you so much".

I giggle. "I love you so much more."

"So, how about we try and make that other baby", Aella jokes. I let out another giggle for her, and she nuzzles her face into the crook of my neck. 

"I think D is happy being an only child", I counter, and she sort of hums. "And I love our family just the way it is."

"You two make me so happy."

"I could not have imagined my life turning out any better."