Love Duty & Rivalry

Romero 🔪 (Epilogue)

2 years later...

"Oh, my, god! No way! Concert tickets to see Post Malone?!" Carla shouts. She held up the tickets she got as a Christmas gift from my brother, her uncle. Gemma and I softly chuckle at our beautiful daughter. She has grown so much since we adopter her. She's 9 now, smart as hell. We are so proud of her.

"Well, you arent going without me, thats not happening." Aurelio says. "Not without me either, malyshka." Matteo says from across the room. His wife Penelope on his arm, 7 months pregnant with their first child.

"Ugh you two are no fun! Valentino is going to come with me." She argued. I stiffened in my seat, as much as i respected Enzo and family, his son was two years older than Carla and he was close to be inducted. I trusted him, but not enough to take my daughter to the concert without supervision.

"You either take Aurelio and Matteo, or you dont go at all ragazza." I told her. Her blue, pleading eyes met mine. When i didnt budge she resigned, "Okay okay. But Valentino still gets to come with me right?"

I glanced to Aurelio, who was smiling into his glass of bourbon. I rubbed a hand over my face, "He may go, but if he touches you-."

"Ew dad, no! We're just friends." She grimaced.

"Okay, now for Mauro." Gemma says as she stands from the sofa. My mom and dad were holding the twins together on the other sofa. They are obsessed with the twins. Mauro claps his hands just as Gemma hands him a small gift. He inspects it for a moment or two before tearing into it, paper flying all over the place. Then Carla hands Santo, our warrior a smaller gift. He had open heart surgery last year that nearly caused us to lose our son. Him and Carla are really close, she protects him from everything, even from Gemma and I sometimes. I know she means well, and shes an amazing big sister.

When Santo opens the new toy car I picked out for him, his eyes lit up. For a two year old he wasn't very vocal, but he wore his emotions on his sleeve. Total opposite to my father and I. Vivi would have loved to see them smile.

Vivi..

"Everything okay honey?" My mom asked. I realized that everyones eyes were on me. Clearing my throat i stood from the sofa and stepped to Gemma's side, giving her a kiss on the cheek. "You're turn, vita mia." I whispered.

I pulled out a velvet box from my jacket pocket and handed it to her. Gemma opened the box and gasped. It was a white gold bracelet, with the date we got engaged and the day we got married engraved on the inside. But there was a charm that hung from it, in a shape of a heart, with the date that we fell in love, surrounded by small diamonds.

She turned up at me with tears in her eyes, "This is..Its perfect Romero." she choked out. She stood on her tip toes, her lips brushing my ear, "Meet me in your study in 10 minutes Mr. Russo." My grip on my drink tightened as those serene colored eyes blazed with love and desire.

"Mama.." Mauro cooed, breaking our intense gaze. She bent down to pick him and she kissed his little cheek. He giggled and gave her a wide grin. I smiled as well, I do that alot these days apparently. I felt a tiny tug on my suit jacket, only to look down at Santo peering up at me with an expectant look.

"You want up too i assume?" I asked, arching a brow. He nodded his curly hair bobbing on top of his head. I set down my drink on the table and took Santo from mom and held him in my arm. He looked at me with those bright green eyes. He had Vivi's eyes, bright emerald green eyes that remind me so much of my sister. Makes my heart ache she isn't here right now. I fucked up, i destroyed this family the day i pulled that trigger. Yet everyone around me is as forgiving as the lord himself, and yet i cant seem to forgive myself.