Bred In Violence (A Mafia Romance Book One) #𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝟏

Epilogue

Are you ready for the epilogue? I sure hope you are. 

Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength while loving someone deeply gives you courage.

~Lao Tzu~

Sophie

Relaxed on the front veranda of the Italian island while we-Lia and I waited for Raphael to come home from a meeting in Milan. Lia, Whose full name was Maria Lizbeth Boselli named for Raphael's mother and my grandmother  was two weeks shy of turning two and had an unusual combination of my red hair and her father's black eyes.

"You look like a queen mama" she mouthed, coming to sit on my lap. Lia had  a unique way of calling me. She called me mom, mommy or mama when she was buttering me up for something she wanted.

"I know you want something sweetheart" I smiled at her, marvelled, like I always was at this little human being Raphael and I had made.

"Not for me" she said, her little face perked up "kit and kitty want to go for a walk at the beach until daddy comes home" She was referring to the two cats father José had given her as a gift last year after her baptism.

"Well, you can tell kit and kitty mama said no"

"But mama" she flipped me a scowl "I will be careful" her small voice pleaded, touching my right cheek with her chubby soft hand. My heart swelled with love, looking at her beautiful face. "Okay, but walk with aunt Gabs as too" I compromised, watching her little feet as she skipped towards the house to call Gabs"

I watched them walking down the beach. A little girl sandwiched between her two cats and a young woman who was and still remains my best friend.

I knew she was hurting, but she hadn't said a word about it. I just happened to recognised the signs of a woman pining for her man.

I wished she could tell me, but I did not push, for now, I let her spoil Lia like she had been doing since she was born.

Suddenly, I heard the noise of the helicopter and my heart started beating in an anticipting rythym as old as time. Standing up, my hand on my forehead as I looked up, watching it descend. I wanted  to run towards him but I knew he wasn't alone. He was with Rom and Bruno.

They were all coming for Christmas which was in two days, even nana would be here in a day. I was hosting my first Christmas since I got married.

Then I saw him. Walking big strides, leaving the others slightly behind him as he rushed to me.

"Cara..."that is all he said before I run the rest of the distance into his arms.

"I missed you" I mumbled, rubbing my cheeks lovingly against his shoulder, drinking in the familiar scent of him.

" I missed you too" he whispered into my neck, feeling a slight touch with his tongue. I almost moaned but then I remembered we had an audience.

I hugged both, each getting a kiss on the cheek and both playfully complaining of my overly need to be touchy.

But they loved it when I hugged them, I could tell.

"Where is my baby?"

"You mean our baby?" The guys said in unison. It was a standing house hold joke where Raphael was reminded on more than one occasion that Lia belonged to all of them.

though now she called them uncle B and Rom, she had called all of them daddy when she first began to talk. It took more than six months for her to learn that she only had one daddy.

"Your baby is on the beach walking her cats"

"I wasn't aware cats are walked?" Bruno remarked, humour lurking in his voice.

"Neither did I, but apparently you can"

"Oh, you learn something new everyday " he said, walking down in the direction Lia and Gabs had taken a few minutes earlier.

Rom remained standing beside us, his look unfocused. I wondered what had happened to him in Kenya, but he told no one, not even Raphael why he went in the first place or why he was so forlorn since he came back.

Raphael pulled my hand, walking me to the front door, but I couldn't go without kissing the unhappiness off Rom's face.

"Christmas is going to blow your mind" I whispered to him, right before I was scooped up into my husband's arm.

"I love how easily you can lift me" I said.

"Yeah, I love how easily you can make me hard"

Ouch!

He yelped as I punched his arm. "Why do you have to turn everything into dirty talk?"

He laughed loudly, boisterously "That is not dirty babe, dirty is..." and he leaned his  mouth to my ear, whispering the filthiest thing I ever heard. I shook my head in feigned outage but we both knew I loved it.

"I have a surprise for you, but first I need to make love to my wife"

"I will never get tired of hearing that" I breathed. "I have a surprise for you too"

"He abruptly stopped kissing me, looking at me in anticipation."How about we start with surprises right now?"

"No, you need to first put out the fire you started and it's better be first before your daughter come sailing through that door"

"I don't do quickies"

"Then you better start now" his gaze lit up, filled with humour and the love he kept declaring.

"Oh yeah," he said it almost like a warning and I loved it. I wrapped my arms and legs around him and he pinned me on the door. Luckily, I  was wearing a dress and just after we both came together in a explosive release, we heard little feet running, chiming daddy is home at the top of her voice.

"Here comes your daughter," I said, opening the door and she threw herself at him with a whoop of excitement. It's like I did not exist.

"Daddy is indeed home. How is my princess?"

"Beautiful" our sassy daughter replied. I looked at the big powerful man cuddling the beautiful girl that was our daughter and I fell in love with him all over again.

"I'm pregnant"

"I'm sorry what?"

"My surprise for you, I'm pregnant and this time I knew before you did" I smirked, giving him a superior look.

"Now my surprise seem so small in comparison."

"What is it?"

"Diamond earings to match your wedding ring"

"You found them?"

"Yes, apparently they belonged to some European queen"

"Thank you. I love you but no more jewellery"

"What do you mean no more jewellery? You mean I can no longer buy you ornaments?"

"You can, but on our tenth anniversary"

He chuckled then, a slow throaty laugh that had my toes curling.

"Okay. I  love you too cara, and thank you for the gift of another baby"

"We are having a son this time."

"How do you know?"

"Just a feeling."

Let me know what you think of Sophie and Raphael's ending.

Or a parting shot..

Thank you for taking this journey with me. It's been a revelation. ❤❤❤