Page 63 of His to Possess

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EPILOGUE: BLAKE

Life with Angelo is more than I could’ve ever hoped for. He is the most amazing man and husband in every way possible. The joy I feel on a daily basis is truly immeasurable. And knowing that I have a family now…

Well, it makes me teary just thinking about the way the Rossi family has welcomed me into their inner circle. My entire childhood, I moved from place to place, family to family, and I never fit in anywhere. Finding a family has always been about discovering a place where I fit and with a group of people who accept me for exactly who I am.

The Rossi’s have done just that and I get emotional whenever I let myself think about it for too long. It’s what I’ve always wanted, always yearned for, and now here I am. And, I’ve discovered that a found family is even better than a family who’s related by blood. We’ve chosen each other and it’s such an amazing feeling.

I’ve also inherited a group of sisters, something I thought I’d never have. Alessia, Hannah, Gabriella and Carlotta are my girls, and I can tell them anything. They don’t judge and we lovehanging out and bonding. We also have a standing dinner date every Thursday evening which may or may not usually involve one too many drinks. Of course, Carlotta is the only one drinking right now and we all tease her about it. Alessia is currently pregnant with number two and big as a house and, while Hannah and Gabriella have both had their babies, they are still producing milk and not yet able to indulge. These Rossi men are damn virile. And all very insatiable from what I hear.

But, I am not complaining. My world is more beautiful than it has ever been before.

As the weeks and months fly by, I find myself learning so much more about Angelo and, even though I’m not sure how it’s possible, I fall in love with him a little more every single day. He’s become the sun, moon and stars in my universe. How I ever survived without him is beyond me.

I’m also growing bigger. It’s the oddest thing to have a living creature inside your body, moving around and making me feel flutters. It’s also pretty cool. Angelo and I were debating about whether or not to find out the baby’s sex. We want to be surprised, but we also want to be prepared. I was talking to my girls about it and Hannah suggested we wait until the baby shower and then incorporate a big gender reveal party, too. I told her I didn’t know what to do and have never even attended a normal baby shower. Hannah and my girls told me they would take care of everything. All I needed to do was let them know the baby’s gender without finding out myself.

After one of my doctor’s appointments, I pulled up Hannah’s phone number, set up the text to her and asked my doctor to tell her whether I was having a girl or a boy. She excused herself, turned around and sent off a quick text message. Then with a smile, she handed me my phone back.

As tempted as I was to look, I maintained my self-control. Angelo, on the other hand, well, that’s a different story. He’s dying to know.

“We should look,” he says. “Hannah is going to tell Vin and my brothers. They’re going to tell their wives and Carlotta. And we all know that Lottie can’t keep a secret to save her life. Everyone is going to know but us.”

“I thought you wanted it to be a surprise and we’ll find out at the party.”

“I’m re-thinking that,” he says, and I chuckle.

“The party is this weekend. We’re going to know very soon.”

“I guess,” he grumbles.

“Hannah needs to know ahead of time so she can get a cake or whatever she’s planning for the reveal. And she promised that she isn’t going to tell anyone else.”

“Yeah, well, we’ll see about that. She and Vin tell each other everything.”

“Not this time,” I assure him.

And, true to her word, Hannah keeps her lips sealed. Even when I break down during our dinner and tell her I’ve changed my mind. “I need to know, Hannah,” I plead. “Blink once for a boy, twice for a girl.”

Everyone bursts out laughing when Hannah blinks repeatedly like she has something caught in her eye. Then she sends me the biggest, most mysterious smile. She and Vin had twin girls, and I can’t even imagine. At one point, she was bigger than a house and so damn uncomfortable. By the time she gave birth, she wasmore than ready to get those two little girls out of her body. But Rosa and Bianca are the sweetest blessing, and we all coddle and spoil them endlessly.

“Well, that’s certainly no help,” Gabriella states. She and Enzo had a baby girl, Luna, not very long ago, and I can’t help but wonder what that would be like. I’ve never been very girly myself, but the idea of decorating a tiny baby girl in pink ruffles makes my heart skip a beat. I think I’d like that very much. But, I also plan on teaching her to defend herself and shoot a gun.

“So that makes three girls and one boy,” Carlotta says. “Blake, you need to even up the score and give me another nephew.”

I laugh. “I have no idea what I’m going to give you.” I look pointedly at Hannah who presses her lips together and shakes her head. Wow, she’s really not saying a word.

When Saturday arrives, I’m dying to find out if this baby in my belly is going to be a boy or a girl. The anticipation is killing me. Angelo seems just as anxious and when we arrive at the Italian restaurant where the girls are holding the party, I pull in a deep, steadying breath.

“This is it,” I whisper and look over at my husband. “Are you ready to find out?”

“I’ve been ready,” he states. “You?”

“I can’t wait.” We reach for each other’s hands and he pulls me in for a kiss.

“It really doesn’t matter, though,” he tells me. “As long as our baby is healthy, that’s the most important thing.”

“You’re right.”

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