Page 140 of Guarded

We were all still working through the hurts and the aftermath of what happened the day of my wedding. Preston Cuevas was a bigger piece of shit than any of us had imagined.

Both Rosie and Axel’s wife, Liza, would testify against him in an upcoming trial.

I’m so grateful every day that Nero showed up to take me that day. He stood by me through everything. Nothing compares to his love. I get to wake up every day to someone who makes me feel like the most precious thing to ever exist.

Epilogue Two- Nero

TEN YEARS LATER

“Nero I fucking hate you. I hate you so fucking much.” Ariella screams, squeezing my hand.

The monitor above us shows the length and strength of each contraction.

“I’m sorry. I love you. I love you so much.” Ari says once the contraction passes.

And within seconds, she hates me again. I squeeze her hand and wipe her hair out of her face.

“She’s almost here, Maniká,” I say calmly.

“You see this, Lucia, you see the pain she’s in?” Thalia says from the other side of the bed.

Lucia, Ariella’s sixteen-year-old niece, sits on the couch, her eyes wide staring at Ariella. Silas had the bright idea to send her with Thalia, hoping that the birthing experience would provide as some type of birth control. I know it already was working for me. A vasectomy is in my near future.

An hour and a thousand “Fuck yous” later, Ariella gives birth to our six-pound twelve-ounce baby girl. The first cry hits my ears, and I instantly fall in love. I kiss Ari’s forehead before moving to the end of the bed to cut the umbilical cord.

There was a time when Ariella wasn’t sure she wanted kids. Her career had taken off. We’d invested in several studios, and she was content with Guapo and I.

I look down at the small heart necklace around her neck, the one with Guapo’s ashes. The year after he passed we took a trip to the Philippines.

The orphanage at Saint Andrew’s was not on the itinerary that day, but Ari wanted to volunteer during our month-long stay. That’s where she fell in love with Benny and Myka.

The twins were three at the time and latched on to Ari. She fell in love instantly, and even though I had some reservations at first, we adopted them. They can be little shits some days, but they’re our little shits.

I was never expecting to be father of the year with a past like mine, but watching Ari pour her heart into them made it easy for me to do the same. Like me, they came from a place where love didn’t exist, and Ari showered them with love the same way she did me.

The nurses clean the baby up and place her in Ariella’s arms. My oversensitive wife begins to cry.

“She’s so beautiful.” she sniffles.

“What are you going to name her, Tia?” Lucia asks, looking down and running her hand over the baby’s head.

“What do you think, Mamas?” Ari asks her.

Lucia purses her lips, an expression identical to Ari’s.

“She looks like a Ximena,” Lucia says.

“Ximena,” Ari repeats. “I like it. Ximena Thalia Dizon. Hello, my love.” She says to our daughter.

Thalia stares down at them and grabs her hand.

“I love it. Don’t you dare make me cry.” Thalia says, her voice cracking.

I let the girls have their moment and go to the waiting room to get Benny and Myka.

“Daddy!” Myka yells, running towards me. I pick her up and kiss her forehead.

“Hey, Princesita. You want to go meet your little sister?” I ask.

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