Page 27 of Beastly Boss

EPILOGUE

AURELIO

“Whoa! Look how much they’ve grown!” Jade exclaims.

“Did that really come from those tiny seeds we planted last week?” Bently asks.

“Marco, look! My plant is taller than yours.” Vivian says to her brother.

“I think that’s my plant, actually.”

“Nuh-uh!”

I smile at the excitement and awe the children have over their plants. My Kimbra has been holding a basic plant biology class twice a week for all the kids on the compound. I had a state-of-the-art greenhouse and lab built on my property as a wedding gift for my incredible wife. She’s turned the empty structure into a thriving, colorful sanctuary. An appropriate metaphor for our relationship.

My men and I have been busy the last decade creating families, which still shocks me sometimes. There are nine students in total, including two of mine. Antonio is eight and stoic. His brown eyes match mine as well as his olive skin. He’s curious and far more intelligent than I was at his age. Alexia is our five-year-old princess who couldn’t be sweeter. She’s bubblyand a bit mischievous in the most amusing way. Her radiant smile is only outshined by her mother’s.

Speaking of…

My wife looks up as if sensing my presence. Her hazel eyes sparkle in the sunlight, her cheeks glowing pink the longer she holds my gaze. I grin when Kimbra dismisses the class and walks toward me.

“Did you get done early today?” I ask her when she joins me outside.

She nods, giving me a smile that drives me wild. “Someone walked out here, all sexy and commanding in his three-piece-suit, and distracted me from my lesson.”

I chuckle as I circle my arms around her waist and pull her closer. Kimbra rests her hands on my chest, then slides them up to loop around my neck. Her lips meet mine briefly, teasingly, before she breaks our connection. I’m not done with her yet.

My hand trails up her back, my fingers tangling in her long, dark hair. I tug slightly, angling her head up so I can kiss her properly. I slant my mouth over hers, licking her lips and diving into her sweetness. Kimbra gasps softly, the sound traveling through her body into mine.

A gruff sound rumbles up from my chest as I turn us around and press her up against the side of the greenhouse. My wife giggles when her back hits the cool glass, and I swallow the sound in another kiss.

“What was that for?” she asks breathily once we break apart.

“Someone was out here, teaching a class, all beautiful and tempting, distracting me from my walk,” I whisper, repeating her reason for dismissing the class early.

Kimbra smiles, her lips slightly swollen from my kisses. I’m about to kiss her again when Antonio comes running around the corner. “Mom! Mom, the strawberries are red now. Does that mean we can pick them?”

She spins out of my arms but I keep her close with a hand on her hip. “Let’s go see,” she replies.

“If they are ready to eat, can we make strawberry pancakes for dinner?” my son asks.

“Are you going to help?”

“Yes,” both Antonio and I say at the same time. Kimbra laughs and kisses me on the cheek.

“Sounds like a good plan. Cooking with my boys.”

“What about me?” Alexia says as she sprints toward us. Our little girl holds out her arms and I crouch down, preparing for her to leap into my embrace. She jumps and clings to me while I haul her into my chest. She giggles and squeezes my neck in a hug.

“You, my princess, have the most important job of all,” I tell her quite seriously. Her hazel eyes blink up at me. “You’re the taste-tester.”

“Woo!” she exclaims. “I’ll be good at that.”

Kimbra laughs and holds out her hand for Antonio to take. The four of us make our way inside the house and I’m struck with how different my life is now than it was a decade ago. I wouldn’t change a single thing.

THE END

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