Page 113 of Wrathful King
Their children filled the backyard, some in the pool and others running around. Enzo and Amadeo were here too, now standing over the grill.
They weren’t American but they seemed to know their way around it a hell of a lot better than Dante.
“Actually, I set one aside for you and the girls.” Reina gave her a wink. The girls—being her sister, Isla, Athena, and Raven—were the biggest troublemakers known to mankind. They still managed to get in trouble no matter where they went, even on a trip to the grocery store. “It’s in the guest bedroom. Maybe your hubby can help you put it on?”
Isla’s laugh chimed over the rippling water. “That’s how I got knocked up with this baby number four.” She rubbed her belly affectionately.
“Well, at least you don’t have to worry about that now.”
“Back at ya.” Isla grinned, jutting her chin toward Reina’s belly.
I wrapped my arms around Reina’s waist, her blue eyes twinkling as she slid down my body, submerging herself partly in the water.
“Our baby girl still might share her birthday with her mamma,” I whispered into her ear as I rubbed her belly, feeling our daughter kick with all her might.
She chuckled. “I hope not. I want her to have her own special day.”
It was Reina’s birthday today. Her only birthday wish was having our family and friends around. Her grandmother and grandpa were coming later today. After all, Diana was notorious for making a grand entrance.
They promised their papà on his deathbed that they’d be good to her and take care of her in her old age. After all, she’d taken care of them. It was what family did for each other.
Reina’s fingers roamed over my chest, always lingering over my tattoos, over my scars. I had the Omertà ink on my back, but she wasn’t as fascinated with that one. Yin and yang was our life’s story.
She rubbed her belly against me, watching me through her lids with a lustful gaze. I smirked. Reina was insatiable during both her pregnancies. It was how we knew she was pregnant the second time.
During my trip to Japan, she finished a fashion show for Marchetti, then packed up Reon and flew out to surprise me. She intercepted me when I was coming out of a meeting with the Yakuza, and the moment we were back at the compound in Kyoto with our son sleeping soundly, she tackled me onto the bed. She then proceeded to straddle me and bounce up and down on my cock until the sun came up.
Not that I minded it. Not. At. All.
“Who do you belong to?” I asked her reverently. Possessively. Obsessively.
Her blues shone with so much love. “You. Always you.”
I kissed her hard, tasting the strawberries, whipped cream, and peanut butter she had been eating all afternoon.
“God, I love you. There are still days when it seems surreal that you’re finally here with me. You’re a dream I never dared to have, yet I wished for it like the sun wishes for the moon,” I murmured, loving the feel of her soft body against mine. “You’re my beautiful beginning.” She lifted her head, her blue eyes meeting mine and trapping me in their beauty. I kissed her forehead, skimming my lips over her skin, golden from the sun. “So thank you for surviving, for staying with me.”
Her smile was blinding. “You’re mine. I’ve always loved you and I always will. You and me against the world. Together. Remember?”
“I’ll never forget. Thank you for giving me our family, cinnamon girl.”
She lifted her chin, kissing me softly. “Thankyoufor not giving up on me. For loving me.”
Life wasn’t perfect, but this felt pretty damn close.
EPILOGUE
REINA
Three Months Later
“Idon’t know,” Dante grunted. “Reon came out with the chubbiest cheeks, his arms so chunky he could barely roll himself over that first year. He was perfect, no matter how loudly he demanded to be fed, but Sonomi…” He shook his head. “Yeah, I don’t know. She looks too angelic. That can’t be good.”
I rolled my eyes. “Would you prefer she screamed her lungs off like your godson did?”
Dante’s expression told me he would. He worried that Sonomi, our three-month-old daughter, was too quiet. Much like her namesake, she loved to sleep. Or maybe it was that our son was such a handful as an infant.
Amon claimed our son would be a hellion, and I agreed with him, although I’d never admit it. He had his uncle’s temper, his father’s smarts and protectiveness, and… well, I was still unsure which qualities of mine he got, aside from blue eyes that seemed to fascinate everyone around him.
