Page 103 of Recklessly You
He skims his lips over mine.“It did. I found my future.” Liam gently lifts me in his arms and carries me to our bedroom. As we enter, he sheds his clothing, and our bodies become one as we melt into each other’s embrace.
LIAM’S EPILOGUE
Three years later
I lean up against the wall, sipping eggnog spiked with rum. While watching the kids run around, Sophie made decorations and plastered them throughout the house. Tonight, I want to be alone with my wife, and she promised me I would have her to myself for the rest of the day. But she lied. She invited Mila, Dominic, my mom, and her parents, who are here for the holidays, and her brother and his wife just showed up along with his kids. My beautiful wife is so busy that she hasn’t paid any attention to me.
I laugh when Angelica makes a fist at Luca, then points her finger at him. “Don’t chase me, or you get it.”
My daughter is fierce for a two-year-old. She must get it from her mother. Her golden locks bounce as she shakes her head, showing all her sass. Luca continues to chase her, though, so she puts him in a headlock, and her blue eyes sparkle.
“What did I tell you, Loco? You mess with me, you get it.”
“It’s Luca…quit calling me crazy in Spanish!” Luca grumbles.
She lets him go and dusts her small hands.
“You created a monster,” Dominic says, walking toward me, holding his beautiful eighteen-month-old daughter in his arms.
Yeah, I guess I do wrestle with my kids all the time. I’m positive that’s the reason my Angelica is such a badass. That and the fact she clearly inherited her mom’s attitude. Yup, we created a monster.
Dante runs out, chasing Diego and Alex’s daughter. Diego, who is Angelica’s twin, looks nothing like her. He’s got my hair and his mom’s eyes. The combination makes him look like a badass—a handsome guy. Finding out Sophie was pregnant was one of the most amazing days of my life, along with the day I made Sophie my wife. A year ago, we bought a bigger house, a couple of houses down from where Mila and Dominic live, and as of now, I’m part of the DEA.
“Yeah, I guess I did,” I say, taking another sip of eggnog.
“Damn, man, we’ve come a long way, bro, from being lonely fucks to having wives and houses full of kids.”
I nod. “I never saw it coming. You were right—becoming a father is one of the most amazing feelings. We got lucky, man.”
“Our wives have been ignoring us,” Dominic points out.
Good—I’m not the only one who feels it.
I growl. “Tell me about it. Christmas is not until next week. Why have a gingerbread house party tonight?”
We turn to look at the women laughing and having a good time. Mila and Sophie are laying out candy to decorate the gingerbread houses, and my mom and Clair are wearing matching ugly Christmas sweaters and baking cookies. My mom’s face lights up when the kids run to her for a cookie. She has them so spoiled. She’s happy, and I’m happy Sophie and I could give her the happiness of becoming a grandmother.
My father-in-law Jerry emerges from the back door. “Are they still at it?” he grunts.
I guess all the men are feeling neglected.
“Yup,” Dominic and I say in unison.
“Papá, Papá!” Angelica yells, running to me. I swipe my daughter in my arms and kiss her chubby cheeks. “You see me, Papá?” she says, in her small voice.
“I did. You kicked his ass.”
She places her little finger on my lips, keeping me from cussing. I walk out to the backyard patio with her in my arms and Diego following behind. “It’s okay. Mamá can’t hear now.” I scoop Diego into my other arm.
They yawn at the same time.
“You guys tired?”
They nod.
“Tired, Papá,” Diego says.
“Your mamá is busy being a host. She forgot all about us.” I glance at Sophie through the open door. She’s beautiful in her ridiculous reindeer pajamas. She looks beautiful in anything she wears. Her long blonde hair has gotten longer, her breasts are engorged. We just found out she’s seven weeks pregnant. I couldn’t be happier. Times like these, I wonder what I would have missed out on if I had continued to be bitter, if I still feared bringing a family into the picture and facing the same fate I did as a child.
