Gemma doesn’t protest when I take her to our bed, where I carefully strip her down and climb under the warm covers with her. She snuggles up to me, and I cradle her as much as her injury lets me, both of us needing this close contact.
Her breathing slows down, and she mumbles, “I love you, Matteo.”
I press my lips to her forehead. “I love you, passerotta.”
Epilogue
GEMMA
“Yes, sweetie, just like that. Hit him again. Show him who’s boss.” I pause on the side of the mat, watching Grace with Zeno as he first corrects her stance and talks her through the combination again, then holds up his pads to let her try it.
She lands her next combo correctly, and the exuberant smile on her face is why I’m doing this. These kids and women deserve a chance to be able to stand up for themselves, especially if they aren’t always given a choice.
Six months ago, after another intense training session with Zeno, I had a moment where I felt this overwhelming gratitude toward him and thought about how there are so many other women out there who could benefit from the fighting/defensive skills Zeno, Ash, and Matteo have been teaching me. The prospect kept nagging at me, so, later that night, I searched online to see if there are places that offer the kind of help I’ve received. Plenty popped up, but most were expensive gyms, which a lot of women in difficult situations wouldn’t be able to afford.
When I mentioned it to Matteo, he said I could always open a self-defense place for women and children in need, and that we could set it up as a non-profit business. Together, with the help of Matteo’s men and Luna and Ally, we were able to open the place two months ago, and I’ve been loving every single minute of it. Seeing that empowering spark enter the students’ eyes as their confidence grows is one of my favorite things to witness. We work closely with the local women’s shelters, and I’m planning on expanding the studio and adding more places over the next few years so we can help more people. Matteo hired some security, just in case, and Zeno offered to help with the classes alongside the other trainers.
Grace smacks Zeno’s pad before giving it a swift kick too, the combination hard enough for him to crack the tiniest of smiles and for Grace to throw herself at him for a hug. Despite his intimidating stature and his massive frown, the kids have been drawn to him. It’s been interesting to watch. The moms and other women are more cautious than the kids, which I don’t blame them for; he’s definitely a bit scary at first.
Zeno pats Grace on the back awkwardly until her mom calls her from the other side of the room. My stomach churns every time I see the mom’s bruised arms. That’s my least favorite part of my work, seeing and knowing what some of these women go through. While I was a prisoner in my own home, I was at least never physically abused. But that’s what we’re here for, to help as much as we can, so these women have a better chance of taking care of themselves since that might be their only way out.
The bell above the studio door chimes, and the instantaneous chatter that follows makes it easy to know who it is. Luna and Ally take off their shoes at the entrance and make their way across the large room.
After another, “Good job,” at Grace, I make my way to the two most important women in my life.
Luna shakes her head at me. “What on earth do you think you’re still doing here?”
Ally wrinkles her nose and points at me. “Are you sweaty?”
I press my lips together at their antics. “Hello to you too. And yes, I worked out, so I’m sweaty. Is there something wrong with—”
Luna holds up her finger. “I swear to you, if you say anything about this being just another normal day, I’m going to lose it.”
Ally nods because that’s what these two like to do, gang up on me until I have no choice but to go along with their crazy plans. Like today, even though I’m not mad about it at all.
Heavy footsteps come from behind as Zeno walks up to us, a deep scowl firmly in place. “You guys are scaring the kids.” He turns to me. “I’ll lock up, leave.”
Luna bursts into laughter and pats him on the arm. “We’rescaring the kids? Oh, Zeno, you should have become a comedian.”
He narrows his eyes at her, and for a moment, I think he’s going to ignore her and walk away, but then he says, “Why don’t you worry about your own problems? Like maybe figuring out who’s stealing our fucking money?”
Ouch. He knows how to land a punch.
Luna knows it too, the corners of her eyes tightening as she pokes him in the chest. “I hope you’ll enjoy all the dildos and anal plugs I’m going to have delivered to your place.”
At that, his eyebrows rise, but this time, he stays quiet. As scary as he is, Luna is the way bigger pain in the ass with her mad computer skills.
Zeno stares at the ceiling, as if he can find some strength up there to deal with Luna before he turns his back to her, so I’m the only one in front of him. “Please get them out. I’ll see you soon.”
“Thanks, Z. I appreciate it.” I raise my fist, and with an eye roll, he bumps his knuckles against mine. This man is too easy to rile up.
He walks away, and I focus back on my friends, who are both staring at me.
Ally wrinkles her nose. “I hate to say it, but Zeno is right. We have to get out of here. From the looks of it, it’ll take a while to get you ready for your big day.”
I sigh because we’ve talked about this before. “Ally, it’s not my—”
Luna grabs my hand and pulls. “Nope, not listening to this again. You owe us a beautiful wedding day, and trust me, you’ll love every single second of it. Especially all the gorgeous pictures, since you basically have none from your actual wedding.”