Though in the end, the result is the same. I wanted to rid myself of Alvarez, and I did. I’ve also cleared the way for my family and our associates to absorb Alvarez’s business, including the manufacturing of the product he was so proud of.
The thought of him has me pulling out my phone and calling Prince, waiting for word in Miami. “Send the body to the family. Include a message.”
“What would you like it to say?”
“What was theirs is now ours. Either they comply or they die. Otherwise, they’re safe. I have no more business with them.”
“Consider it done.” Then he adds, “And you?”
I reach out, finding Alicia’s hand resting on the seat. She closes her fingers around mine, and the knot in my stomach loosens a fraction. “I’ll be fine.”
“Fair enough. See you when you get back.”
Yes, because my life is more there now than it is here. That townhouse, which was supposed to be a temporary resting place, is almost home, and that’s because of the woman seated beside me.
The woman I would have been able to do none of this without. The woman carrying my child. My future.
Our future.
EPILOGUE
ALICIA
Here I am again, surrounded by papers, books, and an endless list of work.
This time, I feel better about it. This time, I’m working like this in hopes of getting ahead of things for when the baby comes in a few months. I absentmindedly rub my growing bump as I scroll through a syllabus on my laptop with the other hand, making notes, trying to break the work down day-to-day, week-to-week so I know the milestones I have to hit.
I wouldn’t have it any other way. Now that I’m back in school full-time, I have everything I need or want. An attentive husband, a healthy baby, and a future to look forward to.
At times, I still wonder if I should pinch myself. Can this be my life? There’s no scraping by, no staying up late to go over my already stretched budget to see if I can stretch it just a little further before it breaks. Instead, if I stay up late, it’s because my husband can’t keep his hands off me. I don’t have to think twice before making even the most everyday purchases. I don’t have to deny myself anymore.
I still can’t believe this is reality. Like my nightmare turned into the most incredible dream imaginable. I’d better never wake up.
“I thought I would find you here.” I look up to see Enzo standing in the doorway, smiling at me. That’s another thing I can’t quite wrap my head around. My husband, smiling lovingly at me. Instead of locking me in here like he did in the beginning, we decided to turn this room into sort of an office. I have my desk, my computer, the whole nine yards. We still managed to keep the bed in case of any guests. The corkboard in front of me is covered in notes, reminders, and a calendar covered in ink.
And a sonogram image of our little girl.
I was so scared Enzo would be upset when he found out we weren’t having a boy, but nothing could have been further from the truth. “We’ll just have to try again,” he told me at the time. Sure, I already knew he’d want to keep trying until we had a son, but there was no threat in what he said. No cruelty, nosilent or elseattached to it. He sounded like any other happy husband.
And in the weeks since, he’s only warmed up more and more to the idea. Already, he wants to decorate the baby’s room in nothing but pink, and he’s wondered aloud more than once how old she’ll be before he buys her first pony.
I can only laugh at those questions and his ideas, but it’s always done with love. I love seeing him like this. I love watching him reveal a little more of himself to me all the time. He doesn’t have to be anybody he isn’t. He only needs to be himself. That’s enough for me.
Not that he’s changed his ways. Now that he’s wiped out Alvarez and nobody else has stepped up to challenge the De Lucas, there’s more work than ever and more people to keep in place. I might not have agreed with his grandfather on anything, but he was right about one thing: Enzo has what it takes to lead the family.
Right now, he’s not thinking about the family—not that part of it, anyway. It’s our little family he’s more concerned with. “I’m busy!” I tell him with a laugh when he joins me, rubbing my belly from behind while nuzzling my neck. “Come on. I have to get this finished.”
“You have months until the baby is born. Why are you in such a hurry?” He inhales deeply and growls. “Why do you smell so good?”
“I want to make sure I have all of this taken care of so I can enjoy her.” And I’m not delusional. I know having a newborn is going to change my life in ways I can’t imagine.
The way Enzo has changed my life. Enzo grunts and growls like an animal and starts tugging at my dress, pulling it up over my thighs and running his hands over my skin. No matter how many times he touches me, it’s never enough. I still tingle every time.
“I want to enjoy you,” he growls in my ear before finally pulling me out of the chair and pressing himself against me. There’s no mistaking what’s poking me in the ass.
“Yes, you feel ready,” I observe with a snicker, even though I can’t pretend I don’t love it. He pulls me over to the bed, and I laugh and only pretend to fight him off.
“I can’t help it.” He works the dress up over my hips, then my belly, and I raise my arms so he can take it off completely. There’s no point in even trying to pretend I don’t want him—my hormones are off the charts, for one thing. For another, I can’t pretend it doesn’t feel good to be wanted like this.