Epilogue
Six months later
“You know most babies spend much longer crawling before they figure out the whole walking thing. Or the running thing.” Senna gulped for breath as she landed faceup on the large blanket. The ocean waves rumbled in the distance, choppy and churning a dark gray thanks to an incoming tropical storm.
“Princesa, do we need to carve out more time in your busy schedule so you can increase your stamina?”
She looked up sharply only to find those honey-colored eyes filled with laughter.
She pushed herself up to her elbows and gave him what she hoped was a dirty look. “My stamina is just fine.”
Fresh desire rumbled over his features and suddenly the fact they were on a public beach in Miami with their son seemed relatively unimportant.
Marco dropped to his knees next to her, setting Max down near a scattering of toys that he immediately busied himself with. Her heart leaped into her throat as Marco leaned over her and caressed her cheek. “Well, then, maybe we need to look into that.” He leaned closer. “Study that. Scientifically.” A warmth bloomed deep in her core, and she let out an involuntary moan.
Finally his lips crashed into hers, and the solid heat of his body pressed her into the sand with delicious pressure. His tongue tangled with hers in a slow, languid dance as he reached down and stroked up her side in one smooth caress.
The last six months had been the happiest of her life. Marco moved out of the CEO suite at the Medina Enterprises building, and the two of them shared a suite of offices down the hall. It didn’t take long for them to realize the worst part of the day was going home to separate residences so, when Marco asked her and Max to move in with him, she’d shocked herself with how quickly she said yes.
They bought a home in a quiet gated community populated with families and close to the city’s best schools. It was a home that as a girl Senna had only dreamed of. To live somewhere safe and secure with her little family was her reality, and she was terrified she’d wake up to find it just a dream.
It had only been six months but Nonna’s Friends was thriving. They’d already started their first award cycle and had gifted over five million in grants and funds to support families caring for incapacitated loved ones. She knew her own nonna was looking down with love.
Marcellus took on the role of CEO with quiet efficiency. Marco had told her more than once that Marcellus was a natural, and his intensity and attention to detail made everyone around him work that much harder. Senna had invited him over for dinner more times than she could count, but he’d managed it only once or twice and even then had spent most of the time glued to his phone. She’d been toying with trying to set him up with Abby, but their schedules would never align. She wanted her best friend to be as blissfully happy as she was.
A sharp squeal followed by a shower of wet sand broke their kiss. Marco sat up and swept Max into his arms, dislodging the clump of sand on his back. “Oh, you think that’s funny? Dumping sand on Papi’s head?” Max’s gleeful laugh seemed to answer Marco’s question. Max laughed louder when Marco jogged toward the water and dunked his little feet in the waves.
She sat up, hugging her knees, and watched her two men playing in the water. My family. Mine. A shiver of a different type of pleasure charged through her. The last six months had been perfect in every way, and she was finally starting to believe that Marco had truly chosen her. Chosen them. Their family.
Jakob’s company, Vandermere Global, filed for bankruptcy and was currently in the middle of a hostile takeover. Jakob himself had fled to no-one-knew where, but Marco suspected he was on an island somewhere licking his wounds and avoiding his creditors. Both she and Marco had regrets about Brynn’s role. Ultimately, she was a victim as well, and Senna could empathize with having your whole life unraveling right in front of you. Marco had tried to help her financially to get a fresh start, but she’d declined any help. The last they heard she was staying with friends in Manhattan.
The golden rays that heralded the late afternoon sun illuminated Marco’s chiseled features. He took her breath away every day, in every possible way. She watched as he scooped up a squealing Max in his powerful arms and held him close. Their eyes locked, and the hunger his eyes revealed made her anxious to get home and get Max settled for the night.
Marco set Max down and watched him with rapt attention as he toddled straight to where Senna sat. Marco wasn’t far behind.
“Okay, petit rei, give it to Mami.” She noticed both of Max’s chubby fists were closed tight.
“Did you find a treasure, baby? A shell? Can I see it?” She held out her hands expectantly.
With impressive precision, Max uncurled his fingers one by one and dropped his precious gift into her waiting hands.
Senna couldn’t move, she just stared. Max seemed to think that meant he could take his gift back and, when Senna closed her fist around it so it was out of sight he squawked his displeasure. Out of habit she grabbed one of his sippy cups and handed that to him instead, which seemed to mollify him for the moment.
Marco knelt in front of her, and she scrambled up to her knees. He gently peeled back her fingers.
“Senna, you and Max are the only things I truly cannot live without. You are my life, my love, mi amour. Please, will you—”
“Yes! Yes! Of course I’ll marry you.”
He laughed. “You didn’t let me finish.”
“Sorry, didn’t mean to steal your thunder.”
“You know you’re the only woman I’ve ever asked to marry me.” Marco took her left hand in his.
“As long as I’m the last one.”
Marco slid the ring onto her finger and she threw her arms around his neck. Between kisses she repeated, “Yes. Yes.”
He pulled back and rested his forehead on hers. “I love you more than I ever thought was possible. Tell me you’ll be mine forever.”
“Forever and always.”
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