EPILOGUE - ROSE
ONE YEAR LATER

I was excited to be back in New York City for Christmas. Even though last Christmas on the island was absolutely unforgettable, there was nothing quite like Christmas in the city.

Camillo and our family had spent most of the year here, simply getting to know one another. We took our time explaining to the boys what was going on and how we were handling things from here, but the moment we told them they were going to be brothers, they were ecstatic.

We even told Cassie she had a place with us forever, if that was what she wanted.

Camillo had actively rolled back most of his duties from his criminal empire. He cashed in what he could, sold off what he couldn’t, and turned people in where necessary. He wasn’t just willing to turn the criminal domain over to someone else. He wanted to be rid of it completely.

Now, we were simply enjoying our extended vacation. He had purchased a massive penthouse apartment for all of us to live in whenever we traveled to New York City, and Kevin simply couldn’t believe his eyes. The boys were still hellbent on sharing a room together, and we’d employed Mrs. Barker as their full-time nanny. Camillo was still spending every waking moment he could with Ana, and the more time they spent together, the more my heart melted for them both.

I didn’t think I could feel love for any two individuals the way I loved them.

During the past year, Camillo insisted that I pursue my culinary dreams. He even went so far as to build a test restaurant on a plot of land he purchased that would eventually be the site for our new home together as a family. We’d decided to get out of the Poconos and put ourselves in the middle of a city the two of us loved dearly.

And Crystal was happy to have us closer to her.

Camillo hired a wonderful chef to be my mentor in this test restaurant of his. I’d learned a great deal under his tutelage, and I was closer than ever to achieving my dream. He taught me all of the techniques I would’ve learned in culinary school and tested me just like a school would have. Pretty soon, I was challenging him in the kitchen with tastes, plate designs, and food pairings.

Camillo beamed with pride every time he dropped in on us and heard me bucking up to my mentor.

I was confident my venture would be a success. I’d always wanted to own and operate my own restaurant, and with the skills I’d learned and Camillo’s support, I knew I could do it. People came for miles to our little test restaurant in order to sample the flavors and partake in my latest concoctions, and there was always a positive, raving review in the newspaper the next day.

The city loved my food, and I knew I would finally achieve the dream I’d set out to achieve when I was eighteen.

Now, it was December twenty-eighth. My birthday. Christmas had come and gone, and the massive surprise Camillo had for me was plans to build a restaurant in the heart of the city. I’d squealed and threw my arms around his neck, but what I would later come to find was that he had already built it. He’d found my random sketches and artistic suggestions for what my dream restaurant would one day become, and he handed them over to an architect and interior design expert to bring to life. With his promise of forever sparkling on my left hand and my family sitting at one of the restaurant’s V.I.P. tables, it was time for the restaurant to open its doors to the public.

It was time for me to make my debut as Chef Moretti.

Camillo had worked hard to keep the restaurant a secret from me, but he’d worked even harder to promote it. So on opening night, on my birthday, a line of excited customers stretched down the block. I was in the back, prepping for the dinner rush with employees he’d hired behind my back, calling out commands into a kitchen I could now call my own. I was expecting an insane night that would keep me here well into the early morning hours, and I smiled from ear to ear as I thought about it.

I wouldn’t want it any other way.

I had my husband to thank for all this. For the restaurant and for encouraging me to continue pursuing my dreams. He was the one that had chased behind Ana for the past year, and he was the one that took care of the boys’ schooling issues. I watched as Camillo weaved around chairs, chasing our wild three-year old around while she giggled and cried out for “more playtime.” Camillo swooped her up into his arms and slathered her face with kisses, trying to get her out of sight before people started filing in to sit down.

And all the while, the boys were sitting at the table, doing their school work.

They loved the middle school they had been enrolled in. They were in a great deal of classes together and were quickly making friends in the city. They frequently had friends over to play video games and eat all our food, and I took it as an opportunity to try out new snacks and finger foods with their friends. Of course, the boys would eat anything I put in front of them, but the more practice I could gain, the better off I knew I would be.

Life couldn’t have gotten more perfect than this.

The door to the restaurant opened and in poured the people. Men and women of all different races, backgrounds, and social classes were spilling into the seats, and the waitstaff was quickly taking drink orders. The bar was in full swing as I started grabbing appetizer plates to stick at my station. Then I made my rounds to make sure everyone had everything they needed to make this night a rousing success.

Then, I heard the first ticket order come through, and I ripped it from the printing station before I turned toward the kitchen.

“I need two orders of the toasted brioche rounds with the creme fraiche and the caviar on both. And one order of olive straws!”

I looked out of the corner of my eye and saw Camillo beaming, waving at me while the boys cheered me on. I felt tears rise to my eyes as I took a deep breath, listening as the tickets began pouring in from the main room. I ripped them off and continued to call out order after order, then I made my way into the middle of the kitchen and started preparing the massive lamb shanks that were on the menu for tonight.

Yes. Life could not have been more perfect than this.

The End

IT’S NOT OVER YET....THE PARTY HAS JUST STARTED.....

As a thank you, this book includes an exclusive Christmas romance by Rye Hart, which can be accessed on the following pages...

What happens when a truth of dare came turns wickedly sexy between five HOT alpha brothers and one very lucky girl?

Kyra was always a tomboy. After ending things with her longtime boyfriend in New York City, she's newly single and ready to start over.

She's visiting her home town for Christmas and her best friends from child hood, the McCormick brothers, are back together: Ethan. James. Daniel. Owen. Blake.

At a holiday party, they play truth or dare and it turns sexy, fast.

Kyra finds herself at a crossroad when her ex shows up a week before Christmas with a gift in a small black box.

Knowing that the clock is ticking, the guys formulate a plan to prove that they can work together and maybe even win her over.

Leading up to Christmas, each guy gives her a special gift. One a day.

Each one has a sentimental value, showing that they are there to take care of her.

On the last day, Christmas Eve, they give her the biggest gift of all.

Will they when Kyra over?