Epilogue
Kennedy
Five Months Later
I was holding our baby girl in my arms. After twelve hours of painful labor, I had finally delivered a beautiful healthy child. Avery Martina. I stared into her face. She had her father’s dark hair, they were soft little curls on her head now. Her eyes on the other hand, were exactly like mine…green and wide.
She was a smiling baby. In the past three hours that she was born, she’d cried very little. I could sense that she was going to be a happy cheerful child.
Nico had left the hospital room. He’d gone to make a phone call and I was alone with Avery. He’d spent every moment by my side, refusing to go anywhere. Even though I didn’t have anybody else I knew around me, Nico was enough.
The past five months in Rome had been turbulent but we’d found our moments of happiness. I was clueless in Italy, but thankfully, Nico spoke the language and had distant relations who were willing to help us out.
We’d made our escape out of America quietly, without any incidents. Now, it was time for us to build a home and a life here from scratch.
As the days went by, I fell more and more in love with Rome. It was a beautiful city steeped in history and culture. It was Nico’s culture, and somehow here, I felt more connected with him. I was immersing myself in a new world and a new language and it wasn’t as scary as I thought it would be.
I cradled Avery in my arms as she giggled blissfully at me.
“You’re going to be fluent in Italian, just like your handsome daddy,” I cooed to her and she giggled some more.
I’d watched Nico these past months, trying hard and working all hours of the day to provide a comfortable life for us. We’d left America with some money, but not enough to live luxuriously here. However, Nico was determined and I was certain that if he set his mind to it—he would be a success.
He’d started working with his cousin in their car dealership business, but Nico didn’t want any favors. He was determined to put in the effort and the hours. He’d already decided that he was going to save enough money to start his own construction business soon. This time, it was going to be fully legitimate and free of any mob violence.
I believed he would. He just needed some time.
Avery giggled again, bursting through my thoughts and I bopped her little button nose tenderly.
I had never felt this happy or content before, than having my baby in my arms. Avery had changed everything and I knew Nico felt it too. I’d seen it in his eyes. Now more than ever, he was going to work his hardest to make sure that Avery had a comfortable life.
The only element of sadness in all of this was that my parents and friends hadn’t seen Avery. The situation was a little better back in Seattle, nonetheless, Nico didn’t want to risk it.
He was working with his father now, only on an advisory level, to help sort out the business. According to Nico, his father had turned a new leaf. Nico’s departure from the family business had challenged him and somehow made him see reason. He was calling truce with his worst enemies, paying his debts and going straight.
Nico promised that it would only be a matter of time before we could visit Seattle often, before my parents could come to Rome!
I looked up now when Nico opened the door and stepped in. I beamed at him, unable to hide how happy I was feeling.
“You okay, beautiful?” he asked and I nodded my head.
Nico remained by the door, watching me and Avery in my arms.
“Come here, sit with me,” I asked and a grin started spreading on Nico’s face.
“I want to, but I think you’re ready for your surprise now,” he said and I crossed my brows.
“You have a surprise for me?”
Nico held the door open and Ava walked in.
My jaw dropped and I squealed. Ava squealed too and she came running to me. Avery giggled in my arms and Ava lifted her up, kissing the baby’s cheeks and cuddling her.
“Oh my God, Kenni, she’s absolutely adorable! She looks so much like you,” Ava said. Nico came over to take his daughter, so that Ava could sit with me.
We were both crying. This was the longest we’d been apart since we first became friends. I’d missed her every day and now she was finally here.
“What are you doing here? What’s going on?” I asked, gasping for breath. I watched as Ava and Nico exchanged pleased looks.
“It was Nico’s idea. He wanted me to be here for Avery’s birth but I missed the flight. I took the next one, no worries,” she explained and threw her arms around me. We were hugging and laughing and wiping the tears off each other’s cheeks.
“I can’t believe you’re here…I didn’t think it would be safe?” I looked at Nico now, while he rocked Avery in his arms.
“Things are getting better, besides Ava said you and the baby were worth the risk,” Nico replied.
I shook my head in disbelief while Ava sat on the bed beside me.
“How long are you here?” I asked and Ava smiled.
“A few weeks. I wanted to help out with the baby. But I have to go back for work of course,” she said and I nodded my head.
“I would have been just as happy even if you came for a few hours,” I told her and we were hugging again.
Over Ava’s shoulder, I smiled at the man…the father of my child…who had stuck to his word. He was fixing this. He was going to make sure that I was always happy.
***
One Year Later
It was our wedding day, and I was blessed to be surrounded by all the people I most loved. My friends, Carly, Sarah, Silvia and Mona were there with their husbands and their respective kids. My parents were flown in by Nico too and Ava was of course, fussing around me as she helped me with my veil.
I hadn’t seen Nico for an entire day, according to custom and our baby girl was now beginning to wonder where her daddy was.
“Where is Avery?” I asked Ava as she touched up my makeup. I was sitting in front of the mirror.
Nico and I had selected a beautiful Tuscan villa for the wedding. Ava and Carly had helped with the decorations and the food. This day was turning out to be perfect.
“She’s with your mom outside,” Ava told me.
Once she was satisfied with my makeup, she stood behind me and we looked at each other in the mirror.
“You look beautiful, Kenni,” she said and kissed the top of my head. As I held her hand, I saw the diamond glitter on my ring finger.
Nico had fallen on his knee one night, only four months ago. It had seemed like a regular night-in for us. Avery was there, we’d ordered pizza and we were just about to settle in for a movie. Instead, Nico had turned off the TV, put Avery in her cradle and got down on his knee.
When he asked me to marry him, I’d burst into tears.
I’d pictured myself spending the rest of my life with this man…but marriage hadn’t crossed my mind. I wasn’t one of those girls who dreamed about her wedding. And yet, I was the one having one of the dreamiest weddings!
We had four months to plan everything and Nico said he was going to make sure I had all my friends and family in attendance. Things were better with the Rossi family in Seattle now and he said it was safe for everyone to travel.
So, now they were all here. On my special day to witness the union of Nico and me. I was happy and content. I couldn’t even remember what it felt like to be in Seattle anymore.
There was a knock on the door and we turned to see an older man walk in.
“Excuse me, my apologies. They told me you were ready,” he said.
I recognized him from the one old family picture that Nico had. It was Fabio Rossi, his father.
“I am, Ava would you excuse us please?”
I watched as my friend left and Fabio stepped closer to me.
“No, no don’t get up,” he said when I was about to stand.
“I wasn’t aware that you were coming,” I told him and he nodded his head. I could see the similarities between father and son now. He must have been very handsome when he was young.
“You’re right, I wasn’t invited. I think I’ve done enough to deserve my son’s hatred. But I believed this would be my only opportunity to meet my daughter-in-law and my grandchild. I wanted to see you both. The woman who stole my son away from me,” he continued.
I gulped, a sudden fear had gripped my heart. Was he threatening me? Was he going to do something? Based on all the stories I’d heard about him, I knew that he was not a man to be trusted.
I stood up from the ottoman this time and turned to face him.
“What do you want from me?” I asked, trying to be as firm as possible.
Fabio breathed in deeply, squaring his shoulders the way Nico always did.
“Nothing, my dear. I just wanted to see you and wish you the best of happiness. I know my son is happy and that should satisfy me,” he replied.
I was confused now. Was he here to threaten me or was he genuinely being nice?
He must have seen the confusion on my face because he smiled now. It was a weak and sad smile.
“You remind me of my late wife. She looked just as beautiful on our wedding day. The truth is that she was a remarkable woman, but she died of sadness,” Fabio stated.
“Nico’s mother had cancer,” I said and he nodded his head.
“But she gave up too easily. She had no interest in fighting the disease. She had no interest in this life that I’d built for her. She was sad. She still loved me but she knew I was a monster. She didn’t want to see her son grow up to become one as well,” Fabio continued.
“He is not,” I remarked and he nodded his head.
“I know that, and I have you to thank for the peaceful life he leads now,” he said and reached for my hand.
I allowed him to take my hand in his. I could sense he wasn’t a threat to me anymore.
“Will you stay for the wedding?” I asked softly. His eyes were bloodshot now, he was brimming with emotion. This should have been just as much a happy day for him as it was for my parents.
“I don’t think my son would want that,” he said and I patted his hand.
“I think he would. I don’t think you know your son at all,” I replied and Fabio smiled.
“I’ll stay,” he said and I smiled at him too.
He left soon after and my father came in to walk me down the aisle. Then, when I walked down towards Nico, who looked so handsome standing there at the alter in his tuxedo, I knew I was truly happy.
We may have left Seattle but there was nothing missing from our lives. We were happy here. We led a peaceful life together, and now we were surrounded by our family and friends too.
Nico blew me a kiss as I walked towards him. We couldn’t wait to be married to each other.
***
One Year Later
It was Avery’s second birthday and we’d organized a huge party for her at our home in Rome. Our friends from the neighborhood and Nico’s work friends were invited as well as their large families. Avery’s playgroup friends were there of course and I’d baked her a big zoo themed birthday cake.
After everyone left and Avery was tucked into bed, surrounded by all the gifts and toys she’d received—Nico and I finally had a chance to breathe.
“She looks happy, doesn’t she?” I said as we stood at her bedroom door, watching her breathe peacefully. Nico wrapped an arm around me and kissed me.
“Yes, she does. She’s our happy little princess,” he declared.
Holding hands we walked back to the living room. We’d tried to clear up the traces of the party but there was still a lot to do. The next day being a Sunday, we decided to leave it till then.
Nico poured us wine into two glasses and we walked out to the back garden. Porch chairs were set up under an umbrella and the solar powered fairy lights had come on in the garden.
It was a beautiful summer’s day and the sky looked a perfect shade of purplish-orange while the sun set. Nico and I sat together, drinking our wine and talking.
We still couldn’t get over how happy Avery looked and how much of a success the party had been. We’d come a long way from that night in Seattle when we’d made our escape in the wee hours of the morning.
Now, Nico’s construction business had successfully kicked off and he had several lucrative projects in hand. We’d saved enough money to buy ourselves a beautiful villa in a fancy suburb in Rome. Avery had many friends and so did I.
I even spoke Italian now…which meant that the city didn’t seem so strange to me anymore.
“I think it’s time that Avery saw Seattle,” Nico said, when there was a lull in the conversation. My eyes perked up when I heard that and I looked at him with excitement. We’d been in Rome for more than two years now and hadn’t returned to America once.
“I promised you Christmas and it’s Christmas when we’ll go for a visit,” Nico declared. I squealed and threw my arms around his neck while he laughed.
“Christmas? Oh my God! My parents will be so happy to hear that! Avery will love Seattle in Christmas!” I couldn’t stop gushing with joy. It wasn’t until now that I realized how much I actually missed our old hometown. Even though Rome was home now and we were perfectly happy here.
“Yes, I know. I’ve arranged it already. Just a few more months and we’ll be flying into Seattle,” Nico said and he kissed me.
What started off as an innocent, excited kiss turned passionate. I leaned over him, making my chair nearly topple as I kissed him. Nico laughed and pulled me on to his lap. I was straddling him now as I kissed him. My tongue sliding in and out of his delicious mouth. His hands were on my waist and then traveled down to my butt.
“We’ve never done it out here,” he murmured in my ear. His voice was drowsy and deep. I bit down on my lip.
“We have neighbors!” I scolded him but he nibbled my earlobe in response.
His kisses traveled down my chin, my neck…till finally he was nibbling on my breasts through the material of my blouse. I weaved my fingers in his hair, swaying backwards while he touched me.
“Kennedy…” he said my name and scooped me back straight again. I stared at him with desire dripping from every pore of my skin. I was ready to strip right here, right in the garden…I didn’t care about the damn neighbors!
“Nico!” I exclaimed, alarmed that he was stopping now.
“I know Avery is happy, but are you happy here, beautiful?” he asked and stroked my hair.
I sighed and smiled, before I nodded my head.
I held his gaze strongly. I knew he still blamed himself for everything that happened. For us leaving Seattle. For how drastically my life had changed.
“I am very happy here, Nico. This is our life, our home…I mean, look at it!” I replied and I tracked the cozy beauty of our back garden. “I wouldn’t even dream of a home like this in Seattle. Besides, we get to go to America now. Don’t blame yourself anymore, Nico,” I told him and he kissed me again.
He caught my hand and gently tickled my arm. I could sense there was something on his mind.
“Nico…what is it?” I asked him and he fixed his deep gray eyes on me again.
“I was thinking that now since we’re settled here. And we’re married…maybe we could try for another baby?” he asked.
My heart was racing in my chest. It was like he’d read my mind! I’d been thinking about another child for some time now. The more Avery grew up, the more I wished that she had a sibling.
“Yes!” I exclaimed and we hugged.
Nico stood up from the chair, lifting me up along with him. He was carrying me into the house, to our bedroom. I kissed him while he did. I was happy…I was in love. I had a baby with the man who was always meant to be mine. Even back in high school I’d known that Nico Rossi had the potential to change my life, and now he had.
He shut the door behind us and dropped me on our king-sized bed. I laughed as he joined me on it.
“I can’t wait to watch our family grow,” he said before he kissed me again.