Two Years Later

Maddie squeals as I pick her up into my arms. She nuzzles her head against my chest and I smile, carrying her into the kitchen. Elias looks up from the table and laughs as Maddie reaches her arms out for him.

“You’re getting so huge,” he says, taking her from me so I can go finish making coffee.

“Oh, thanks,” I say. “You shouldn’t comment on a lady’s weight.”

He laughs and lifts Maddie up into the air. I smile at them as I pour some creamer into my mug and stir it. Elias shakes Maddie around a little bit before putting her down. She teeters off back into the living room to play with her toys.

I sit down at the table, chair pulled back so I can watch Maddie. “Busy day today?” I ask him.

He shrugs. “Just got a few bikes to finish up.”

“Good. Want to go for a little picnic with Maddie and me?”

“Absolutely.” He grins and sips his coffee. He looks so content and I gently put my hand on my pregnant belly with my own smile.

We’ve been in Redlands, California, for nearly two years now. It was the first town we stopped at out here and just decided that we were finished traveling, and it was time to figure out what to do next. We got a little apartment with Elias’s money, we both got jobs, and we went from there.

Well, not exactly. We had a lot of help. Turns out, back in Providence, Raymond died of a heart attack about a month after we left. All of Buddy’s assets had already been given to him, so the mafia controlled that stuff, but Raymond’s death threw the mob into turmoil and took the heat off us. Marko was able to sell Elias’s shop, his stuff, and his house. He sent us the money, minus a nice little commission for himself, and apparently now he’s doing pretty well for himself. He says he’s gone straight, but who knows with him, and we know better than to ask questions like that over the phone.

With the money from that sale, we bought a little yellow house on a hill surrounded by big, beautiful trees in a nice little neighborhood. I gave birth to Maddie, Elias opened a new shop, and now here we are, expecting our second baby.

We got married somewhere in Wisconsin. We found the first courthouse that would do it, said the words, made it official and never looked back. It wasn’t a fairytale wedding, but it’s a fairytale marriage. Every night, we make it a fairytale. Every day, we make it like heaven.

Elias stands up and stretches. “It’s weird,” he says softly. “I got a text from Marko last night. Sometimes I forget what our life was like back there.”

“It was crazy,” I agree. We don’t talk about the past much anymore, since we don’t need it. We’re too happy in the present to dwell on anything else. “But in a weird way, I’m glad it happened.”

“Me too.” He kisses me and walks over to the sink. He dumps his coffee and washes his hands before turning toward me. “I have a little surprise for you.”

I raise an eyebrow, perking up. “What’s that?”

“Stay right there.” He disappears out the back door. I watch Maddie playing for a couple minutes, a smile on my face. Surprises from Elias aren’t that rare these days, now that his shop is doing really well.

He comes back inside and gets down on one knee. “I love you,” he says, handing me a little gift bag.

“I love you too. What is this?”

“Look inside.”

I pull out an envelope first. It’s plain, with a plain white card. Inside is a check folded in half. I open the check and gasp.

“That’s the right amount, right?” he asks me.

I nod, eyes wide. “How?”

“Sold a few bikes, got a few commissions.” He grins at me. “Like it?”

“I love it.” I laugh and hug him. “God, that’s such a relief.”

It’s the exact amount to pay off the rest of my loans. Now I’ll be completely debt free, all thanks to Elias.

“That’s not it, though,” he says. “One more thing.”

“What’s all this for, anyway?”

“It’s the anniversary of that day,” he says softly. “The day we left Providence.”I blink at him and then take a breath. “I had no clue.”

“Good. Don’t ever think about it again. Now open your last surprise.”

I reach into the bag and pull out a little black box. Inside is a gorgeous diamond engagement ring, the sort of ring we couldn’t afford when we first got married. I slip it onto my finger and feel the tears in my eyes.

“Mommy?” Maddie says, coming over. “Why are you crying?”

“Because I’m happy, honey,” I say, and hug Elias. “Daddy got Mommy a new ring. Look at it, pretty, right?”

“Pretty,” Maddie coos and then teeters off again.

I kiss him slow and deep. I love this man so much sometimes I can barely breathe. “You’re too good to me,” I say.

“I try,” he says back, a huge smile on his face. “Now, I should get going. I’ll see you and Maddie later?”

“Definitely.”

I watch as he goes into the living room, scoops up Maddie, and kisses her until she laughs. He puts her down, waves, and heads out for the morning.

I smile while I watch Maddie play some more. Elias is the kind of father every woman dreams of. He’s caring and devoted and puts Maddie first in absolutely everything. I love him so much it hurts, and even more because he loves Maddie so deeply and intensely.

This is my life now. It’s not perfect, but it’s pretty damn close. All because of what happened back in Providence. It somehow worked out for us, and although I wish we didn’t need to go through all that horrible stuff, I don’t know if I’d change anything. We have our Maddie, and another baby on the way, and a house and a neighborhood and more. We have love, and love, and more love, and that’s worth almost any price at all.

Author’s Note:

Many of you may recognize some of the names in this book. Buddy and Raymond are both based on real people in the great town of Providence’s history. Their real-life personas are actually way more interesting and crazy than my completely fictional versions of them, and I totally recommend looking up their stories. Crime Town is a great podcast that talks about the wonderful corrupt mayor Buddy Cianci and the mobster Raymond Patriarca, Jr.

Although they were bad men that did bad things, sometimes the bad men interest us the most, and nothing’s ever so simple.