77|Epilogue 2

~Zia~

My parents have been traveling back and forth from New York to Seattle for about two months now. They have the penthouse next to ours to their name. They wanted to be close to Franco. I mean, they even hold him longer than I do when they’re around. I only get to hold him when he’s hungry; where’s the justice in that?

Mom and Dad were sitting in the living room, admiring Franco as he cooed, yawned, and fluttered his eyes because he was already sleepy.

I stare at them from the kitchen, eating my salad with a pout on my lip. There’s a small part of me that feels a little possessive about my son. I knew my parents only wanted to be with their grandchild. They’ve been waiting for him excitedly, like Xavier and me. They’ve been deprived of this chance when Nadia lost her baby; now Franco is about to get spoiled if we do nothing about these two.

“What’s with that pout?” Xavier, appearing out of nowhere, poked my upper lip as he occupied the stool beside me, snatching the fork from my hand.

He stabbed a few lettuce and strawberries, tucking out his tongue with a cute gagging sound, making me giggle.

“You call this food?” he mumbled, taking a sip of my orange juice.

“Those two ate the mac and cheese you made,” I nodded towards my parents while they smiled at one another.

Gray lines looking like highlights adorned their hair. Happy lines on their faces have deepened through time. They are aging at a slow pace, which must be the effect of the satisfaction evident in their features.

It made me smile.

I still admire the kind of love they have. I hope Xavier and I will look at each other that way twenty years from now—filled with adoration and love.

Xavier hummed, moving to trap my seat between his long legs, resting his elbow on the counter while the other reached for my hair, tucking it behind my ears. I faced him, smiling at his sweet, gentle gesture.

We stared at each other; everything around me fades when he’s looking at me like this as if I’m the center of his universe.

The most expressive eyes I’ve ever seen, one that mirrors Franco’s, stared back at me. It was kind of unfair when I carried our son in my womb for nine months, and all he got from me was the color of my hair. Even the shape of their lips has huge similarities.

“Let’s have dinner out?” Xavier’s forefinger traced the path of my jaw, resting under my chin while he ran the pad of his thumb over my lip.

I leaned on his touch, biting my lip. “Like a date?” excitement bubbled in my chest. My eyes are probably sparkling like that of a child in Disneyland. Truth be told, Xavier and I haven’t had sex since I gave birth to Franco.

It’s not that he doesn’t want me. Knowing him all too well made me understand he was giving my body time to recover from giving birth; he was afraid he’d hurt me with his brutal ways. Sex with Xavier had always been mind-blowing. This man should’ve come with a label warning. Sexy, dangerous, addictive.

Xavier hummed a yes, smiling softly, “salad is banned on the menu, though.”

A hearty giggle slipped past my lips, grabbing mom and dad’s attention. They glared at me. I was probably too loud to have woken up the sleeping Franco.

God, I wonder how they would act around him when he’s older.

I rolled my eyes at them, huffing.

~~

We slipped out of the penthouse; mom and dad were too eagerly willing to be on Franco duty. I’m grateful, though. After everything that’s happened with Ashley and Balandin, I’m not taking chances of having a nanny. Even Erik does Franco duties sometimes.

“Do I get to know where we’re going?” I asked as we stepped inside the lift.

There was a fifty-fifty chance he changed his tactics on our dates. I mean, it’s been a long time since we went into one.

“Not a chance,” he chuckled, grinning at me like a fool.

I rolled my eyes, biting my lips as he pressed my hands gently, lifting it to his lips, kissing the back of my knuckles.

“What’s with all the mystery anyway, X? It’s not like anyone would try to attack us, anyway.” It’s true, though. With us taking the lead for the Italian mafia, Mom and Dad with the American mafia, and Nadia and Tiago with the Mexican mafia, no one dares cross us.

They’d be a fool to break into the solid wall of our alliance.

It’s as peaceful as it could get, as long as we hold power, and it would be like that for a long time. Peace was something I thought we would never achieve, but with Xavier’s perseverance, he kept everyone at arm’s length without going neck and neck with one another.

Even Garin of the Russian mafia pledged his allegiance to Xavier when he helped him put back together his mafia that Balandin destroyed with his treacherous ways.

He shook his head, poking my nose. “I get to experience the pleasure of seeing your eyes lit up when I surprise you. You should know this by now, my love.”

The only hint he gave me was to wear something comfortable. He was sporting his casual clothes, jeans, gray shirt topped with his leather jacket and paired with his biker boots. While I was wearing a white dress, pumps, and swiped a simple makeup on my face.

It was summertime again. The warm and fuzzy air lingers as we step out of the elevator car, and then it hits me.

“Oh my god,” I covered my mouth.

“What?” Xavier glanced at me worriedly, eyes searching my face for any hint of what’s gotten into me.

“Xavier.” I stared at him with teary eyes, guilt washing over me. “I forgot, it’s our anniversary.”

He gave me a sheepish smile, confirming my suspicion. How could I forget about this day? I guess that’s the reason mom and dad cut short their vacation in Naples just to be here with us.

“I’m sorry.” Panic rose from my chest.

It’s our first anniversary, and I didn’t have anything for him. To top that, I forgot about this day! God. This is unforgivable.

Xavier pulled me in for a hug. “You’ve had a lot on your plate, Zia.” he said, “no need to apologize. What you brought into my life is something that I cannot match.”

“You’re only saying that.”

He pulled away, cupping my face to wipe my tears with his thumb, looking deep into my eyes. “No, love. You stayed with me, love me. That’s more than enough.” He smirked. “Plus, you gave a handsome kid.”

I swatted his chest, giggling at how he was flashing his ego in front of my face. He knew Franco got all his good physical features, and he knew all too well how good-looking he was.

God, I just wish our son doesn’t inherit his father’s humongous ego.