Nero - Page 178

And wait.

And wait—for what feels like entire years—without anyone else stepping out after my brothers.

I lower my head and nod to myself, admitting that she’s not coming. I knew it was a possibility. I knew this could happen.

“I’m going to take you home, son,” I say to Kael, and he lifts his arms, asking to be picked up. I take him into my armsand breathe deeply, but it doesn’t feel like enough to fill the emptiness in my chest.

“Look, Daddy! Mommy looks like a fairy!”

I snap my eyes back to the pier immediately, and tears blurred my vision before I could even process her arrival.

Nina is stepping off the boat.

And she’s looking at me.

And as I stand there, my son in my arms, watching the woman of my life walk toward the altar—toward me—I know one single thing with absolute certainty:

No matter what happens, everything will be all right.

Because I already have everything I need.

EPILOGUE

NINA MARCHESI

EIGHT MONTHS LATER

“Little Fae! Is it possible you don’t hear a single word I say?” Nero whines from a distance, pacing across the sand.

I look at my husband walking toward me with long, hurried strides. He looks upset.

“Hi, love,” I greet him, playing dumb—but he doesn’t fall for it.

“Love nothing, look at this, Nina! You’re all red!” he complains, tilting the beach umbrella so it fully covers me. “The sun is way too strong for you at this hour.” His hands, slathered with sunscreen he pulled… out of his pocket? cover my shoulders, which don’t have a single red mark.

“Did you bring sunscreen in your pocket, Nero?” I laugh while he spreads far more cream than necessary over my body.

“And you?” he yells at his brothers. “You bunch of idiots! Where are your cars?” He looks around. “All parked miles away!” he answers himself. “I can’t rely on you for anything!” he shouts so his words carry all the way to the water.

“Nero, breathe. We just came for a quick walk on the beach,” I say, trying to calm him down when none of my brothers-in-law bother to respond to my husband’s tantrum.

“How did you get here?” he asks, not pausing between complaints.

“On foot, Nero. It’s fifteen minutes from the house. Don’t exaggerate.”

“And did you bring the hospital bag? Because I don’t see it anywhere,” he grumbles, hands on his hips, scolding me. “What is this, Nina?” He lifts a nearly empty bag of chips. “Did you eat this?” he asks, alarmed. “You didn’t eat this, did you?”

I try to stand, but my massive, fully thirty-eight-weeks-pregnant belly doesn’t allow it. After thinking about it, I’ve reached two possible conclusions: either the universe thinks I’m some enlightened being meant to be part of every possible exception when it comes to birth control, or Nero’s sperm is mutant.

Even after taking medication to regulate my cycle for years, I still got pregnant the very first time we had sex—at the lake house. Nero joked about whether we’d get a girl since we’d had sex without a condom again. Well. Looks like it was some kind of premonition. Iris could arrive at any moment now.

My husband helps me stand, gently, as if I might break. I press a kiss to his lips.

“Thank you,” I say simply, looking deep into his eyes.

“For what?” he asks suspiciously, hands on my belly as if he could share its weight just by touching it.

“For giving me the family I always wanted,” I declare, hugging him as best I can with my belly between us.