Page 124 of The Wrong Mafia Bride
"I know," I tell her. "I chose us. And I would make that choice every single day for the rest of my life."
She kisses me, soft and full of promise. When she pulls back, she is smiling.
"To new beginnings," she says.
"To family," Gabriel adds.
"To freedom," Luca contributes.
"To us," I finish, pulling them all closer. "To whatever comes next."
And for the first time in my life, I am not afraid of what comes next. Because whatever it is, we will face it together.
Not as soldiers in my father's army. Not as pawns in some grand game.
But as a family we chose to build. As people who love each other not because we have to, but because we want to.
And that is worth more than any empire. Worth more than any name.
We stand there tangled together, and I can feel it settling over us—this new reality, this new beginning, this choice we made to walk away from everything familiar and build something better.
It is terrifying. It is exhilarating. It is absolutely right.
And I would not change a single thing.
27
ROSALINA
Two weeksafter Patrick's death, I finally feel like I can breathe again.
The late October air is crisp and cool as I walk through the gardens behind the Salvatore estate, my hand resting on the small swell of my belly that seems to have appeared overnight. At ten weeks pregnant, I am starting to show—just barely, just enough that my jeans don’t button quite right anymore and I have started stealing Dante's shirts to wear around the house.
Erin walks beside me, her own pregnant belly more pronounced at four months along. She is glowing today despite everything—her red hair catching the afternoon sunlight, her face finally losing some of the hollow, haunted look she wore when Dante brought her home that night.
"I still can’t believe they want me to run the Irish mafia," Erin says, shaking her head as we pass through the rose garden. The roses are dying now, their petals brown and curled at the edges, but somehow that makes them more beautiful. "Me. The girl who ran away to Texas to raise chickens."
"You are Seamus's daughter," I remind her. "His heir. It makes sense."
"But I don’t want it, Rosie." She stops walking, turning to face me with frustration clear in her expression. "I never wanted the mafia life. I wanted Dolan and our farm and peace."
I take her hands in mine, squeezing gently. "I know. But Dante, Gabriel, and Luca have made it clear—you only run things until you are ready to pass it on. Until you find someone you trust to take over, or until you can train someone up, or until Dante officially becomes don of the Italian family and can absorb your operations. It is temporary."
"Temporary," Erin repeats, testing the word. "And in the meantime, they help me? They send advisors and protection?"
"They send whatever you need," I confirm. "Callahan is your second-in-command. He knows everything about the organization. You just need to show your face occasionally, sign off on major decisions, and let people know that Seamus's daughter is in charge. The rest can wait until you are ready."
Erin nods slowly, processing. "And you? You are okay with all of this? With me staying here in New York instead of going back to Texas?"
"I am more than okay with it," I tell her honestly. "I get to have my sister close. Our babies get to grow up together. You are safe and protected and do not have to face this alone. Why would I not be okay?"
"Because you gave up your freedom for mine," Erin says quietly. "You married Dante to save me. And now I am asking you to help me navigate this world you never wanted to be part of."
I laugh, the sound carrying across the garden. "Erin, I am exactly where I want to be. Married to three men who love me, pregnant with a baby I actually want, building a life that is mine by choice. You did not take my freedom. You gave me the chance to find it."
"You really are happy," Erin says, and there is wonder in her voice. "Even with all the chaos and the mafia politics and sharing yourself with your husband and two other men—you are genuinely happy?"
"I am," I confirm. "Deliriously, impossibly happy."
