I look to Star and hold my breath, but she claps her hands and rushes to congratulate us first. She kisses me and whispers, “I’m genuinely over the moon for you, Mom. You deserve this. And so does Gus. Stamatis will take care of you both.”
I can’t believe how much everything has changed. Only a few months ago, I thought my life was over. I had nothing to live for other than Gus, and I wanted to do nothing more than end the pain.
Now, I have a good relationship with my daughter. My therapy is going well. I have a business that is growing daily with new orders. And I have Stamatis, a man who loves me fiercely and who will do everything to protect both me and Gus.
Things all go a bit crazy after the announcement. Maya opens bottles of champagne, and we toast. Even Konstantin and Andrius give me a kiss and congratulate me. At some point the men head off to talk business.
I nod toward the men as they file out of the room. “Do you think there’s going to be trouble?” I ask Maya quietly, not wanting Star to hear in her condition.
“Doubt it, and even if there is, we’re safe here. It’s a damn fortress, Rhea.”
“Stamatis isn’t here, though. What if someone goes after him?”
I nod and then on impulse give her a big hug.
There are things to overcome. Stamatis and I are a scandal. We also have people who wish us ill such as Lena, but we’ve got one another, and that’s the most important thing.
After an hour or so the men return and join us, as Andrius and Konstantin take their leave.
I watch the two rough-hewn Russians jog down the steps and to their car, and I feel a moment of pity for whoever this Popov is they are going after.
At some point Gus joins us, and we all end up pitching in to make a huge brunch.
I realize then I have something I never thought I’d find again after I left the commune. I have a community around me. More, they’re a family. A big, non-conventional, noisy family, and I love them all in their own way.
One day soon I will live with this man; I know it now, deep down. And until then we’ll see one another often as he spends more and more time here.
Gus likes him a lot. He goes to Stamatis more and more, for help with homework and for advice on his games.
I sigh and sip at my champagne. I’m happy, and it feels amazing.
Best of all, I finally have a home and a tribe to call my own.
Thank you so much for reading.
This is the end of the Mafia Vows series so far as the novels go – although there is a novella coming up in the summer – The Wedding: Mafia Vows.
As a thank you for signing up you get a totally FREE and exclusive, standalone Bratva Vows Novella – The Dance.