by May Gordon
"You took the job!" He yells and I nod in agreement, thankful I had. If not, I would’ve never met Poppy. Somebody else would’ve accepted the assignment and completed it. The thought alone makes me sick to my stomach.
"True.” Withdrawing my gun, I point it at his head, informing him, “Time to go.” He curses me, wanting to know if he gets any last words. In response, I fire and he falls right beside Max. I lean down to remove my knife from him, wiping it off on his pants, then walk out.
I call Boden who greets me with the question, “He dead?”
"They all are,” I assure him. “I'm coming home." It’s something I've never had before, so saying it still gives me a little thrill. Poppy and our daughter made it such. It doesn’t matter where we are as long as we’re together. And we’ll stay that way for the rest of my life.
Poppy- New Orleans…
I rock Mary in my arms, my gaze focused on her. She's so beautiful and I still can't believe I made her. The past few weeks – hell, months – have been crazy. We couldn’t bring Mary home for seven days after her birth, just to make sure everything was okay. Thankfully, it was and she’s now healthy as can be. I had to stay in the hospital a few days myself, and while I was there, Smith found a house for, much like Boden’s compound, and purchased it for us. The security has been vetted by both men, which helps with the fear I haven’t quite shaken yet.
The door opens, followed almost immediately by him seeking me out. He was only gone two days, his mission to take out any threats to me, and I missed him like crazy. "Did I miss her feeding?" Once he’s settled beside me, I transfer Mary to his arms, a huge smile lighting up his face as he looks at her.
"She just finished and is ready for cuddles now."
"I can give her that all day," he admits. There’s no doubt in my mind he loves her, even if he hadn’t put his name on her birth certificate as her father. And he definitely is that. She may not be his by blood, but he is her daddy in all other ways. "Foster and Annabelle left?" he asks.
“They left yesterday they were sorry they couldn’t stay longer.”
"I think Mary gave them baby fever."
"I can see why. I want at least six more.” His face is is bright with a smile.
“Are you serious?”
He assures me he is. "Or as many as you'll give me," he states with a kiss. "Quinn and Molly should be here next week, and Porter and Faye not long after that. The rest will make their way here soon, too.” He sounds upset about it, but I know he isn’t. He’s grateful to have them. Boden and I have become quite close since we met and I’m looking forward to meeting the rest. Annabelle even added me to the group chat the wives have. I’m having a blast getting to know them. It’s an endless source of entertainment, support, and advice. Snuggling against Smith, we both look at Mary, soaking her all in. I’m hesitant to ask, not wanting to ruin the moment, but I need to know.
"Are we free?"
“The Donald family is no longer an issue. They’re all gone.” I know I shouldn’t condone murder, but they were very bad people. Mary’s safety matters more than my morals. Besides, they wanted to kill both of us, so I refuse to feel guilty that I’m glad they’re dead.
"Thank you."
"You and Mary are everything to me. I’ll give you anything you want."
"That's a dangerous thing to say to a woman," I inform him with a giggle, he merely takes it as a challenge, telling me to try him. It seems I had a mental list I wasn’t aware of because I instantly inform him I want to redecorate the house. “Don't get me wrong, it's beautiful. It’s just not me."
"Done."
"I also want a huge wedding with all the guys and their families. Oh, and the best red velvet cake money can buy." When he asks if there’s more, I continue with, “I’d love to have a gallery here to sell and create art. I found the perfect spot for it.”
"It appears that you have everything taken care of already," he muses with a smile, which he’s doing a lot more of lately. "We can have it all, Poppy." I don’t doubt that, with Smith I feel like we can have the world.
It may sound strange, but having a hit put out on me was the best thing to happen. If I hadn’t been marked for death, I would’ve never met Smith. He’s changed my life forever and I will always be grateful that he accepted the job. And that he didn’t complete it.
Epilogue 1
Smith- Five years later…
Boden and I are at the park, sitting on the bench as we watch our kids have fun on the playground. We come here almost every Sunday, giving our wives the chance to relax.
"You know what blows my mind?" Boden asks. Unable to resist messing with him, I ask if he’s talking about the frozen yogurt shop discontinuing banana. He chuckles, playing along and saying yes, but that isn’t what he’s talking about. “I never thought I’d have this after believing Fin was dead. Yet here we are, the King of New Orleans and the Boogeyman, hanging out while our children play together.”
Not knowing what to say to that, other than to label what we have a miracle, I tell him, "Life is a mystery." After all the shit I did in the past, I’m living the dream and I know it. I officially retired from my previous career, now only lending my services to my friends and those who need the type of help only I can provide. We had the wedding Poppy asked for a few months after my visit to Ernest, and while it was hell waiting to make her officially mine, it was worth it because she loved every minute of it. She’s currently pregnant with our fourth child, having had two boys since welcoming our oldest, Mary. I've never been a religious man, but there’s no denying I’ve been blessed. Poppy worked hard to make her gallery the success it’s become. Not only do the other wives frequently buy from her, but she has other high-profile customers. Some legit, others not. As busy as all of our lives have become, we still make it a point to get together as often as we can.
"Enzo will be here next week to discuss the problems he's been having."
"He needs someone gone; he just needs to ask."
"He knows. We all do."
As Mary comes running toward us, we stop our conversation as she hollers, “Daddy! I found a shell.” She’s the spitting image of her mom, thank god. Even has her personality. Taking her hand, I look at it and tell her it’s beautiful.
“You should keep it. We’ll find a safe place at home for it." She shakes her head no and lets me know it’s for me, causing my heart to swell with more love for her, which I didn’t think was possible. “Thank you, sweetheart. I’ll cherish it forever.” Then I place a kiss on her hand and watch as she returns to her brothers as I marvel at the family Poppy and I created. It just goes to show, villains can get a happily ever after, too.
Epilogue 2
Poppy- Five years after that…
The kids are currently making crafts for tonight’s New Year’s Eve party while I make dinner. With four kids, glue sticks, and glitter, it’s hard to find a spot that hasn’t been touched, but they wanted to decorate before everyone comes over. With the way we and our friends procreate, we’re expecting enough to populate a small country. Planning ahead, I started cooking early, which means it’ll just need warmed up when they arrive. This will be our last gathering for a while. As much as I love seeing all of them, it’ll be nice to have some quiet time to recover from the holidays. With Boden ruling this territory, and Smith utilizing his skills as needed, we couldn’t be safer.
This coming spring, we’re traveling to Russia to visit Luka and his family. Having never left the States since we first arrived in New Orleans all those years ago, the kids are very excited. I feel Smith’s arms wrap around me as he kisses my neck, pulling me from my thoughts. “Hello, gorgeous.”
"Uh huh,” I tease him. “I’m on to you. You snuck in so they wouldn’t see you."
"Yep,” he admits without any shame. “I wanted to take advantage of their mom." I jump when his hand grabs my ass and squeezes, flinging batter on the wall.
"Smith!" I admonish him as I turn in his arms, his lips landing on mi
ne before I can say more. As always, I get lost in the passion between us, losing track of everything else while he’s touching me. When we part, my brain clicks back on and I remember what I was doing.
"They’ll be here in a few hours, so you have plenty of time,” he tells me. They were meeting this morning, wanting to deal with business prior to celebrating later.
"Go entertain our children,” I urge him with a kiss to his cheek as I push him in the direction of the living room where they’re camped out. I know I’ll never get anything done if he stays here.
The excitement is clear in their voices when they notice him. They adore him and it’s definitely mutual. He’s a wonderful husband and dad. I’m a lucky woman. Removing his leather jacket, he sits at the table with them and begins his own project. No one would know that the man already elbow deep in glitter used to be an assassin that evoked fear in others with just a mention of his name. Most would claim he doesn’t have a heart, that he never did, but I know better. He has one and it’s overflowing with love for us.
Life is full of twists and turns, but we always end up where we’re supposed to be. And for me, that’s with Smith and our family.
About the Author
May Gordon
Warning: Sweet, sexy and safe read! Happily ever after guaranteed! This author writes what she likes to read. That means there will be instalove, OTT Heroes, and, brace yourselves, virgin characters at times. If none of those float your boat, you might want to find another book. If they do, you're in the right place.
More Books
Second Chances
Prisoners of Love (Book 1)
Road to Redemptions (Book 2)
Set Free (Book 3)
Missing Piece (Book 4)
Crime Kings
Dark Souls (Book 1)
Fighting Irish (Book 2)
Red Willow (Book 3)
Deep Devotion (Book 4)
Sheltered Spirits (Book 5)
Forced Vows (Book 6)
Cherished Love (Book 7)
Guarded Truths (Book 8)
Love Stolen (Book 9)
A Killer’s Heart (Book 10)
Bosses In Love
Their Salvation (Book 1)
Love and Lies (Book 2)
Perfectly Suited (Book 3)
CIG
Cannon (Book 1)
Phoenix (Book 2)
Stone (Book 3)
Hawk (Book 4)
Lost Memories
Mended Hearts (Book 1)
Linked Hearts (Book 2)
Scarred Hearts (Book 3)
Haunted
Haunted Desire (Book 1)
Haunted Passion (Book 2)
Haunted Souls (Book 3)
Forever Safe Series
July’s Love
Holiday Trap
Seaside Summer
Thanks to You
Cold Snap
Saxon Family Series
Slade's Sanctuary (Book 1)
Law Trilogy
Finding Justice (Book 1)
Realm Of Ovettra
Queen Of Fara (Book 1)
Love’s Valley Duet