EXTENDED EPILOGUE
Fiona
Ten years later
“Should we intervene?” I ask Francisco.
“Let’s give the kids time to figure it out…time to grow,” Francisco says. “But if anything goes sideways you know I’ll be right there making the situation right immediately.”
I watch as Francisco’s hands find the sand and his legs pull back from his relaxed sitting position in the sand to a squatting position. Were he’s able to pounce at any moment.
We decided to drive down to Lagos, Portugal in the Algarve Region in the south today. We got here early and got set up at the famous Benagil aboveground cave. This particular cave has been featured in a staggering number of posts of those bucket list destination posted online, and I have to say they were all right.
It’s absolutely beautiful, and as the day progresses more and more likely to get absolutely packed.
Packed is exactly what Filipa, our nine-year-old twin with her brother Filipe, did this morning…as in pack sand into buckets and build it into a sand castle.
But out of nowhere there’s a bully on the scene and he seems more interested in tearing down what she did than building her up and making her feel good about her work.
“And…here…he…comes,” Francisco says watching as Filipa’s conversation with the bully boy gets heated and has now caught the attention of Filipe.
He comes running over from about twenty yards away at a full sprint and puts his body right in-between his twin sister and the boy.
“If you want to yell at someone, yell at me, but if you do then I have to warn you it’s not going to end well for you. I recommend you just leave us alone and walk away,” he says.
I reach out my hand to take Francisco’s but he’s pumping his fist at his son's actions and words.
The bully laughs. “Or what?” he says as he goes to jam his finger in Filipe’s chest, but just as our oldest boy warned him it’s not going to end well for him at this point.
Filipe catches his wrist, quickly drops to a knee and flips the boy over his shoulder, using the boy’s bigger size against him, sending him face first into the sand.
Before the boy knows that happens, Filipe is on top with a knee in the boy’s back, pulling one leg towards his head and the opposite arm back towards the leg. The bully is in a world of hurt.
“Let me go,” he cries out, not looking so tough at all now. I can barely make out the words between all the sand he’s spitting out.
“Apologize to her,” Filipe demands.
The boy shouts an explicative.
“And…right…on…time,” Francisco says jumping to his feet and intercepting what is most certainly the boy’s dad as he runs toward the scene.
“You step in, I step on your face,” Francisco says.
“Bu-bu-but my boy,” the man pleads.
“Your boy was acting without manners and now he’s going to learn some…from my boy. And I’m happy to teach you some as well if you even think about stepping in.”
“Dad!” the boy yells.
“Apologize to my sister,” Filipe says.
“Son…um…apologize like he said,” the man says.
“Why is Filipe making that boy into a pretzel?” Faith, our seven-year-old asks from just next to me on our blanket underneath our beach tarp.
“He was rude to your sister.”
“Oh. That’s not nice,” she says.
“Not at all,” I say.
I watch as our six-year-old Finn’s attention moves from the book he was reading to the scene. He jumps up and runs over next to his brother, ready to jump in should he need it.
My heart swells with pride.
Francisco has spent a lot of time with our boys teaching them how to respect girls, protect them, and treat them like queens. And when the moment of truth came, they did exactly as my husband has drilled into them over and over again and they came to their sister’s rescue.
“I’m sorry,” the boy says.
“Not to me. To her,” Filipe says.
“Sorry,” he says moving his head in her direction but not looking at her.
“Look her in the eyes and say it like you mean it, or else this gets tighter,” he says pulling his leg and arm even more.
“Ow!” the boy says.
“Say it!”
“I’m sorry for what I said and did.”
“Now,” Filipe begins. “I’m going to let you up and you’re going to get up slowly and take the trail up from the beach and out of here and you’re not coming back the rest of the day, or tomorrow either. As a matter of fact you’re not coming back until you learn how to treat people with respect. Do. You. Understand?”
“Yes,” the boy says.
Filipe slowly lets him up and the boy wisely doesn’t try anything as he begins walking toward the exit with an angry face as he brushes the sand off himself.
“You heard him,” Francisco says to the bully’s dad. “It applies to you too. Beat it!”
The man turns to run backward and falls on his butt, before scrambling to his feet and taking off after his boy.
“Are you okay, sis?” Filipe asks Filipa.
“Yeah, you got to me before he could do anything. Thanks,” she says giving him a big hug.
He takes her hand, and Finn’s with his other, and walks back over towards the blanket where Faith and I are, but not before Francisco comes up from behind and rubs the top of his boy’s heads.
“Good job, men!” he says, offering them each a high five.
“Not until I escort her safely all the way back to the blanket, dad,” Filipe says.
My heart about melts.
“Come here,” I say to Filipe once he gets back to the towel.
He comes closer, sitting next to me. “Give your mother a hug,” I say.
He leans in and I pull him in tight. I know I’m squeezing him pretty good, but he doesn’t complain.
“I’m making Portuguese chicken for dinner tonight because of you, our little hero,” I say.
“I’m not little anymore,” he says.
I can’t help but laugh a bit. “No, you’re not,” I say finally letting go of him.
“But thanks, mom. That’s my favorite.”
“I know. That’s why I’m making it.”
“Peri peri chicken, huh?” Francisco says sitting down next to me. “My second favorite,” he says.
“I thought that was your favorite. You love that spicy Portuguese African fusion.”
“I do, that’s why it’s my second favorite.”
I scrunch my eyebrows. This is news to me. “What’s your favorite then?”
“You,” he says and his lips come down on my shoulders just next to my neck.
“Oh!” I say.
“Doesn’t that dish have to marinate about four hours before being grilled?” he whispers seductively into my ear.
“It should, yes.”
“Well then how about I wear out the kids here at the beach and then we can put them down for a nap around two which will give me just enough time to—”
“Wear me out?”
“You read my mind,” he says nibbling on my earlobe.
“You know I can’t get enough of you,” I say.
“I know, but I sure like trying.”
“You do it all the time,” I say as I turn and our lips lock.
“Maybe one of these days you’ll have enough of me for one day, but I sure hope not,” I say.
“And I know not, because that’s never going to happen.”
I reach across to grab the water bottle and accidentally brush over the top of his swim trunks.
“Oh my god!” I say, before quickly turning to see the kids are playing with their coloring books, reading, and playing in the sand. Thankfully they’re not paying attention.
“You’re ready already?”
“I wasn’t ready to meet you that day on the street in Lisbon, but I’ve been ready for you every second since.”<
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“I can see,” I say. “But let’s make sure the kids don’t see.”
“Never,” he says.
He slides in behind me and massages my shoulders making a day at the beach feel like…well, a day at the beach, in more ways than one.
“Why are you so good to me? So perfect for me?”
“Because you’re so perfect to and for me, and look at what you gave me,” he says as his eyes jump to and from each of our children. “That’s what life’s all about,” he says. “And that starts and ends with you.”
I turn my head back and we kiss, as he continues rubbing my shoulders, the stress that I should have in my life melting away, but as a published writer of Portuguese adventure fiction that’s heavily inspired by our family’s own tales, well…there’s no stress to be had.
Because when it comes to my super sailor, my possessive Portuguese, life is truly smooth sailing…today, tomorrow, and forever.
A MAN WHO KNOWS WHAT HE WANTS
Book 1: Baby Lust
Book 2: Veteran
Book 3: Built
Book 4: Bambino
Book 5: Rescued
Book 6: Leader
Book 7: Professor
Book 8: Burned
Book 9: Worldly
Book 10: Pistol
Book 11: Policed
Book 12: Driven
Book 13: Lucky 13
Book 14: Lumberjacked
Book 15: Protector
Book 16: Carpenter
Book 17: Italian Stallion
Book 18: Gardener
Book 19: Budapest Billionaire’s Virgin
Book 20: Billionaire’s Babysitter
Book 21: Cocky CFO
Book 22: Fireman’s Filthy 4th
Book 23: Mechanic
Book 24: SEAL’s Secret
Book 25: Police, Pooch, and Smooch
Book 26: Fireman’s Fake Fiancée
Book 27: Billionaire’s Virgin Ballerina
Book 28: Bitcoin Billionaire’s Babysitter
Book 29: Veterans Day Daddy
Book 30: Cowboy’s Christmas Carol
Book 31: Police Officer’s Princess
Book 32: Statham
Book 33: Bodyguard
Book 34: Greek God
Book 35: Billionaire Single Dad's Babysitter
Book 36: Mountain Man
Book 37: SEAL’s Justice
Book 38: Royal Romance
Book 39: Doctor Mountain Man’s Special Delivery
Book 40: Crocodile Dan D
Book 41: Mountain Man’s Secret Baby
Book 42: Doctor Bad Boy’s Secret Baby
Book 43: Cop’s Babysitter
Book 44: Nanny for the Cop Next Door
Book 45: Small Town SEAL’s Saving Grace
Book 46: Cop’s Fake Fiancée
Book 47: Billionaire’s Nanny
Book 48: Cowboy’s Babysitter
Book 49: Steamy
Book 50: Brother’s Best Friend
Book 51: Possessive Professor
Book 52: Firefighter’s Babysitter
Book 53: Soldier’s Secret Baby
Book 54: Ward’s Independence Day
Book 55: Doctor Next Door
Book 56: Possessive Policeman
Book 57: Coached by the MMA Fighter
Book 58: Boss’s Babysitter
Book 59: Virgin in New York
Book 60: Rock Star’s Baby
Book 61: Possessive Protector
Book 62: Possessive Australian
Book 63: Best Friend’s Brother
Book 64: Possessive Cowboy
Book 65: Summer Romanced
Book 66: Possessive Prince
Book 67: Lovers’s Enemy
Book 68: Cop’s Best Friend
Book 69: Possessive Firefighter
Book 70: Football Next Door
Book 71: Doctor December
Book 72: Possessive Canadian
Book 73: Blue Collar Billionaire
Book 74: Possessive K-9 Cop
Book 75: Possessive Brazilian
Book 76: Hockey Obsession
Book 77: Possessive Boston Irish American MMA Fighter
Book 78: Halloween Next Door
Book 79: Possessive Russian
Book 80: Baseball Mine
Book 81: Cop’s Caribbean Captive
Book 82: Instalove Island
Book 83: Dad’s Best Friend
Book 84: Thanksgiving with Dad’s Boss
Book 85: Possessive Italian Neighbor
Book 86: Possessive Portuguese
Book 87: Possessive Christmas Cop
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Possessive Portuguese: An Older Man Younger Woman Romance (A Man Who Knows What He Wants Book 86) Page 7