Pain Lived, Love Found

by Lake, Thalia

  I didn’t think about the pain of the past, or my years of unhappiness and loneliness. All I thought about, the only thing I focused on was my future with this wonderful man that I was now being given away too. Junior hugged me tightly and raised my veil to kiss me on the cheek before he gave me away to Luca. He and Luca shook hands and then Luca took my hand in his and kissed the back of it.

  “You take my breath away you’re so beautiful, Sloane,” he whispered to me.

  “Thank you,” I said, smiling.

  We then turned our attention to the Catholic priest as he began his short sermon, but it didn’t take long for Luca and me to lock eyes as we faced each other. Finally, it was time for us to say our vows. Luca looked me in the eyes with such intense conviction as he said his vows to me that I became emotional. I briefly put my head down and took a few deep breaths to keep the tears at bay before I looked him in the eyes again.

  “I love you, baby,” he said, as he slipped my diamond wedding band on my finger and kissed it. I barely got through my vows to Luca, but I never lost eye contact with him. He held my hand and caressed it the entire time, giving me his comfort, support, and love. When we kissed, it was short and sweet, but full of so much promise.

  The room erupted with applause and cheers when we finally turned around to face our family and friends as Mr. and Mrs. Luca Santorini. As I scanned the room, there was no sight of my mother, and I expected as much. Her loyalty will always be to her husband until her dying day. I felt more disappointed than sad, but this is Betty Jean Paris we’re talking about. My mother has been this way my entire life. She lived her life and made her decisions, and she has to live with all of them. My life is next to me, holding my hand as we walked down the aisle smiling in marital bliss. My life is in this room right here, right now, surrounded by all the people that love me just as much as I love them.

  The pain I lived no longer has a death grip on my soul. The love I’ve found gives me peace, hope, and happiness. It has opened my heart and filled it with an abundance of love, and I couldn’t be happier.

  ~ THE END ~

  Epilogue

  The day after our amazingly beautiful wedding, Luca and I flew out to the islands of Bora Bora for a week long honeymoon. We cut off all contact from the outside world and simply enjoyed ourselves and each other in many naughty ways. As promised, Luca showed me his dominant side in the bedroom, and I loved every second of it. I finally understood why he loved me in those leather pants so much when we ran into each other at the club. Underneath those expensive suits, my no-nonsense businessman of a husband was all kinds of kinky!

  It was while we were on our honeymoon that we discovered that we would be having a bundle of joy sooner rather than later. After the third day of our trip, I was exhausted most of the time. Then other pregnancy symptoms started to occur such as tender breasts and nausea. I was in denial about the possibility of being pregnant, but because of the many times we didn’t use protection, Luca knew immediately. It’s a wonder it didn’t happen sooner. He insisted that I take several pregnancy tests to be sure. Each one came out positive, and when I tell you my husband was happy, he was truly happy.

  When we returned home, I immediately made an appointment with my doctor and found out I was already three months along. Six months later we welcomed an eight pound, seven-ounce baby boy that we named after Luca. He was absolutely beautiful with a head full of raven black curly hair like his father and the same dimple in his chin as well. His eyes were light blue and beautiful just like his father’s. Luca was the proudest papa on the face of the earth. He was by my side through the whole process; likewise, he never left little Luca’s side once he entered this world. The nurses had to pry the baby from his arms so I could nurse him.

  One year later I gave birth to a healthy baby girl that we named Sasha. She was the spitting image of me, and I’m not saying this because I’m her mother. The only difference is she was a little lighter, and her eyes are hazel.

  Two and a half years later came our biggest surprise. We had planned on having another child, but we weren’t counting on having twins, a boy and a girl. We named them Lazzaro and Sancia. They both look like Luca to me, but I could see features of my brother Michael in Lazzaro. Our family was now complete, and I fulfilled my promise to give Luca four children even though he was still trying to get me to have more. Crazy man.

  Our house was busy and loud, but full of happiness and laughter. Our kids kept us on our toes and they taught us patience. Luca is an amazing father, and he has been hands on since day one with all of our children. We are a team, and he always carried his load and then some when he felt I was becoming overwhelmed or if I told him I was overwhelmed. The best part of his day was always seeing and spending time with his kids. He doted on them, he played with them all the time, he sang to them, and he read books to them. He was the best father any wife and mother could ask for. For some couples, kids put a wedge in their marriage because so much time is devoted to the children, but for Luca and I, our children brought us closer together. We both wanted to be the best parents we could be to them, and we didn’t want to miss a single moment of watching them grow up. I worked when I wanted to, and when I needed to take a break I did. Luca cut back his hours at work as well, especially when the twins were born.

  “Auntie Sarah, Auntie Sarah!” Sasha yelled, as she ran to the front door.

  “Hey, baby! How are you, pretty girl?” Sarah asked as she picked up her niece and rained kisses all over her cheeks.

  “You got gum?” Sasha asked with a sly grin on her face, the same as her father’s.

  “Sasha, you know your mama said no more gum for you after you got it stuck in your hair. If I give you gum, your mama will get very upset with me. Do you want your mama upset?” Sarah asked.

  “Noooo,” Sasha said sadly.

  “I have a different treat for you though. How about this strawberry lollipop?” Sarah asked as she pulled it out of her pocket.

  “Thank you, Auntie Sarah!” Sasha said, as she snatched the lollipop from her hand and ran off. I was in the kitchen feeding the twins and heard the entire exchange.

  “Hey, sis. You need help with anything?” Sarah asked, as she walked into the kitchen smiling.

  “Uh, yeah. I need you to check in on Luca in the playroom, and since you got Sasha going on a sugar high, she’s gonna need some extra attention too,” I said with an eyebrow raised.

  Sarah laughed. “Oh, I brought lollipops for all of them. That’s what aunties are for.”

  “Well you’re gonna stay here and help me peel them off the walls,” I said as I rolled my eyes at her. Sarah laughed and headed upstairs.

  “You know I got your back girl. I love my babies.” Sarah yelled, over her shoulder.

  I’m sure you’re wondering how Sarah and I got to this point in our relationship. Well, one month after my wedding Sarah came to our newly purchased home completely broken and inconsolable.

  “I need help, Sloane. I can’t keep living this way. I feel like I’m dying. Help me, Sloane…..please help me.”

  I took my sister into my arms and hugged her like my life depended on it. We cried for hours, and she stayed with Luca and I for a few days afterward. I made an appointment for her to see my psychiatrist, and she’s been seeing her ever since. To see my sister’s transformation is nothing short of amazing. She didn’t just become the old Sarah; she became a better Sarah. It took a long time for the trust to be built back up between us, but slowly and surely it happened. She has been there for the birth of all of my kids, and when I need help she’s always there. Even when I don’t need help Sarah will pop over like she did just now, and pitch in and help.

  The hardest thing for her was making amends with everyone in our family. Our mother didn’t make it easy for Sarah, but at least they were on speaking terms again. Sarah still kept her distance from our parents, as we all did. Speaking of our parents, they sold their house and moved back to Alabama. Since Johnny Paris could no longe
r manipulate and divide our family, and none of us kids had any dealings with him, he no longer wanted to be in Detroit. And his cancer is in remission.

  As far as us siblings go, we had become closer than ever. Evan is now out of jail and works at Michael’s gym as an assistant manager. That’s right, Michael opened his own fitness facility. Luca gave him the startup money as a gift, and he even helped him find the perfect building to have the gym, which happened to be a building that Luca already owned. He only charged Michael a very small fee for rent. Michael tried to repay Luca for his kindness, but Luca wouldn’t hear of it. Junior quit his job as an accountant to help Michael run his gym and keep his books. Business was doing very well for them, and there were already plans for a second gym to open soon. Sunday dinners at the Santorini’s now include all of my siblings and their significant others, except for Carly. I wish she were here, but she’s happy in Atlanta with her family. She comes home to visit for all of the holidays, and we also take trips to Atlanta to visit her.

  We are all happy and healthy, and that’s all that matters. It took us a long time to get to where we are but thank God we made it.

  Acknowledgements & Thank You’s

  None of this would be possible if Jessica Watkins Publishing didn’t feel I had what it takes to a writer, and not just any writer, but a good writer. Thank you Jessica Watkins for giving me my start in the world of writing and making a lifelong dream come true.

  I still can’t believe that this is my second published book! I’m officially a writer yall! It’s a wonderful feeling, and I promise you that my number one goal is to continue to grow and get better. Thank you to my husband for his continuous support and love. Thank you to my tribe of kids for giving me my peace and quiet when I needed to write. Thank you to all of my friends who have been cheering me on and encouraging me, and most importantly, thank you to my fans and supporters who have supported me since Choosey Lovers.

  Finally, thank you to my sisters in scribe at JWP. You ladies know who you are. Thank you for the encouragement and the constant support and love that you guys have shown me since day one. Thank you for the listening ears, thank you for letting me vent when I need to vent, thank you for making me laugh when I need a laugh. This writing thing isn’t easy, but nothing worth having is. Onward and upward ladies! Let’s keep building each other up and take over the world!

  ~ Thalia