Soulless Devil (Sons of Valentino #3)(57)

“Thank you for being so perfectly you. I don’t know what I’d do without you, Romeo.”

“Well, it’s a good thing you’ll never have to find out. Because I will always be here.”

As he drives us to his apartment, I look up into the night skies and thank whatever god is listening for sending me Romeo. I will be forever grateful for his love. His heart is something I will always cherish.





Epilogue





Four years later


If you’d asked me four years ago if I’d be attending my twin brother’s first pro football game with my wife and six-month-old daughter, I would have laughed in your face and asked what drugs you were on. And why you weren’t sharing them with me.

As I watch Livvy chat with my mom, who is monopolizing my daughter, Matilda, I can’t help but grin. The whole family is here. Sitting in the private box Pops bought for the season.

“What do you think the chances are of your mother handing over my granddaughter?” Pops asks from beside me, staring in the same direction I am.

“Slim to none. She’s my daughter and I can’t even get her back.” I laugh.

“I’m going in. Wish me luck,” Pops says, crossing the room to where Livvy and Mom are standing with Maddie and Savannah.

“A hundred says he flops.” Matteo pulls out a one-hundred-dollar bill.

“You’re on,” I say, matching his bet.

We watch as Pops whispers something in Mom’s ear. Theo, Matteo, and I all cringe and look away, cursing under our breaths. Whatever he said, I don’t want to know. It worked though, because when I turn back around, Mom is handing Matilda over to my dad with a smirk on her face. Pops pivots with Matilda in his arms, and a triumphant smile spreads across his lips—you’d think the man just won the fucking lottery.

“Oh, T, FYI… Matilda needs changing. The diaper bag is over there.” Mom points to the huge-as-fuck bag I have to cart around with all of my daughter’s things. Babies require a lot of shit. Who would have known such a sweet little girl would need so much crap?

“It’s cool. I got this,” Pops says.

I walk over, ready to step in and change my daughter myself. “Want me to do that?” I ask my old man as he lays Matilda down on the makeshift changing table.

“I’ve had four kids, Romeo. You really think I don’t know how to change a diaper?” he grunts at me.

“Well, considering I’ve never seen you change one…? Yeah, I have my doubts.” I laugh.

He doesn’t respond as he digs through the bag and pulls out the diaper, wipes, and powder. “All right, Tilly, Nonno has this covered.” I watch with hawk-like eyes as my dad changes Matilda. He’s obviously done this before. Once he’s finished, he picks her up again. “And they all doubted me, fuckers,” Pops says to Matilda. To which, she grins in response.

“I swear to God if her first word is fuckers, I’m shooting you,” I groan at my dad.

“Please, we all know her first word will be Nonno.” He kisses Matilda’s forehead. “I have a good feeling about this one,” he adds, looking down at her.

My dad has been trying to get all of his grandchildren’s first words to be Nonno. Between Theo and Matteo, he’s already lucked out four times. I think my brothers are in competition with each other to see who can knock their wife up the most. Theo and Maddie have Liliana, who’s three. And Alessandro, who’s one. Matteo and Savvy have two boys: Lorenzo, who just turned two, and Enzo, who’s one month older than Matilda. The good thing about my older brothers bringing all these children into the world is that my daughter will have plenty of cousins to keep little shits away from her.

My phone vibrates in my pocket. Pulling it out, I frown when I see Luca’s name flash across the screen. “I’ll be right back,” I tell whomever’s listening and step out of the box. “Pretty sure you’re supposed to be getting ready for a pretty important game, Luc,” I answer.

“Yeah, I was born ready for this shit. Is everyone here?” he asks.

“Yep, waiting for the star of the family to run out onto the field.”

“I have a bad feeling, Romeo. Like, something’s off.”

“It’s probably nerves. Everything’s fine,” I try to convince him, even though I’ve had that gut feeling for the past hour too. I put it down to me picking up on my twin’s pregame nerves.

“Did you bring Matilda?”

“Of course. She’s not missing her uncle’s claim to fame.”

“I think you should send her and Livvy home. Something isn’t right, Romeo.”

“We’re in a secluded box with Pops, Theo, Matteo, Uncle Neo, and Aunt Angelica. What the fuck do you think is going to happen?” I ask him.

“I don’t know. You’re probably right. I gotta go. Just, if anything happens, you get them out of here.”

“Luca, that’s my wife and daughter. You really think I wouldn’t get them out at the first sign of trouble?”

“I think you’d try to save everyone, Romeo, and I just want you to know… if it did ever come down to it, if you had to choose between me or them, always choose them.”

“That will never happen,” I grunt. I don’t like where he’s taking this conversation. I fucking hate talking about this shit. Livvy and Matilda will always come first to me, but my family… I’ll never let them go either.