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Twenty

L EON

I rubbed the heavy gold ring on my finger, a tangible and comforting reminder of my new status as Cali’s husband. I couldn’t help but enjoy the feeling, which blended triumph and relief. I tilted my head back in my patio chair and took a deep, calming breath.

Cali and I had just returned from our delayed honeymoon and stopped by to visit Avra. When we arrived, we saw Laya and Nikolas, which meant I might have lost my wife to her sisters for the next week or so.

I couldn’t believe how much unfolded on our wedding day. It was definitely a day to remember. Aside from the shooting, we experienced a second burst of chaos at the very end, but it was worth it.

Just as Cali completed her last dance with her sisters before we headed to the airfield to board our private jet, Avra’s water broke right in the middle of the dance floor while all three sisters performed a synchronized dance move.

Our nephew decided he couldn’t miss the party and postponed Cali’s and my honeymoon for a few days. In the early morning hours, Juno Viktor Vitalis officially made his debut, joining his cousin, Constantine Juno Vitalis, as the newest member of the Vitalis family.

Now, I was with Eli and Nikolas, enjoying the late afternoon sun setting over Eli’s estate. Next to Eli, Juno slept peacefully in his baby carrier, forming fists and shoving them into his mouth while dreaming. Eli couldn’t take his eyes off his son. His love for the boy was clear.

Constantine followed his baby cousin’s example and napped, too. He lay on Nikolas’s chest, making tiny baby snores and drooling onto his shirt.

Nikolas looked down at him and shook his head. “This is as quiet as it will get. We'd better enjoy this.”

“Are you talking about the boys or our wives?” Eli asked, while continuing to watch Juno.

“Don’t let Avra hear you say that if you want to live,” I said. “She just had a baby and is likely to gut you.”

“That is something she would do before, during, and after pregnancy,” Eli retorted. “If she heard me say it, she would laugh since I only speak the truth. ”

“Is it always going to be like this? Chaos and power grabs?” I asked, thinking about the future and all it would hold for us.

“Probably.” Niko shrugged. “It’s just part of the life we live, whether the Vitalis sisters are in it or not. Though with them in our lives, the chances increase tenfold.”

He turned to Elias, who was lost in thought, his gaze drifting over the sprawling trees that danced in the breeze.

“Yes and no?” he answered. “Life with our wives won’t ever be simple, that is a fact.

And sometimes, it feels chaotic, especially when we have to support their immense power.

But at other moments?” He paused, a wistful smile forming.

“To tell you the truth, when it’s just the two of us at home, that’s when I feel the most peace. ”

“Yeah, just wait until this little guy starts teething.” Niko gestured toward Juno with a playful grin. “Then you can talk to me about peace.”

Elias chuckled, reaching out to place a protective hand on his son’s head, fingers brushing through the downy hair.

“This guy can do no wrong,” he said, his voice laced with pride.

But a shadow crossed his features. “However, there’s always something new coming around the corner to disturb our peace.

” He paused, looking at me. “I think it’s just something you have to get used to, Leon.

It’ll never be simple. It’s just something you are going to have to accept. ”

His words settled into my mind like heavy stones. They curled around my heart, a mix of acceptance and foreboding. I had purposefully kept my world small before I met Cali. It was easier that way, never getting too close to anyone or caring about anyone. Now, everything was different.

There was so much to care about and think about now.

My life with Cali held peace too, just as Elias had described. The nights we were wrapped up in bed were profoundly peaceful and serene. Even in that space, consumed by passion, desire, and hunger, we managed to find peace between us.

“I have no doubt the girls will be stirring up shit again soon,” Elias said. “Avra’s just given birth, and she’s already dropping hints to me about the next territories she wants to collect.”

“Already?” I asked, lifting a brow. She’d only given birth two weeks prior.

“I know.” He ran a hand through his dark hair.

“I’m hoping like hell she’ll wait until she’s fully recovered from childbirth, but nothing seems to stop those women.

I’m considering finding a way to use the fact that she’s breastfeeding as leverage to get her to give it a little more time.

I’m not sure I’ll be able to do it successfully, though.

Trying to change the mind of a Vitalis woman is damn near impossible. ”

“You’re right. She’s not going to wait,” Niko said.

Eli groaned and looked over at me.

“I agree with Niko. Sorry, brother.”

He sighed, staring down at his son again.

“It’s okay—I knew it in my heart,” he admitted. “In fact, if I’m being honest, Avra scares me a little. I never thought I’d have a wife that I was frightened of, but she gets riled up when I challenge her at all.”

“Best not to do that,” Niko mused. “I learned that lesson the hard way. Once, Laya wanted to go out for Italian food, but I’d just had it for lunch that day.

Apparently, she’d had her heart set on it all week, but unfortunately, she had failed to inform me.

I drove us to a Thai place instead, without consulting her. ”

“Oh, no,” Eli replied, his eyes growing wide.

“She made me drive her home, and then she went to her favorite Italian place without me. She glared at me the entire next day! I still haven’t heard the end of it.”

I wondered what kind of stories Cali and I would have together.

I contemplated what adventures our future held.

Neither of us had expected Dominic Lucianos to crash our wedding, which had been a failure on my men’s part.

I’d had to fire three men after that, knowing I would never be able to trust Cali’s safety with them again.

“That does sound scary,” I replied.

“You haven’t even seen them join forces yet,” Elias said. “The three of them together are a dangerous storm that no man should face alone.”

“Great,” I said, my voice laced with sarcasm. “I can’t wait. As if Cali obliterating Lucianos and his men right before my very eyes wasn’t enough.”

“Cali is a badass,” Niko said. “That show of force in front of all the families? In that one act alone, she solidified the strength of the Vitalis family. She was fearless and swift. Everyone will think twice now before planning some shit against our family.”

“She’s amazing,” I agreed, lifting my chin with pride.

My beautiful bride had saved my life in more ways than one.

Sure, she’d killed Dominic, but it was my heart she’d saved along the way.

I shuddered to think of how empty my life had been before Cali entered it.

I’d been lonely as hell, although I never would have admitted it.

I missed my family, and I’d shut everyone else out, convinced I was saving myself somehow.

Instead, I’d resigned myself to a very slow death.

Cali had breathed life back into me. She’d shown me that loving someone didn’t have to hurt. That I didn’t have to live in the constant fear of losing her, that I could live and love and thrive.

Yes, Cali had saved my life.

And I planned to spend every moment of my life keeping her safe, just as she would for me. I looked forward to long, luxurious nights in her arms.

“Eli, how do you feel now? You changed your name to Vitalis. Your father is dead and buried. The Xenos legacy no longer exists. You’ve even given Juno the Vitalis name. Do you have any regrets about that?”

Niko’s question lingered in the air. I had been wondering the same things, but I was hesitant to ask such a personal, probing question. After all, I hadn’t been part of this family for very long. I was still searching for my place within it.

Eli shook his head.

“I have no regrets, brother. My children will continue the Vitalis name, of which I am proud. The Vitalis legacy embodies valor and strength. In contrast, the Xenos name is stained by evil, greed, and violence. I have never regretted rejecting it, and I doubt I ever will.”

“That’s awesome, Eli,” I said, looking over at him.

“You know, I never imagined things would end up this way. When I received the initial marriage proposal from Avra and Vik, I thought it would just be a business arrangement, that it would strengthen the Xenos territories. I never thought I’d fall in love with her.

I never expected that I would renounce my family name and take on the Vitalis name.

But fuck, I am so happy that it all happened. I wouldn’t have changed a thing.”

“I feel you, brother. To the Vitalis women.” Niko raised his whiskey glass. “Life will never be simple. But life will always be good.”

I smiled, Cali’s beautiful face of sunshine flashing in my head.

My heart ached at her beauty, inside and out. Soon, we’d have our own little babies to adore, and I had no doubt she would be an amazing mother, because she was an amazing human.

My wife was endlessly courageous. She’d faced her demons head-on and emerged stronger and smarter. She’d pass that courage on to our children, and I would be the lucky bastard who got to stand by her side, through thick and thin and good and bad.

She was my equal.

My partner .

My best friend.

I would protect her with my very soul.

“Fuck simple,” I replied to Niko, clinking my glass against his. “Simple isn’t for our family. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

“Hear, hear, brother!”