Page 265 of The Havenport Collection

Epilogue

Matteo

June

Even though it was practically the middle of the night, she was glowing. Every day, she was excited to go to work and had rediscovered her passion for nursing. In less than two months, she had charmed her new colleagues and was a hit with the patients. I was so proud of her.

“Nope. I’ve got to get to Krav Maga class with the girls and then get ready for my shift.”

I jumped out of bed and threw my arms around her, burying my face in her neck. “But my bed is so comfy, and I hate when you wear clothes.”

She sighed and wiggled out of my grasp. “You have a big day.” She raised her eyebrows meaningfully at me. “And I’m so proud of you.” Today was my first day of therapy.

When we patched things up a few weeks ago, Eliza had insisted that I get some support and found me an excellent asthma support group for parents.

It was actually pretty great. But going made me realize there was a lot I needed to work on, and so I reached out to a local psychologist, Dr. Marty.

I was terrified. I had never been to a shrink before, but I knew that I had work to do.

And I wasn’t just doing it for me; I was doing it for Val and Eliza as well.

Slowly, I was coming around to the idea that I had to take better care of myself.

It didn’t help that Eliza and Val had teamed up and were constantly forcing me to take time off, play games, and do yoga with them.

I had trouble resisting my girls, but when they united? I had no chance.

She leaned in and kissed me softly. “I want to hear everything after work.”

“Will you be back tonight?” I began kissing her neck, right in the spot that drove her wild. She shivered and wiggled away from me.

“I can’t sleep over every night and then sneak out every morning.”

“Then move in with us,” I said, pulling her toward me and kissing her again.

She kissed me back. “You know we’re not ready for that yet. I like taking things slow.”

“At least come to the restaurant for dinner tonight.” I squeezed her ass, pulling her into me and showing her just how much I wanted her.

Mandy had visitation with Val on Wednesdays.

She picked her up from camp and spent the afternoon and evening with her.

It allowed me to catch up at work and gave Val some quality time with her mother.

I was slowly making peace with Mandy. We had met with our lawyers for a mediation and found that we had similar goals when it came to Val’s safety and well-being.

Her lawyer had convinced her that she would have no chance in a custody suit, so instead we agreed to weekly visits in Havenport.

So far, things were going well. And while I struggled to trust her, Eliza was pushing me to be more open-minded and accepting. She was amazing.

She wiggled away from me. “Okay, okay. I will come for dinner. And maybe dessert. But I’ve got to go.”

I gave her my best pout. “Fine. I’m going to take an ice-cold shower and wish you were still here.”

She walked over to the whiteboard I had mounted on the back of my bedroom door as another little Eliza touch to help make things easier. She picked up the marker and wrote “I love you” with a heart next to my to-do list.

“I love you too,” I whispered as she quietly closed the door and made her way down the stairs.

Mondays looked different now. After dropping Val off at summer camp, I went to the restaurant to do some inventory and planning for the week.

My dad met me there. Since he was “bored off his ass” in retirement, he had volunteered to lend a hand during the busy season.

He had overseen the hiring of new staff and had been mentoring me on the business side, looking over my books, making suggestions, and helping take on some of the work.

It was humbling, but I had never spent so much time with him in my life and was learning a lot.

He was a pain in my ass, but I was so grateful for the help.

There was a time I wouldn’t have allowed him near my business, but I had let my pride get in the way for too long. He had run Cuccina Liguria successfully for more than thirty years and knew this business inside and out. We still clashed a lot, but I enjoyed having the old man around.

Things were different—hell, I was different.

But I couldn’t help but smile as I walked toward the therapist’s office.

I was putting in the work, and it was worth it.

I still had plenty of worries, including my business, Val’s health, and dealing with Mandy, but with Eliza by my side, I could do anything.

I was lucky—I had found my person when I wasn’t even looking for her. And I wasn’t stupid enough to let her go. I was going to hold onto her forever.