Page 307 of The Havenport Collection

Epilogue

Gio

“ S am,” I shout. “Xena?” I walked through the door, my hands filled with grocery bags and an ornate box from the organic doggy bakery in town. Nothing but the best for my girls.

I put the bags down and followed the music toward the garage.

I opened the door to one of my favorite sights.

Sam, in a sports bra and tiny shorts, was beating the hell out of the heavy bag I gave her.

I took a moment, watching her sweat and scream as Shirley Manson’s voice filled the small space.

Her technique had come a long way, which is not surprising. Sam had always been a natural fighter.

I’d found her out here more and more lately. Since her mastectomy, she was obsessed with getting her strength back in preparation for her reconstruction next month. She also worked with Yael and took long walks with Xena.

She wasn’t allowed to do anything for the first eight weeks after surgery, and then it was only very limited movement.

But now that she had the green light, she was going for it.

I was so proud of her. The mastectomy and subsequent infection were so hard on her, and the recovery was painful and challenging.

Seeing her back out here made my heart soar.

Radiation was challenging, but the side effects were minimal. And thankfully, no more chemo was needed. Her initial rounds shrank the tumors, and with radiation and hormone therapy, her prognosis was excellent.

Slowly, we found a new normal together.

Xena trotted over to jump all over me, and I assured her that yes, I bought her more cookies, before Sam walked over, all sweaty and sexy.

“Are you creeping on me, Rossi?” she asked.

“Always.” I pulled her close and kissed her, tasting the salty sweat on her skin. “And you look so sexy throwing punches.”

She wiggled out of my grasp. “Ugh. I’m so sweaty; I need to shower.”

I pulled her back. “Nope. Not unless I can join you and make sure you get really clean.”

She rolled her eyes and bit down on my bottom lip, prompting me to throw her over my shoulder and head toward the bedroom. “Stay, Xena,” I commanded, throwing her a bully stick from the bag on the counter for her compliance.

I took the stairs two at a time while Sam giggled. Once she was naked and pinned under me, her face changed.

“Is everything okay, Sam? I can stop.”

“No.” She blushed. “Everything is amazing. But I have to ask you something. Would you like to move in? Here? You know, with me and Xena?”

My heart soared. I already spent most of my time here. “But I thought you wanted to wait.” We had talked about this. I spent most nights here, but Sam’s independence was important to her, and I wasn’t going to compromise that.

“I don’t. And I regret waiting this long. I know it sounds silly, but I want you to be in this house with me. Obviously, if you don’t like it we could find somewhere else.”

“Nope. I love this place. And I love you.” I leaned down and kissed her, wishing I could do more, say more, to make sure she knew how incredible she was.

After a long, sexy shower, I sat on the bed, watching her rub moisturizer into her legs.

“Aren’t you grossed out?” she asked, gesturing to her chest. She had a special pad to put in her bras, but rarely did it.

“I’m lopsided and my hair is ridiculous.

” She pulled at the curly tufts. Since she hadn’t required more chemo after the mastectomy, her hair had begun to grow back, thick and curly and completely unruly.

Dante was helping, but Sam was constantly frustrated by it.

I shook my head. “Nope. Still sexy as hell.”

“You are being absurd, but I love you.”

“But we do need to make sure you are ready for the next surgery.” Sam was having a DIEP flap reconstruction, where a plastic surgeon would take fat, skin, and blood vessels from her stomach to rebuild her breast.

She pinched her tiny belly. “I’m doing just fine. Matteo supplies me with almost daily cannoli. You are always just too eager to help me burn it off.”

I winked at her, pulling her onto my lap. “I can’t help it. I waited a long time to make you mine, and you expect me to keep my hands off you?”

She kissed me softly. “You’ll have to wait until later. I’m meeting the girls for dinner tonight.”

I leaned back on my elbows, loving the view of her from this angle. “But I’m going to miss you too much.” I started kissing down her neck. “Stay home with me and Xena.”

“When I get home, we can figure out how we’re going to do the moving in. Because I want you here always.”

“Because you’re mine.” I raised an eyebrow.

She kissed me again. “Yes. Because I’m all yours, Gio.”