Tangled with the Tight End (Evergreen Lake: Under the Mistletoe)

Epilogue

NORAH

Three Years Later

As I walk into the restaurant, several of the regulars wave at me. For a Friday night, the place is packed with a mixture of locals and visitors to the area. It smells like heaven–garlic, basil, and oregano. My mouth waters as I tug off my coat. A large Christmas tree presides over one corner as other decorations take up positions in other open spaces.

Eden rushes over to me and throws her arms around my shoulders. “It’s Christmas break.”

I laugh at her dramatics. “I hope you’re enjoying your break from the classroom.”

“Yes.” She nods enthusiastically. “Yes, I am.” Her eyes glow, and her cheeks are flushed. I frown, taking in her appearance. Either she’s drinking or pregnant.

I grab her shoulders, causing her eyes to sparkle in the dim lights. “Are you?”

“Yes.” She laughs and her arms are back around me. This time, close enough to press into my stomach.

She and Marco have been trying to get pregnant for the last year. I was about to send some of Gabriel’s soldiers to help solidify the deal because clearly, all he has to do is look at a woman and, she’s pregnant. He’s not allowed to look at anyone but me. Three kids under six. I pull back to put distance between us. My protruding belly gets everywhere before I do.

Gabriel breezes through the door and saunters toward me. When he approaches my side, he cradles my belly with both hands. “Hey there, love.” And just like that, I’m a puddle of Jello. His eyes travel past my large breasts and to my eyes. “Are you sure you’re feeling okay?”

“Yes, I’m fine.” I shift from foot to foot as he arches an eyebrow. “Okay, my back hurts, and my feet are swollen, but I’m fine.”

“Good.”

As Gabriel greeted me, Eden retreated to the kitchen to find Marco.

My husband wraps his arm around my waist and leads me to the office. Once we’re alone, he cups my face. “Is everything okay? The baby looks like it’s dropped.” The expression of panic on his face is my undoing.

I encircle his waist and drop my head to his chest. “I’m fine, but I think our girl is coming sooner than we anticipated.”

His warm hands caress my back, stroking slowly up and down. “I’ll tell Marco to be prepared to keep the boys. You don’t have to worry about a thing. I’m here, and I have everything under control.”

And he does. He’s the best husband and father a woman could ask for. He was there every step of the way for Stefano’s birth, and I have no doubt he’ll knock this delivery out of the park as well. Or catch the winning touchdown in his case.

He drops to his knees and caresses my belly. “Hello, baby girl. Are you ready to meet Mommy and Daddy? We can’t wait to meet you.” He kisses my stomach as my heart swells bigger than my ankles.

The man is a miracle. I thank my lucky stars every day that Marco came here to play golf and met Eden because that started the domino effect to this moment. I slide my fingers through his hair. “I think we have a couple of days left.”

He smirks. “I could speed things along. They say sex is a good stimulator for birth. It seemed to have done the trick the last time.” He looks stunning on his knees before me. “And it’s not like I can knock you up again. Today.”

“Come here, big boy, and show me what you’ve got.”

“Oh….” He grabs the waistband of my leggings and shoves them down to my feet. “I think I’ll start here.” He kisses my thighs. “And here.” He trails his tongue toward my sex. “And here.” His fingers trail between my thighs and swipe along my slick folds.

“Yes, please,” I gasp as his fingers slip inside of me. I grip his shoulders and hold on as he twirls his tongue over my clit. Rubbing and flicking as he devours me.

In seconds, I’m panting and gasping for air as the sweet sounds of his fingers driving in and out of me makes my toes curl. My eyes flash to the door. Shit. There’s an entire room full of customers on the other side. Heat floods my cheeks.

“Baby, eyes on me.” His voice is a needy, low growl. “I don’t care who hears you come, as long as it’s my name on your lips.” His fingers curl, and I gasp out his name as my thighs quiver. We never break our eye contact. “That’s it, baby. I love watching you come. There’s nothing better in the world than your pussy wrapped around me. Hot. Wet. Perfect.”

“Oh, my God, Gabriel.” I bite my bottom lip as my release floods through me, easing the tension from the day.

Moments later, he stands, returning my leggings to their proper place and grins. “Feel better?”

“Much,” I murmur and blink. “Do you want to–”

“Shh….” He shakes his head. “I can wait three months.” He tips his head toward the sofa, and my eyes widen. There on the coffee table is a silver-colored platter with an envelope on top of it. “What’s that?”

“Open it.” He leads me to the sofa and waits as I settle in. The man is forever giving me presents. When all I need is him.

I slide open the envelope and retrieve the pages. My mouth drops as I read them, flipping faster and faster until the end. Tears blur my vision. Sloane signed over parental rights and Gabriel’s attorney has prepared adoption papers for me to be Gino’s legal mother.

I stare at him as tears slip down my cheeks and drop on my chest. “How?”

He clasps my hands and slips to the floor, kneeling in front of me. “It’s been in the works since my first visit to see her in Florida, but I didn’t know if she’d ever do it. Until this week.” Gabriel has had legal custody of Gino since the divorce, but Sloane remained his legal mother until now.

“I can’t believe it.” My heart squeezes in my chest. He rests his hand on my stomach again. “You’re his mother and have been since the day we met you at the lodge. He loves you. We both love you and want this no differently than I wanted my name on Stephano’s birth certificate and on our new baby’s birth certificate. We’re a family already, but this makes it permanent. For the world to see.”

“Thank you. I don’t know what else to say but thank you. I love Gino the same way I love Stephano and would be honored to be his legal mother. Not that it makes a difference. I’d lay down my life for him.”

“I know.” His eyes glitter with happiness.

Life can’t get any…. Well, you know.

**********

Ready for the next book in the Evergreen Lake: Under the Mistletoe series? Check out Winter Falls by Shana Gray.

**********