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RINA

“Mom! Look at her.”

Charlie points at Sabrina, the little angel of the family, who’s discovered that she can roll over onto her back, and my son is lying on the floor next to her little play mat, completely in love with her.

“She’ll be crawling before we know it,” I say with a wink as I pass by where the kids are in the family room attached to the kitchen.

We’re at Rome and Lulu’s house for family dinner, which we’ve been doing every Sunday since what I now call the incident. It’s been three months since Damien took me, and physically, I’m back to normal.

Better than, actually, because I work out with the other girls religiously, and my gun and knife skills are excellent.

Emotionally, I’m getting there.

I still have nights when I lie awake and watch Carson sleep, convinced that this is all a dream because he’s alive, and we’re a family, and my life is so different than it was six months ago.

I worry that something might happen to rip it all away again, but I have to have faith that our men know what they’re doing and that we’re going to live a very long, happy life together.

All of us.

Spider’s in the kitchen, looking over Lulu’s shoulder into the pot she’s stirring. He healed up perfectly and is back on the job.

“How are you?” Natasha asks as she holds her arm open for a hug. I don’t hesitate to walk right to her and hug her close.

All the other wives are younger than me, and I think of them as little sisters.

I adore each one. The boys all chose well.

“I’m great,” I reply with a smile. “And you? Are you going to tell everyone?”

Natasha bites her lower lip, those big blue eyes brimming with excitement.

“Yes, definitely.”

“Good.” I kiss her cheek. The only reason I’m already privy to this news is because I’ve been where she is, and she needed advice.

“Hey, I didn’t get the snuggle memo,” Violet says and wraps her arms around both of us and squeezes. “Lulu, Scar, get in here. Where’s Rose?”

“Pretty sure she found a quiet spot to make out with Diego,” I reply with a laugh, and then we’re in the middle of a huge group hug of girls.

“Mildred, you’re one of us. Come on, group hug,” Lulu says, waving Mildred over. The older woman’s face softens, and she hurries around the island to join in on the love.

“What’s happening?” Rome asks as he leads the other guys into the room.

“They’re having a love fest,” Spider says from the stove, stirring a pot. “It’s a girl thing.”

“It’s weird,” Charlie yells from the family room.

I kiss Natasha’s cheek once more as we peel away, and then she finds my eyes and I nod.

Tell them.

“So, we have news,” Natasha says, reaching for Julian’s hand. His eyes are so gooey that it makes me sigh in happiness.

These men are ruthless, criminal, badass men.

And they are so soft for us girls.

“What’s wrong?” Rome asks.