My Future Husband

Chapter 111

“Hey pumpkin, you okay?” They've all been asking me that for three days, and the answer is always the same.

“Five by five.” Except I’m not. I’m not even close.

I’m just numb.

I know I should, but no part of me can accept she’s gone. I keep looking at photos of us, I keep dreaming about her, just waiting for her to pop out from behind the door with a smirk and a dirty pick-up line.

Everything after the moment she left me keeps flashing in my mind. It doesn’t feel real, like I watched it in a movie a long time ago and I can’t quite remember all the pieces of the scene.

The police started to arrive, Lorenzo took Elba from me, Hope was crying and I was screaming. Then they were gone, I was in the hospital, and then I was here.

We’ve all been crashing at the Manor ever since the massacre, none of us really want to go home yet. Westbrooke is a bit of a minefield; we’ve had the CIA and FBI looking into us, even MI6 were here because there were rumours flying about that Antonio showed up. A mass-shooting that takes out half a town wasn't going to go unnoticed, so we’re all in hermit mode.

Hope is okay, but she hasn't left me. We were scared she might’ve lost the baby through all the stress but everything’s fine, with both of them.

I’ve asked a lot of the angels over the years, and I was hoping for just one more miracle, but I guess if this was the only one they could give us, keeping Hope’s growing life safe, then I know Elba would’ve made that choice herself.

The full circle of this moment isn’t lost on me. Our stories started with the death of a charismatic hero, let’s just hope this is the end.

Anniston rang Fiona to tell her what happened to Elba, the next thing we knew she was getting in her car and kissing the twins goodbye. When your sister needs you, you go. Elba left her mark there, just like she did everywhere she went. The kids will miss her just as much as I do.

“Here, darling, drink this.” Mama T passes me a mug of hot cocoa, Kage and Hope squishing me in the middle of the bed. They’re all leaches I can’t get rid of, not that I want to. Heather passed out on a chair next to me, and all my brothers, blood and not, piled on a sofa at the bottom of my feet getting a cute little bro-hug nap.

Do you think Josh realises he’s snuggling Jay not Milo?

Not that Jay is pushing him away... I’d better take photos to haunt them with later.

“Thank you.” She’s been thinking about selling this place, moving somewhere else. You can’t blame her. For every ten good memories we've got in this town, there's one that rips your heart apart.

“Should we wake any of them up?”

“No, let them sleep.” It’s been a rough couple of days.

Brie spoke to the Italians. They took Elba home with them to be buried, but I don’t want to go over there for the funeral. We’ll do something here to keep her with us.

Jordano is still alive, much to his wife’s disappointment... but so is Luca, we think. He disappeared, but I can’t imagine it’ll last long. He lost all his men, Jordano had everyone who’s ever associated with him executed the moment he landed, and he’s got a whole pissed off mafia family looking for revenge for their sister. There’s nowhere he’ll be able to hide from them now.

They’re going to make it brutal.

Although Ivana decided to stick around here for a bit, after she gets back from laying Ms Day to rest in Russia. She says she’s free now, whatever that means.