In honor of 800k,
words aren't enough to thank you all ❤️
Three years after the epilogue
"...so help me God if I see you flirting with that guy again I'm moving to the guest room!" Zach says through clenched teeth while I try not to zone out. I wasn't fucking flirting
We've had this fight over and over again in the past couple of months. It's been tough lately, now 7 years old, Eli is going through a...phase. He started school and he's not liking it
He got used to going to kindergarten and being able to play with Sam, Jonas and Lithe during breaks since they're a couple of years younger. Now he feels lonely
"Zach, baby, we talked about this I work with him! What do you expect me to do? Tell him oh sorry I don't need an assistant to manage the thirty plus kids we are teaching, what I need is for you to leave because my husband doesn't like you? I didn't pick him, the school did" I argue
"You own the fucking school Atlas, you can kick him out" he throws his arms up
I hear our three year olds, Kaianthe and Miller, squealing in joy by the shore as Sam, Eli, Jonas and Lithe show them the small crabs they found
They're being watched by the rest of the family as we solve our little issue.
"That would be a shitty thing to do Zach, using my money and power to kick someone out of the job they earned. He's the best we've found" I pace and stare at sand covering my toes
"Hmm, so great he is. So profesional flirting with his superior" he huffs
I decided to complete my studies and become a teacher, I never thought it'd bring so much trouble into my marriage
"He wasn't flirting, he was enjoying a day at the beach with his family and decided to come say hello like any polite human would damnit!"
"He made a point of touching your shoulder or your fucking hips every time he spoke Atlas why can't you see it?" Zachariah turns his back on me, rubbing his neck like he does when he's angry
"I'm not discussing this with you any longer, we're here to spend some time as a family not fight over senseless thoughts of yours" I shake my head and leave him standing there to walk off his anger
The sun is high and hot today, I'm sweating my ass off and desperate to dump my head underwater. So that's what I do, passing the kids and my brother's worried glances and take a swim
Dad is helping Rora get her twins to take a nap on the beach beds under the big umbrellas when I come out of the water.
They just turned two and they're desperate to grow and play rough with all their cousins
West, the guy is gonna get some wrinkles out of Rora and Nix soon if he keeps that little mischief of his. He's the most energetic, loud and smart out of all the boys so far and he's barely two
And Ray, the first baby girl of the family after Aurora, has us all wrapped around her little fingers and she knows it. With an attitude as big as the sun and a sassy nature we don't know where she got from...let's just say she'll get away with pretty much anything she wants
I walk over and sit beside dad, watching as the twins sleep between him and Rora. They look so peaceful you'd never think they could tire you to tears in just an hour
"Are you okay?" My sweet sister asks, I sigh and shake my head
"I don't know how to get past this shit. We've been fighting about the same thing over and over" I groan
"Atlas you know Zach has more confidence than all of us put together, he's never been a jealous guy. If that guy Charlie is making him act like that it must be with good reason son" My old man reasons
I wipe my face with a towel, thinking it over.
"Well yeah but I'm not doing anything wrong, it's not my fault that Charlie has the hots for me" I slap my hands on my thighs, trying really hard not to throw a tantrum like a child because I'm pissed
"Attie, you've both been under a lot of stress lately. Handling a kid and a set of twins is not easy, I know that as much as you do" Rora chuckles "with everything going on with Eli in school and the twins going through their tantrum phase...it's reasonable that you're both going to feel so overwhelmed"
She speaks softly, with that calm energy of hers that instantly makes me deflate. All that anger slowly dissipating
"So what do I do Ro? How do I make this better?" My voice breaks and dad puts his hand on my back in comfort
"Well, you should speak with Charlie first. Let him know that he needs to back off and if he doesn't you tell him his job is on the line. Talk to Zach too, he needs reassurance and to know you're not going anywhere" she says
I nod and rub my eyes, letting out a huge breath. It's going to be okay. It's just a rough time for both of us, with me working after hours and him staying all day with the kids, it makes sense that he feels insecure
Miller comes running to me, wobbling a bit. Half a year ago he had to have surgery to put a pin on his right leg. He was having trouble walking while Kaianthe was running around already
He tried to keep up and in a moment of distraction on my part, he fell on the steps at the front door when he tried to run after Kai and broke his leg.
He's made a great recovery with Rora's help at her clinic, but he still needs a little more time to be able to walk without limping
"Dada, look!" He shows me a shell on the palm of his hand, small and a little bit broken. Just how I feel these days, I chuckle
"Well look at that, you sure found the prettiest shell of them all Mil" I pick him up telling him to lower his voice a little because the twins are sleeping when he starts to babble about how he found it
My heart feels full when I'm around my kids. Between Rora, Matheo and I we've got 8 grandkids already. I can't imagine how full the house will be if Sandro and Quinn decide to have some too
Carter is out of the country, as is Uncle A. So they don't live around here. We just know they're well and thriving
Dad gets up to answer a call from the security team, Miller lays beside Ray looking at her like she's the best thing to happen to him. The same look we all get looking at her and Rora
Obviously the rest of the kids too, I love them all equally but there's something about being an uncle to a little girl like Ray that makes me want to spoil her and protect her until I die
Dad comes back with a frown, typing away on his phone. If it was from the security team something must've happened
"What's wrong?" Rora asks with that cute frown of hers
"Uh, it was Titano. He says there's someone who landed at the airport asking about the Brambellos"
We updated our security so we never get surprised at home again, we used to be too sloppy. Now nothing happens in this island without us knowing it will first
We've gotten a bit more ruthless too, we were soft back when we found Aurora. Dad raised us as mafia-less as he could but this is a life we can't escape
We were trained but not well enough, we were too ignorant wanting to think that no one could hurt us when in reality we basically invited them in
Everyone that managed to get into our house years ago was our own fault, now our security is impenetrable. We've spent hours upon hours training so we never go through that shit again
It was naive to think that living here in isolation would just keep everyone out but being who we are...that shit won't ever work
We're taking on missions now, too, traveling and taking out enemies. We take turns to go in threes, managing a couple of big locations where our people work hard to clean the streets off criminals like Rodrigo
Dad calls the others over, Zach comes first with a clenched jaw and looking everywhere but at me. Eli is behind him holding Kai's hand. Quinn comes running, laughing with Hope wrapped around his back
Alessandro, single now, has Sam cackling on his shoulders and our dog Rawr happily running behind him
Matheo has Jonas walking to his left and Lithe clinging to his neck. He's smiling but the small crease between his brows tells me he's probably coming back from getting Lithe out of some kind of trouble
Nix immediately wraps his beach wet self around Aurora, kissing all over her face like the clingy little shit he is. It makes me really happy, though, that they have each other
"So, what's up pops?" Alessandro asks, slapping a hand on our dad's back
He rubs his jaw and leans back "Titano called, he was doing the usual check up on the passengers flying in. He did the usual background check and all and it was pretty much just family coming to visit their loved ones around the island. But there's this one woman he found nothing on, Zafiro, she claims she wants to be a resident here now and she got all the paperwork approved"
"That's not uncommon, we have people moving in all the time. What's different about her?" Rora frowns
"Well, she's asking about us and where we live. People visiting doesn't usually go well for us" I say
"And she isn't some distant relative or something?" Zach asks wrinkling his nose, I wish I could kiss it
"Uh, well. That's the thing, she was born in Nigeria. Left about three years ago to live in the states, she's twenty-one years old...clean record and no family"
My head snaps up to meet Zachariah's eyes. We adopted Mil and Kai from Nigeria...I look at dad
"Is she..?" I start to ask, swallowing a big knot in my throat
Dad purses his lips "I think so, son"
I clench my fists, and close my eyes. "It was a closed adoption, she has no right over them. She can't come here and take them away I won't fu—freaking let her. She can't!" I get up and start pacing. A hand wraps around my shoulder and I turn to look at Zach
He puts a hand on my cheek, "We won't let her take them away, she can't even try. I promise it'll be alright" he says calmly
"Do we have to go to the airport and kick her out or is the team taking care of it?" I ask
Phoenix sends all the kids away with Mack, Lola and Carmen. The nannies, they take them back to the shore. Except for Ray and West who are still sleeping
"I haven't given them any orders yet, she's in custody in one of the warehouses. It's your choice if we fly her out with a warning or if you want to speak to her first. But I won't send out an order to kill her until we have a reason to" he says
"No, no, we'd never kill her without making sure she didn't come here with any ill intentions" Zach shakes his head
We all nod in agreement
"What do we do?" I ask Zach failing to keep the worry off my expression
He sucks in a breath "I think we need to hear her out, see what she wants and then send her off" he says. I take a minute to think it over and then nod
"Where do you want her?" Dad asks, ready to dial Titano
"Tell him to keep her there and we'll be there in a bit, I don't want her anywhere near my kids" I say and he nods
𓆝 𓆟 𓆞
"Hey" I startle at Rora's voice. Zach and I just got showered and changed we're just waiting for dad to set up some extra security around the house, just in case
She comes in holding a sleepy Ray in her arms, Nix is beside her with West pulling sleepily on his hair. He walks over to Zach while Rora comes to me putting her hand in mine
"It's gonna be okay. She can't take them, even if she had any rights we wouldn't let her" She says rubbing my arm
Ray reaches out to me and I pick her up, letting her give me some desperately needed cuddles and kisses. Her sweet smelling hair is just like Aurora's, her eyes too. It's like looking at what I imagine baby Rora was like, dad says so
Little Ray is older than Rora was when she was taken so we can't compare the similarities now, but when she was months old, dad cried a couple of times because they were identical and it brought him lots of memories
"Do me a favor, Attie. Please hear her out, we don't know if she...if she went through something like I did. I could've made the same choice she did and given Sam away but I didn't, because I had you all. I was too young but I had love and support. She has no family, hear her out before kicking her out will you? Maybe she deserves a second chance. Please" she says giving me her puppy eyes
I close my eyes and sigh, I hadn't thought about that. We never know what people are going through, we have no right to judge her without knowing who she is and the battles she's gone through
I look over and see Nix talking with Zach, probably telling his brother the same thing. It's easy to lose your morals and your conscience when you feel like your children's well-being is in danger
"You're right Ro, thank you. I will hear her out first I promise" I say and kiss her forehead, wrapping my arm around her. Ray is blowing raspberries into my shirt and I don't want to let go
But it's time to go, Zach and I say our goodbyes and leave my siblings making lunch and the kids playing around the yard
Dad drives us over, I hold Zach's hand all the way there. His leg bounces up and down and he keeps biting his lip
"Hey, we're going to be okay. Don't worry baby we'll get through it all" I whisper, giving him a kiss before we get out of the car
I thought about what Rora said and felt bad about treating her like a criminal, so I asked dad to tell Titano to take her to meet us at a café thirty minutes away
"I'll sit a few tables away, to give you some privacy but to be there just in case. We've got the perimeter surrounded and the team is making sure she's alone and no one got here before her or are on their way" dad says as we walk towards the entrance
"Thank you" Zach nods
We find her sitting at one of the tables with a glass of water between her hands. Titano is standing guard beside her with a couple more of our guys. Her hands are trembling, her dark skin glistening with sweat either because of the hot as balls weather or nerves
Security exchanges a few words with dad before exiting the empty building and staying by the entrance doors
"Deep breath, we've got this" Zach tells me, grabbing my hand. We walk towards her and she watches as we sit down
"H-hello" she smiles shyly
I nod at her, "Good morning...Zafiro was it?"
She murmurs a yes and glances nervously at the guards and dad. I see the resemblance, it's slight but it's there. It's in her eyes and in that shy smile, just like Miller's. Kai is the opposite but the similarities are still noticeable
Zach clears her throat and leans back on his chair "Listen, Zafiro. We know who you are so lets just get to the point and clear things up alright?" He says pointedly but gently at least
Zafiro takes a sip of her water "Well I, I need to say thank you first. If you're here it means you are my boys' parents and I need to thank you b-because you don't know how much it means to me that you are taking care of them when I couldn't" her eyes tear up
I shake my head "Zafiro I don't know why you're here but those boys are ours, you chose a closed adoption for a reason. We'll take the time to hear you out but that's it honey we can't...we don't know you" I explain
"I know, trust me I know" she puts her hands on her chest "I want to see them, I don't have to talk to them I'll even accept just seeing some pictures. Anything you say really, even if it's for me to leave. But please, I beg you to hear my story first please" she starts sobbing
"Okay, it's okay sweetheart. We're not bad people, we're just...parents. You have to understand that we won't let just anyone near them even if you share their blood. But we'll listen, so calm down and take a breath alright?" Zach says
We're still weary of her but I can't lie, seeing a girl with such honesty in her eyes reminds me a little of Rora so I have a bit of a soft spot for crying young women
I don't like seeing people suffer
Zafiro nods again, closes her eyes "Well I was born in Nigeria, in a really poor village. It wasn't good, it wasn't a good place. When my parents and husband were killed, I had nothing. I only had my nana, she helped me give birth but we were being threatened by the men who killed my family. It wasn't safe, you have to understand. My nana gave her life to get my babies away, to the woman from the adoption center. I had to stay back for a few months, but then I moved to the US. I wasn't allowed to know about the babies but I managed to find you" she explains hurriedly
She has a thick accent, but her English is very good, from what I understand English is Nigeria's oficial language but others are spoken in the most rural areas where education is scarce. I'll ask dad about it later, I won't believe she's lying just because I have very little knowledge of her native country
"Are you safe now?" I ask and briefly look at dad, who's on his computer making sure what she's saying is true
She nods "Yes, yes. I got into school, I'm a teacher now. I live in the States but I...if you let me I want to be here, close to my—your babies"
Dad nods at us, confirming he found her claims true
"Zafiro, we can offer you a job here and a home if you wish to stay. Maybe, eventually, we'll let you see them taking it step by step. But we can't promise you anything, we have no reason to trust you but I choose to believe you for now. We'll be in touch, getting to know each other and hopefully building some trust so you can meet the boys" Zach says, I put my hand on his thigh in support. I couldn't have said it better
He looks so calm and put together while I'm a sweaty mess. We say our goodbyes with a promise of meeting again next week once she's settled
𓆝 𓆟 𓆞
"I'm telling you, that little girl is gonna be trouble in a few years, hell she already is" Charlie laughs, standing beside me as we lean on the brick wall watching the kids on the playground
I take a sip of my coffee "God bless her poor mom" I chuckle. Charlie keeps telling me about some trouble Priscila, the little girl, got into this morning but I'm busy watching Zafiro with the "Baby steps" kids
She didn't have much work experience in her resume, but her interview was solid. Yahir, our school principal, said she may not have been employed as a teacher before but it didn't matter because she'd been teaching and helping kids in her village since she was a young girl
Her criminal file was impeccable, no offenses committed. None that we could find that she could've hidden either
And from what I've seen in the past week, she's really good. The students love her already, she's joyous, sweet and has a kind of passion that's hard to come by
Zach and I made up once we got home after meeting her the first time, under the sheets, over them and then again against the shower wall
We also discussed how to handle the whole she's the mother of our kids situation. She didn't lie about anything, what she omitted was something we felt bad for digging up
Dad sent scouts to her village, they asked around and got back to us yesterday with information. What she said was true and we got details on just how much she'd been hurt before she was able to leave
I still feel guilty, she didn't tell us for a reason. We know how hard talking about trauma can be and she still gave us as much as she could
She married her husband really young, at 16. At first that raised some reg flags because we thought it might've been forced, but he was the same age and the villagers told our team that they were inseparable since birth
That what they had was true love, the kind that only comes once in a lifetime
"Are you okay?" I startle at Charlie's hand on my lower back. I shift a little so it falls away
"Uh yeah, just thinking" I shrug, he smiles at me and comes a little bit too close to my comfort
"I could take your mind off of it" he smirks
Buffalo balls what the fuck? Damnit. Fucking damnit now what?
I clear my throat "Listen, Charlie, I'm uh sorry if I have given you the wrong impression but I have a husband. And three kids, I'm happy and I'm not looking for whatever the hell you think I want with you"
I didn't want to do this at work but Rora is right, I have to put him in his place and I've put it off for a week
Charlie just laughs it off and puts a hand on my arm "What's wrong with a little fun? Your husband doesn't have to know" he shrugs
But then I see Zach, right in the worst fucking moment he appears around the corner with a bag of take out from my favorite restaurant
He freezes before his expression changes, but it's not anger...it's resignation and somehow that's worse "I brought you lunch, but I see you're a bit busy at the moment" he walks off
I turn to Charlie with all the anger I can muster in my expression
"I'm saying it once and if you don't start acting as the professional we hired you to be I'm gonna have you removed from this institution and tainting your reputation so bad you'll never teach again. Stay away from me and my marriage" I give him one last glare before walking off towards my husband
I find him sitting in the teacher's room couch with his head on his hands. I can see the tears falling off his face from here
"Zach..." I whisper and sit down on the coffee table in front of him
"What am I doing wrong?" He sobs "Am I not enough?"
I shake my head quickly, my own tears falling "Baby, listen to me. I was telling him to stay the fuck away I swear on my life. I love you, I love us and our family. I promise you, Zach, I fucking promise you I feel nothing but disgust for that guy. I'm sending him away, I don't want us to fight anymore. Please forgive me baby, please" I take his face in my hands
His teary eyes move all over my face, searching for lies I suppose. He sobs again before pressing his lips to mine
"Please don't leave me, ever. I love you, I'm sick of fighting too...I miss you and I'm scared. I'm scared of losing you, of losing Kai and Mil. I need you" he cries
My heart about breaks into a thousand pieces, I hug him close to me and whisper how much I love him too. That I'm scared but that we'll get through this together
It takes us a bit but we finally manage to calm down, eat lunch and then I go to Yahir and report Charlie. For the first time ever, I use my family name to make him get rid of the guy's presence
And it feels damn fucking good
𓆝 𓆟 𓆞
"No way" Rora stares open mouthed at the TV
"I told you it was insane" Quinn bumps her shoulder
"How have we never seen this one with you? It's a classic thriller" I say laughing at her dumbfounded expression
She's too shocked by the plot twist to notice Theo stealing some of her gummy worms. The asshole helped Sam put laxatives in my drink and I'm just recovering from that bomb
"The first time Alessandro saw it he slept in my bed for a week saying he was seeing monsters in his room. Left him traumatized" dad laughs
"Hey I was like, ten. It was your fault for letting me watch it" he argues as we laugh
I feel Zach's hands rubbing my shoulders and I groan leaning into him "I have a surprise for you later" he whispers
"Mmm and what could that be?" I smirk enjoying the heat of his body wrapped around mine
"You're gonna have to find out"
I can't fucking wait, but the doorbell rings and I get up "That's Zaf, she's taking the kids tonight" I tell the fam before going to get them
Over the past few months we've made quite a lot of progress with her, it took us over a month to let her meet them but now this is the third time she takes them for the night
She's amazing with them, and we're glad they have someone else to shower them with love. Once more, my twin was right, that woman deserved a second chance
"Hey!" I open the door and kiss her cheek
She smiles at me and then bends to hug the happy munchkins, picking them up "Oh I missed you!" She kisses them all over making them shriek in joy
Zach comes up behind me and wraps his arms around me as we watch Kaianthe and Miller babble to their mom everything they did in that day
I sigh in relief, finally feeling happy with everything going on because I know now that no matter what happens, Zach and I will get through it together
•••
A/N
Dec 6 (2022)
Hiiii, it's been a long while since I posted a bonus chapter
I'm gonna be honest, I don't really enjoy this story. I wrote it when I was younger and I just feel like it's a bit too much and sorta badly written haha but it does fill my heart to see so many of you liking it
I've wanted to rewrite it a few times but there are so many comments that would be lost and that makes me sad, also this story was a distraction when I needed to escape so it holds a special place in my heart, but I've moved on from it and I wish to continue with other kinds of books.
It took me quite a few days to write this because I remembered too little about the story but I wanted to do it right so I caught up on it and tried my best, I'm sorry if I messed up dates or missed something lol
If you don't know, I have two other older brothers books. I started on that because it's what I found popular on here and I just couldn't find any brother stories that I liked besides the few favorites I've got so I just had to try to write one. I hope you can check them out too
I'm so so grateful for all of your support and all your messages. I love and appreciate you all <3