by Metsy Hingle
Epilogue
Maria handed baby Lucia over to Bianca, whom they had asked to serve as a co-godmother to their child when Aunt Lucia had insisted she was too old to accept the honor and responsibility at her age. But judging from Steven’s aunt’s attitude since the baby’s birth seven weeks earlier, Maria suspected Lucia Conti might well outlive them all.
Assured her baby was in good hands, Maria slipped out of the patio doors and into the garden away from the buzz of the christening party going on inside. Feeling happy and at peace, she breathed in the spring air and the scent of April blossoms. The roses, daisies and tulips had shaken off winter’s chill and now basked in the early April sunshine.
Sometimes she still found it hard to believe that her life had been so blessed these past few months. And chief among those blessings had been Steven and the birth of their daughter, Lucia Angelica Conti.
“Where’s my goddaughter?” Nicholas called out, and Maria turned her attention back to the party going on inside the house where the din of happy voices seemed to grow louder by the minute.
She spied Steven talking to Reese Jackson, the federal agent who had become a constant presence in Bianca’s life since the night she had been rescued. Call it female intuition, but judging from the hungry way the handsome agent watched her sister-in-law, Bianca’s days as a single woman were numbered.
Scanning the room, she easily picked out her sister Rita from among the guests, recognizing her older sibling because of her height, as well as the tall, handsome accessory she sported—her husband, Dr. Matthew Grayson. She watched the pair laugh at something Flint, her sister Gina’s husband, said. When Alex, decked out in his Navy uniform, joined the other couples with his wife, Daisy, and their own little Angel in tow, Maria couldn’t help thinking of how things had worked out for the two of them. It also made her think of her grandmother Angelica. She could almost hear her grandmother telling her, “When God closes one door, He opens a window.”
Her grandmother had certainly been right, she mused as she noted her sister Colleen and Gavin O’Sullivan. Who would have thought that after her sister had left the convent that she would reunite with her college sweetheart? Or that when Nicholas hired Gail as a nanny for little Molly that they would fall in love with each other and marry?
Maria continued to scan the guests and noticed the most recent newlyweds—her cousin Claudia and Ethan Mallory—sharing a quiet moment off by themselves. Then Maria smiled at the sight of her brother Reese and his wife, Celia, talking with her parents. After years of estrangement, it was wonderful having Reese back in the family fold. It was also wonderful to see her brother Joseph happy again—which she fully attributed to Holly, the pastry chef who had finally helped her brother get past the loss of his wife.
When she saw Emily, Maria was relieved to note that her eyes no longer held that haunted look as they often had since Derrick’s death. No doubt her marriage to fireman Shane Cummings had helped her move beyond her grief, Maria surmised. Even Daniel, Derrick’s twin who had been so somber and eaten with guilt following his brother’s death, seemed happier than she’d seen him in months. And from the way he was looking at Phoebe, she knew that his wife was responsible.
When a very pregnant Karen excused herself from Ash and the Calderones and headed in her direction, Maria was filled with affection for the long-lost cousin who had been her confidante and closest friend during most of her pregnancy. “Decided to abandon the party?” she asked as Karen joined her outside.
“Hardly. I thought I’d let Ash regale the Calderones with all the information he’s been beefing up on regarding pregnancy and childbirth and find out why you’re hiding out here.”
“Not hiding, just reflecting,” Maria responded.
“No more worries about the curse, I hope.”
“None,” Maria assured her. The birth of her daughter on Valentine’s Day had forever wiped away any fears she’d had on that score. Lucia Angelica was healthy, happy and perfect in every way. Her birth had also cemented the budding relationship between her and Steven’s families.
“That’s a relief. I was worried you wouldn’t be able to let go of all those old superstitions about Valentine’s Day being unlucky for the Barones.”
“Oh, I’m still superstitious,” Maria informed her cousin and grinned when the other woman arched her brow. “Now I’m convinced that Valentine’s Day is a lucky day for us Barones.”
“I’ll buy that,” Karen said with a chuckle.
At the roar of laughter from indoors, both Maria and Karen shifted their attention to the group where a grinning Steven was getting an earful from Aunt Lucia.
“Wonder what that was all about,” Maria said.
“Looks like we’ll know soon enough,” Karen replied as Steven approached.
“Hello, Karen,” he said when he reached them.
“Hello, Steven. Congratulations. Little Lucia is beautiful.”
“Takes after her mother,” he replied in that dark, velvety voice that always made Maria’s pulse jump.
“I, um, I think I’ll go see if I can find Ash,” Karen said and excused herself.
“What was that all about?” Maria asked. “It looked like your Aunt Lucia was reading you the riot act.”
“She just wanted to let me know that she thought it was time we started working on a baby brother or sister for little Lucia.” Steven smiled at her and slid his arms around her waist to draw her close. “I promised her that I’d get right on it.”
Maria groaned and dropped her head against her husband’s chest.
“Have I told you lately how much I love you?” he asked.
“Yes.” And she never tired of hearing it. “I love you, too.”
“I don’t know about you, but I’m eager to get started on making that new baby. So what do you say we go cut that christening cake, reclaim our daughter and head for home?”
“Sounds like a plan to me.” And as they joined their families and basked in their love and joy, Maria thought once again of her grandmother, could almost feel her presence.
“If I have but one wish for you, my Maria, it’s that someday you will find true love as I did,” her grandmother told her. “That you will know what it is to live passionately with the man you love.”
I’ve found it, Grandmother, Maria whispered in silent answer. I’ve found my true love. And she knew as she twined her fingers with her husband’s that with Steven, she would live passionately ever after, just as her grandmother had wished.
Special thanks and acknowledgment are given to Metsy Hingle for her contribution to the DYNASTIES: THE BARONES series.
ISBN: 978-1-4268-8292-0
PASSIONATELY EVER AFTER
Copyright © 2003 by Harlequin Books S.A.
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