by Kathryn Shay
“I can.”
The child stirred. Opened his eyes and let out a squall. Alessio laughed. “May I?”
“Of course.” After handing him the bottle, she said, “He won’t drink that if I’m close. Would you be all right with him if Mike and I took a walk?”
“Yes, I’m glad he could be here for this.”
She smiled serenely.
“It has been hard living in two worlds for you, has it not?”
The couple resided in their home in U.S. for baseball season, then they came to Casarina and lived in one of the dwellings on the palace grounds. Mike stayed in the country until spring training—he would leave soon after the weddings--but Evangelina spent the whole six months with them. Renata was ecstatic.
“Not too bad.” She, too, kissed his cheek. “Thanks, Papá.”
Alessio loved feeding babies. Unbeknownst to anyone but him and Renata, Mariella had confided that she too was pregnant but wanted to keep it from the girls so as not to take attention away from Gabriella’s and Francesca’s wedding. Since she was also living on the palace grounds, she and Jordan and the two girls were a big part of their lives.
His gaze traveled to Mariella. She and Jordan sat together by the pool, their feet in the water, his arm around her. Sometimes they kissed. Their two little girls splashed in the shallow end. Jordan’s divorce had come through, but the papers had not been signed. There would be another wedding, smaller, more private, as soon as the legal procedure was finished.
Calla and Connor were near the girls, still lovebirds themselves. Connor held onto Razim in the pool, letting him kick his chubby little feet.
“We are blessed,” he said to the baby, who gazed up at him. “You know you have a title. Lord Michéal.” That made Alessio laugh out loud.
Renata took the empty chair next to him. “What is so funny, il mio amato marito?”
“The child. The girls. We are so blessed, amore mio.”
“We are, Alessio. We are.”
He gazed over at her. He couldn’t believe his actions in the past had risked their marriage, their happiness. “Have I told you lately how much I love you?”
“Yes. Ti amo, too.”
Mike and Evangelina returned in time for lunch. The buffet was assembled on the patio, so she took the baby inside to be with the other children who had gone in with their nanny to eat at a special place set up for them. Alessio and Renata walked to table.
Brie and Dante caught up to them. “Hello, genetori.”
Dante also greeted them in Italian.
“Ready for the big day?” Renata asked him.
He kissed Gabriella’s nose. “Can’t come soon enough for me.” Utter devotion shone on his face.
They took seats to the left of Alessio, at the head of the table. Francesca and Tyler sat on the other side. The four were the guests of honor. The wedding was in two days.
“So, le mie figlie, you will soon belong to someone else.”
“I will always love you and Mamá.” Francesca’s voice had gotten hoarse. She’d softened since she fell in love.
Gabriella took his hand. “Me, too. You know that.”
“I do.”
When everyone was seated, he noted two people were absent. He looked at Renata. “Where are Ravenna and Blake?”
“She went to go put on her bathing suit in the pool cabana. But that was a good half-hour ago.”
“Should we check?”
“No, don’t. We’re right here.” Raven’s voice came from the side. She looked pale. And Blake looked like…he was staving off panic. “My water broke in the cabana.”
“That means she’s coming today.” Blake said the words in a joyful tone, but there were underpinnings of anxiety, too.
“You know you’re having a girl and didn’t tell us?” Lexy asked. “Oh, never mind.”
They all moved to get up. “No, don’t,” Raven ordered. “We called my doctor back home. He said it could take all day for her to make her entrance. And I’m starving.”
“Are you allowed to eat, my child?” her mother asked.
“Yes. I can’t swim, though. Or have sex, damn it.”
Laughter echoed through the patio. Some things had not changed.
Renata did not obey her daughter. She came to her side put her hand on Ravenna’s shoulder. “She’ll be all right. Two of you took all day to come out after the water broke. Remember Alessio?”
He’d become paler than Raven and his hands were shaking. His wife went back to him. “Alessio, are you all right?”
“I—I—don’t know. Evangelina gave birth in the U.S. so we didn’t see it up close.” He grabbed Renata’s fingers. “I don’t want anything bad to happen to Ravenna or the bambino.” He started to stand. “I am calling the palace physician.”
“We already did,” Blake assured them.
“And the Italian midwife I arranged for.” Ravenna seemed so calm. “She’ll be here soon.” She patted her stomach. “Now we need food?”
Evangelina also came to Alessio’s side and knelt down. “Papá, everything is going to be fine. I can deliver babies, too, remember?”
He nodded. But was not comforted. Open-mouthed, he watched Ravenna waddle down the patio to sit next to Blake Sr. and Lucinda. They both hugged her.
“Then let’s just celebrate.” This from Renata.
Finally everyone was seated. Alessio needed to give a toast but he wasn’t sure he could. He couldn’t calm the worry. “I honestly don’t know what to say.”
A huge burst of laughter.
“Well that’s a first.”
“Papá speechless? It’s a miracle.”
“I am fine, Papá.” Ravenna tried to be stern. “I’m only having light contractions.”
This time Alessio froze.
Seeing his reaction, Ravenna stood. “Raise your glasses for a toast.” When they did, she said, “To Charis, named after the goddess of charm, beauty, nature and creativity, who’s about to come into our family.” Here she got teary, said, “Oh, shit,” and wiped the moisture away. Blake took her other hand. “I’m so happy we can all be here together. Let’s toast to newlyweds-to-be,” she caught Francesca’s gaze, then Gabriella’s, and nodded, “And to the king and queen and all our in-laws.
“And last of all,” she made eye contact with Mariella, Callandra, Evangelina “to the Gentileschi sisters. May we be as happy as I am right…” She trailed off, hunched over and grabbed her stomach. “Ouch.” But it came out more like a yelp. And she bent over even more.
Everyone bolted up…except Alessio, who sat watching the scene with tears streaming down his cheeks.
* * * * *
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Author’s Note
If you’re feeling like me, you’re a bit sad about the end of The Gentileschi Sisters. It’s always hard for an author to finish a series she’s spent months, or years, writing. But my heart told me this family’s story was over. So included in Raven’s book is an epilogue for all six books, with updates on all of the sisters. There were surprises in it for me and for you, I hope.
I saved Raven’s story until last because I honestly didn’t know what would happen to her. I knew about her art career and her upcoming show, and as the other books hinted at, her conflict would be with Blake. But she was so different from the others she needed a special story, one that I had to wait to discover. Did you think the plot was worthy of her? I did, though I didn’t expect her to change so much. She fought it, of course, like she would do. But I liked the way she became as soft with Blake as she was with her sisters. And the reconciliation with the king had to come, too. I’d bet we’re all glad it did. However, I had no idea what would turn the tables on their relationship until the desecration of her painting came to me. I hope it worked for you.
; Blake was another story. I didn’t like him much in the other books and didn’t like him in the beginning of this one. Uptight men are not attractive to me. But of course, everybody loves to see uptight men unwind, and boy does he do that! (Who knew he had that kind of passion in him.) I LOVED seeing him change and adapt until the end when he’s able to find an answer to his dilemma with his father and acts upon it.
So, this is the end for our princesses. And it was a pleasure to give them all, and the men they loved, a happily-ever-after.
Best,
Kathy Shay
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Don’t miss the other books in
THE GENTILESCHI SISTERS Series
I WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU, Book 1
Lexy Marcello Gentileschi may be a princess, brought up in a sheltered world, but she knows how to fight Ryder Reynolds in negotiations for her book contract. However, falling in love with the boss is a very different thing!
THIS GUY'S IN LOVE, Book 2
Detective Francesca Marcello Gentileschi can’t afford another screw up like the one she made at her last precinct where she fell for one of her colleagues. Unfortunately Detective Tyrell Beauregard Collingsworth has other things in mind for the lovely princess cop.
CAN’T HELP FALLING IN LOVE, Book 3
When Evangelina Gentileschi is hit by a stray ball at a Major League baseball game, the batter, Mike Jagielski leaps over the dugout and climbs into the stands to help her. Neither knows that the entire course of their lives are about to change.
HOW DEEP IS YOUR LOVE?, Book 4
The last thing grade school teacher Gabriella Gentileschi wants is a man in her life, especially not one who makes her flash back to the worst thing that happened to her. But gym teacher Dante Federico is determined to make Brie like him—and maybe more.
LOVE WILL KEEP US TOGETHER, Book 5
Widowed at twenty, Mariella Gentileschi Moretti came to the U.S. to get her law degree and plans to return home to help her father run the country. But Dr. Jordan Dubois, one of her professors, threatens all that when he takes an interest in her that is anything but ethical.
About the Author
A NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY bestselling author, Kathryn Shay has been a lifelong writer and teacher. She has written dozens of self-published original romance titles, print books with the Berkley Publishing Group and Harlequin Enterprises and mainstream women’s fiction with Bold Strokes Books. She has won many awards for her work: five RT Book Reviews awards, the Bookseller’s Best Award, Foreword Magazine’s Book of the Year and several “Starred Reviews.” One of her firefighter books hit #20 on the NEW YORK TIMES list. Her novels have been serialized in COSMOPOLITAN magazine and featured in USA TODAY, THE WALL STREET JOURNAL and PEOPLE magazine. There are over ten million copies of her books in print and downloaded online. Reviewers have called her work “emotional and heart-wrenching.”
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