chapter 70: epilogue

Bose POV:

Sitting at the restaurant with Chapa, Andrew, Miles, and Blaise felt like a rare moment of calm. The city lights outside gave everything a warm glow, and the low hum of conversations around us made it feel cozy. My daughter, Daisy, sat beside me, completely focused on her latest drawing. She was just as much into drawing as her mother—eyes narrowed in concentration, little fingers gripping a colored pencil with impressive determination.

Jay suddenly appeared beside her, tapping her arm lightly.

"Hey, Daisy, wanna play?" he asked, rocking on his heels.

Daisy barely spared him a glance. "No."

Jay sighed dramatically. "Pleeease? Just for a little?"

She let out an exaggerated sigh of her own, then rolled her eyes. "Fine."

I smiled, lifting her out of her chair and setting her down gently. "Be careful and come back when the food's here, okay?"

"Yes, Babbo, I know," she said, like I was reminding her of the most obvious thing in the world.

Just then, Mika arrived, slightly out of breath. "Sorry I'm late, I had to drop Theo off at the babysitter's."

Blaise turned to her. "How old is he now?"

"Just turned two," Andrew answered before Mika could, taking her coat from her.

Before we could continue, a small girl hesitantly approached our table, staring wide-eyed at Blaise. She clutched a tiny notebook in her hands.

"Excuse me," she said in a tiny voice. "Are you Blaise? The one who makes the mangas?"

Blaise blinked, surprised. "Uh, yeah?"

"Can I have your autograph? I love your stories!"

Blaise's mouth opened slightly before a soft smile spread across her face. "You recognized me?"

The little girl nodded eagerly. Miles grinned, leaning over. "I also want an autograph."

Blaise rolled her eyes. "You already have four."

Then the girl left with a big smile on her face.

Andrew chuckled. "Speaking of commitment—when are you two getting married?"

Blaise and Miles exchanged a look before Blaise shrugged. "We don't need all that."

Miles nodded. "Yeah, we're good as we are."

Mika tilted her head. "What about kids?"

Blaise leaned back in her chair. "We don't need that either to prove our love."

Mika raised a brow. "Don't you miss a kid in the house?"

Blaise smirked. "I already have my hands full with Miles."

Miles put a hand over his heart. "I take that as a compliment."

Andrew turned his attention to me and Chapa. "What about you two? Do you want another child?"

I glanced at Chapa before answering. "I want as many as she wants to bear."

Chapa shook her head immediately. "One is enough for me."

Andrew hummed. "Won't Daisy be lonely, then?"

I shrugged. "She loves her alone time. If she gets siblings, she'll probably fight them."

Blaise raised an eyebrow. "Isn't she only four and a half?"

"Yeah," Chapa sighed. "And she acts like a moody teenager."

I smiled, defending our daughter. "She can also be really nice and sweet."

Mika smirked. "So she's just a mix of both of you?"

We all laughed as the waiter approached with our food. Andrew stood. "I'll grab them."

As soon as he returned, Daisy appeared at my side, climbing onto her seat. I ruffled her hair lightly. "Daiz, say hi to Auntie Mika."

Daisy looked up from her drawing and gave Mika a little wave. "Hi, Auntie Mika."

Mika's face softened instantly. "Hi, sweetheart."

Daisy grinned before turning her attention back to her meal.

—

Dinner had just finished, and the clatter of dishes and chatter had mostly died down when Jay and Daisy appeared by my side.

Daisy, with her wide eyes and exaggerated pout, didn't waste a second. "Bobba," she said, her voice sweet but with the hint of mischief I knew so well, "can Jay come with us to Italy?"

I couldn't help but laugh, looking at Jay who, as usual, looked a little awkward, standing there with his hands shoved in his pockets. "Just an hour ago," I said, shaking my head, "he had to beg you to play with him. And now you're begging me to take him on vacation?"

Daisy nodded, her eyes sparkling. "He'll give me his poppocards," she added proudly, as if that would convince me. I raised an eyebrow, amused. Those poppocards were the craze with the younger kids these days—something about collecting them made Jay think he could win her over. I chuckled and shook my head.

"Well, I think you two should ask Mom," I said, leaning back in my chair and crossing my arms, making it clear I wasn't going to give in so easily.

But Daisy was having none of it. She scrunched her face up, giving me a pleading look. "I don't want to ask her. I want to ask you because you always say yes," she said, her voice dropping into that convincing whine kids mastered so well. I grinned despite myself. It was hard to say no to that face.

"Well," I said, leaning in slightly with a mischievous grin of my own, "Jay's still too young to come with us, unless Uncle Andrew and Auntie Mika will come along, too."

Before I could even finish the sentence, the two of them were off like lightning, darting toward Andrew and Mika, practically tackling them with their question. I watched them run off with a smile, the whole scene reminding me how easy it was for kids to get what they wanted when they teamed up like that.

Turning to Chapa, I checked in with her. "Are you okay with that?" I asked quietly. I wasn't sure how she'd feel about taking Jay along, but she only shrugged, a smile tugging at her lips.

"Yeah, it'd be fun," she said, her tone warm.

"And Daisy needs to play with someone besides Elio and your parents. It might be good for her." Her smile softened a little as she added, "I think it's nice that she has someone her age to hang out with, especially after everything with your mom."

I nodded. It was strange thinking about how much had changed in the past few years. After  me and my mom left the mayor of Swellview, my mom had moved back to Italy with my dad.

She'd been determined to start over, and

surprisingly, her ex-husband hadn't made it difficult for her at all. In a weird way, he had been understanding. And now, Italy felt like the new home for us, especially since I'd been spending a lot more time with Chapa and Daiz.

I couldn't remember the last time I felt so content with my life. Things had finally settled down.

Then Chapa's voice broke through my thoughts. "We should ask Blaise and Miles to come, too," she suggested, her face lighting up with the idea.

I smiled, nodding. "That sounds perfect."

I watched as the kids practically bombarded Andrew and Mika with their question.

It was only a matter of time before the adults were drawn in, too. A moment later, Andrew looked up, catching my eye.

"You okay with this?" he asked, his voice warm but teasing. "Sounds like we're all headed to Italy."

Mika, who had been smiling at the kids' antics, spoke up next. "I mean, it's not every day you get invited on vacation by a bunch of kids."

Miles and Blaise, who had been listening in from across the table, seemed to exchange a look.

Blaise, who had been unusually quiet since dinner, now leaned in with a grin. "So, when do we leave?" she asked. "I could use a break from everything. Italy sounds like the perfect place to just... unwind."

Jay and Daisy, who had been bouncing around eagerly, finally stopped long enough to hear the conversation.

Daisy grinned at me, eyes wide with excitement. "So, it's really happening?" she asked.

I smiled, the excitement contagious. "Yeah, it's happening."