Chapter 6 - THE SUNSHINE IN THE HOUSE
One year later.
The autumn sun broke over the rolling hills of Long Island, casting a brilliant golden light across the manicured lawns of the Romano estate. The heavy steel gates at the end of the long driveway sat open, letting in the cool, sweet coastal breeze.
There were no armed guards standing under the stone archways. The dark, suffocating atmosphere that had hung over the mansion for so many years had been stripped away, replaced by open windows, white lace curtains, and the bright, chaotic energy of a real home.
In the backyard, near a newly built wooden playground overlooking the sound, a heavy golden retriever puppy chased two little girls through the fallen leaves.
Olivia, now eight, was laughing as she threw a tennis ball across the grass. Sophie, six, ran beside her, holding a sketchbook filled with colorful drawings of horses and houses.
I stood on the back patio, wearing a simple white linen shirt with the sleeves rolled up to my forearms, holding two mugs of hot coffee. The deep scar across my left palm still throbbed occasionally when the weather turned cold, but it served as a daily reminder of the night my family was saved.
"They're going to tire that dog out before lunch," a soft voice said beside me.
I turned to see Grace stepping out onto the patio.
She wore a soft cream knit sweater and a dark denim skirt, her brown hair catching the golden sunlight. In her arms she held four-year-old Nora, who was busy trying to place a crown of yellow dandelions onto Grace's head.
"Miss Grace is a queen!" Nora announced proudly, giggling as she adjusted the clumsy flower crown.
"She certainly is, sweet girl," I said, my heart swelling with a deep, peaceful warmth that I had once believed was lost to me forever.
Over the past twelve months, the Romano organization had undergone a complete transformation. With Frankie Vane and his conspirators gone, I had dismantled the dangerous enforcement wings of the business, transitioning our holdings entirely into legal commercial shipping, port management, and legitimate real estate development. The violence that had claimed Isabelle's life was officially buried in the past.
More than that, the silence in our home was broken forever.
I set the coffee mugs down on the patio table, stepped toward Grace, and gently took Nora from her arms, setting my youngest daughter down on the grass so she could join her sisters.
"Are you happy, Grace?" I asked softly, taking her hand in mine—the same hand I had slid a simple, beautiful diamond ring onto three months ago.
Grace looked out over the lawn, watching Olivia and Sophie chase Nora toward the swings, their bright, beautiful laughter floating up into the clear blue sky like a hymn.
She turned back to me, reaching up to touch my cheek, her brown eyes shining with absolute, radiant love.
"I have everything I ever prayed for, Dominic," Grace whispered softly.
I leaned down and pressed my lips to hers, feeling the warmth of her response, while behind us, three little voices began to sing together in perfect, joyful harmony:
May you like
"You are my sunshine, my only sunshine... you make me happy when skies are gray..."
The storm was over. The shadows were gone. And for the first time in my life, Dominic Romano was finally home.
