Chapter 10 - The Rose Garden BloomOne year later.
The Connecticut air was soft and warm as twilight settled over the estate.
Down in the rose garden—the very same garden where I had once knelt in disguise wearing muddy boots and a fake beard—a small wooden bench had been built beneath an oak tree.
I sat on the bench, wearing a comfortable linen shirt, watching my family.
Sophie, now eight, was sitting on a blanket near the rose bushes, patiently teaching four-year-old Caleb how to draw pictures of rabbits in a sketchbook. Caleb’s stuffed rabbit sat proudly beside them on a small toy chair.
Grace stood near the center rose bush, holding a pair of golden pruning shears, trimming away dead leaves from a vibrant red bloom.
Her stomach was rounded softly beneath her yellow summer dress. In three months, our baby girl would be born.
"Evan?" Grace called out gently, looking over her shoulder at me with a warm smile. "Are you just going to sit there and watch us all evening?"
I stood up, walking across the soft green grass toward her. I wrapped my arms around her waist from behind, resting my hands gently over her pregnant belly, resting my chin on her shoulder.
"I spent my whole life watching for danger, Grace," I murmured softly into her ear. "Now I just like watching the things I love."
Grace leaned back against my chest, covering my hands with hers, looking out over the garden where our children were giggling together in the soft twilight air.
"No more secrets?" she asked softly, turning her head to kiss my cheek.
"No more secrets," I promised. "No more disguises. No more fear."
Sophie looked up from her sketchbook, waving her crayon at us. "Daddy! Grace! Look! I drew our whole family!"
Grace and I walked over together, sitting down on the blanket with our children. I pulled Sophie onto my lap, while Caleb snuggled against Grace’s side, resting his hand against her belly to feel his little sister kick.
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As the stars began to twinkle in the New England sky above our home, I held my wife and children tight in my arms.
The mafia boss who owned half the fear in Connecticut had finally found the only thing worth owning: a home built on love, unbreakable loyalty, and peace.
