Lily's POV

"Momma, Papa, I thought you all left. Hey Eddie, everyone come inside."

I step back and let them in. I can't believe they are still here. We walk into the living room and sit down when Nathan comes in behind us. He doesn't look too happy, but at least he isn't ready to kill them for once. He sits down next to me and kisses my temple.

"Good afternoon, why do we have the pleasure of you being here?"
"Nathan, be nice." I warn.

"It's okay, sweetheart. He's only being protective of his family." Sophia says calmly.

"We wanted to see our grandson before we left for home." Antonio adds.

"He's asleep at the moment. Why don't we sit down and talk for a bit. It's almost time for him to eat." I offer.

"Absolutely, it's been so long since we talked, Brianna." My papa says as he sits down.

"Yeah, without her being held prisoner."

"Nate!"

"It's okay, Brianna. I deserve that. I was so caught up in keeping my grandson as an heir, that I hurt you, and I almost lost you both. For that I am truly sorry."
"It's Lily, now. I appreciate your apology, but it will be a long time for me to forgive you."
"Thank you for that. I know that it will be a long time but I hope to earn that from you as well as your trust again."
"Maybe someday, and I won't keep you from Leo."
How are you two doing?" Sophia asks.

"I think we are doing okay. There has been a lot going on in the last week or two."
"It should be easy now. No one will come after you now." Eddie pipes in from where he is standing against the wall.

"What do you mean by that?"

I see Poppa give Eddie a look, and he quickly shut up and looked away. I wonder if he had anything to do with Jennifer's death.

"We heard on the news that Jennifer was killed. We also heard about you, and that is one of the reasons why we came by today. We stopped at the hospital but they said you had already been released." Papa states

"We are so happy that you are okay. Our Brianna has been through so much because of our lifestyle. She didn't need any more heartbreak." Momma adds.

"Momma, it's Lily. Please respect that."

"Honey, I do. It's going to take some getting used to. I think the name change is wonderful. It will keep you safe."
"Our enemies will never find you now." Papa announced.

"You have more people after you?" Nathan asked curiously.

"This lifestyle brings many enemies, son."

"And you want Leo to be a part of that?"

"I don't, but it is his choice to make. I will not keep him from that." I return.

"We will honor any decision you make." Poppa agrees.

"That will be his decision."

We sit and talk for a bit before I hear Mariano stir and whimper.

"He's waking up. Let me go feed him, and I will bring him out to you."
"May I come with you?" Momma asks.

"Sure, that would be okay."

Momma gets up and follows me into the nursery. Mariano is awake and fussy. I pick him up and take him over to the changing table to change him.

"He is such a good baby. His father was a crier. He kept me up most nights. He was a colicky baby and definitely a momma's boy. I wondered if he would step up and take his father's place. He proved me wrong and turned into the strong and fiercely protective man you knew."
"Do you miss him?"

"With everything I have. I lost a piece of my heart that day they brought him home. It was a dark time for me, and then Eddie told me you were pregnant. I hoped that it was Mariano's baby. When you were captured, we made sure that Eddie kept an eye on you and worked out a plan to get you out of there. That's when we found out about Jennifer."
"Do you know who killed her?"
"It was Eddie dear. He had no other choice. She would have killed Nathan. We couldn't let you go through that again."
"I guess I should say thank you."
"No thanks needed. We protect our family, and you. Along with your newfound family, are ours."
"Oh, Momma!"

The tears begin to fall, and she hugs me quickly before I pick up little Mariano to sit in the rocker to feed him. He quickly latches on and hungrily drinks. Momma sits and watches as we talk about things that have happened.

Nathan's POV

"I would like to thank you for all the things for Leo. You didn't have to do that."
"He's my only grandson, so I might as well spoil him. I can't say no to Sophie either."
"I get that. I can't say no to Lily either."
"We are a couple of saps aren't we?"
"Absolutely for my girl."
"I am grateful that she found someone like you. She is a wonderful woman and I hope you cherish her as much as my son did."
"I plan to, and hopefully for the rest of our lives. I have been thinking about this for a while, and I wanted to ask for your blessing to ask her to marry me."

"You don't have to ask me for that."
"I feel like I do. You are as close to a father that she has, and she was going to marry your son. I feel like I need to ask your permission."
"I appreciate that. I am honored that you want my blessing and I give you that as long as you treat her like the queen she is."
"Yes, I will. She deserves that and more."

"I am happy for you both. I know that we have taken out the big threats now, but I am leaving Eddie here to watch over you all."
"So it was you that took out Jennifer."
"Actually, it was me." Eddie pipes in.

"Mmmmhmmm"

"I hope that you can keep that information to yourself. He is my best man, and I know he will be the best man for you."

"Do you really think that is necessary?"
"Like I said before. I have many enemies, and if they found out about Mariano, then they would come for him to get to me."
"So what are you boys talking about so intently out here?" Lily asks as she walks in.

"Not much, just getting to know my new son-in-law." Antonio blurts out.
I looked from her to Antonio, hoping he hadn't just given away my secret, but she just shrugs it off as Sophia comes in behind her with Leo. I don't know what to think about their casual stance on murder but I guess it is a way of life for them. In their world, it seems like it's kill or be killed. I just am afraid for Leo, but I guess it will be his choice to make some day, and I hope that Antonio will keep his word and let him make that decision.

"There's my handsome grandson. May I hold him?"

"Absolutely, he gives good cuddles." Lily says with a smile as Sophia places Leo in Antonio's arms.

"He definitely does." Sophia replies.

Leo instantly melts into his arms, and a tear falls from his eye. I haven't known him for long, but it seems like he commands attention when he walks into a room, but he is just a marshmallow.

"He looks so much like his father." Antonio whispers.

"He does, doesn't he?" Sophia answers softly.

"I thought that too." Lily adds.

"What was he like as a baby?"

"He was a colicky baby and kept me up most nights but we figured out what was causing it and he was a perfect baby from then on. We never had much trouble as he grew up." Sophia says proudly.

"I guess little Leo kinda takes after his dad, then. Not the colicky part though. He has been so easy."

"How long are you here for?" Lily asks.

"Just a few more days. I've got several meetings to attend. Eddie will be staying here, though."

"Are you sure?" Lily questions.

"We have already discussed this, love. He really feels that he should be nearby if we need him."

"Well, then, thank you, papa."
"You all are family and I protect my family."

I kept my opinion to myself when he said that. IF he really protected family, then why did he keep Lily locked up in his house? I guess he thought he was doing what was best, but his actions almost killed Lily and Leo. Where would he be then? I'm just glad he came to his senses when he did. She and Leo are here now, and we are able to start our lives together.

"We found a nice rental down the road, so I will be close if you ever need me. I would like to install a state of the art security system here if that is okay. Hist on the outside. We don't want to invade your privacy, but still want to keep you safe." Eddie states.

"That would be fine. I was thinking about installing one myself. This place really needed one a long time ago. I guess if I had one, then the events of the other day wouldn't have happened."

"Don't be like that, babe. That wasn't your fault. She was a psycho, and nothing would have stopped her."
"She's right, Nathan. Nothing would have stopped her. I have known her for a while, and she was the spoiled princess who got everything she wanted." Eddie chimes in.

"Let's not dwell on that family. Their legacy is gone. He had one son, and he doesn't want anything to do with that life." Antonio adds.

"So we don't have to worry about him retaliating for his family?" Lily asks, a little worried.

"No, and actually, he is one that I have a meeting with. I believe he wants to talk about handing things to me."

"What about the rest of his family?" Lily asks.

"I don't know, but we will find out."
"Loo, he loves his Nonno already. He is sound asleep." Sophia beams.

"I miss these days."

"They were so sweet weren't they?"

"You are welcome to visit any time you want to." Lilly offers.

"Thank you, and you all are welcome to come visit us too."
"Thank you Sophia, I appreciate it."
"Nonsense, Nathan, you are family, too."
I smile, not having any words to say. I have really misjudged these people. I guess you really can't judge a book by its cover. We spent the afternoon getting to know each other more, and I really am starting to like them. Eddie will be staying a few houses down, and tomorrow, he will be installing a state of the art security system. It gives me a bit of relief to know that she will be looked after when I am not home. We haven't discussed yet if she wants to go back to work. I think she will, though. That will be a discussion for another day. The Derusso's leave after having dinner with us, and we sit down to relax before bedtime.

"What do you think of Eddie being so close and watching over us?" Lily asks as she cuddles up next to me.

"It's a little weird, but it's nice to know that you and Leo will be safe."
"I like that security too. I don't think there will be any more people coming after us, but it's nice to know it's there."

"I really had the wrong idea about them."

"I told you they were good people. They are fiercely protective of their family."
"I see that now."

She is curled up by my side and Leo is asleep in my arms after having eaten. There's a movie on, but I'm not paying much attention as I go over in my head when and how I will propose. I hear her light snores next to me. I quietly and slowly get up and take Leo up to his nursery and tuck him into his crib. Kissing his little head, I walk back into the living room to gather up his mommy and take her to our bed. She wakes up a little and I help her change and tuck her in and climb in behind her. Pulling her back into me, she sighs contentedly. I kiss the back of her head and bury my nose in her hair, breathing in her scent. This is my happy place, her in my arms. I hope that someday she will say yes and maybe have a child of my own with her.