Chapter 27 — Epilogue
Fifteen Years Later "Momma!" Rebecca heard Ivy calling for her from the kitchen where she was making dinner.
"Kitchen!" She shouted back. She heard stomping getting closer.
"Momma, do you know what he did?" Ivy shouted as she entered the kitchen. Rebecca looked at her daughter seeing Vincent come in behind her.
"I assume you're talking about your father," she raised a brow at him. "What have you done?" She asked him.
"What needed to be done," he shrugged walking toward her to kiss her. Rebecca held her hand up to stop him though.
"Nope. Tell me first." Both parents looked at their daughter who was standing in the middle of the kitchen watching them.
"You can't forgive him for this one, Momma. I won't," she crossed her arms over her chest.
"Princess, I did it to protect you," Vincent told her. He sounded like he was pleading to her which made Rebecca laugh. Vincent glared at her. Rebecca always found it funny how much Ivy had him wrapped around her pinkie. Ivy rolled her eyes and opened her mouth to respond but stopped when her brother walked into the room.
"It's done, padre," Lucca said sitting in one of the chairs at the island. Ivy's head whipped her head to look at him.
"Ugh!" she threw her hands in the air. "They're both crazy!" She shouted.
"Oh, shut up!" Lucca spat. "I just did what he told me to and for good reason!"
"You have no idea what you're talking about!" Ivy shouted back at her brother stomping toward him.
"Enough!" Rebecca shouted as she watched her children raise their fists to each other. "You two, sit. Now!" She commanded and watched her children sit. "You," she turned toward Vincent. "Tell me what the hell you did this time," she crossed her arms and tapped her foot. Vincent cleared his throat.
"I caught some little thug," he started but was cut off.
"He is Ricci's son," Ivy shouted. Rebecca whipped her head to look at her.
"He's still a thug and he was kissing you like he had the right!" He shouted. Ivy shook her head and looked away from her father. Rebecca sighed.
"Vincent, really? What did you do?" she asked him knowing that he most likely over reacted. He had been since the day she was born.
"I sent him to Italy," Vincent shrugged. Rebecca's eyes grew wide.
"You did what?" She shouted at him. She looked to her children for confirmation.
"I made sure he got on the jet," Lucca said with pride in his voice.
"Lucca!" Rebecca scolded him. Lucca hung his head. He was always looking for his father's approval but his mother being disappointed in him was never worth it.
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"Sorry, Momma."
"Mi Amore," Vincent started but shut up when Rebecca glared at him.
"Don't you Mi Amore, me," she snapped. "The Ricci's are a great family. Milly was one of the first women to be nice to me when I became queen," she crossed her arms. "You get that boy back here. Right. Now." Vincent raised his hands in surrender.
"I would but I set up everything already. He is to be trained," he told his wife. Rebecca opened her mouth but he held his hand up. "He needs to learn that there are consequences for not following my orders." Rebecca wondered what he meant by that but before she could say anything, Ivy stormed out of the kitchen.
"Vince," she growled at him. "You better fix this," she glared at him before going back to cooking dinner.
"I wish I could but she will get over it," he shrugged. Rebecca sent him another glare. "I'm sorry but I am capo and she doesn't need to be dating someone that I don't approve of."
"Vince, you will never approve of any guy ever. But we agreed to allow them to start dating at fifteen and their birthday was last week," she gave him a look that told him not to say anything yet. "Lucca has had that girl that looks like a hooker around the house since their party and I haven't said anything. You can't have a double standard for the two of them."
"I can do whatever I want," Vincent tried to sound like he believed himself. "I am the Capo, I can change my mind, you know." Rebecca laughed a little and shook her head.
"That's great," she told him as she walked toward him. "You can also make your own dinner," she smirked. Vincent's eyes grew wide.
"Amore, please. You are not going to get angry about this," he whined. "I did this for our daughter."
"Okay. Well, since you're all about taking care of your children, cook your son some dinner. I will be taking Ivy out with me," she untied her apron and threw it at him. "It's my one night at the clinic tonight too, so I will see you tomorrow," she kissed his cheek. "Maybe you will have realized you're in the wrong by the time we are supposed to leave for date night," she said as she walked out of the kitchen. "Ivy," she shouted up the stairs. "Let's go out for dinner."
Vincent watched as his wife and daughter put on their coats and left. He knew better than to follow her and continue the argument. She had become a force to be reckoned with most feared her more than they did Vincent, including Vincent. Vincent may think he did what he did for his daughter, but Rebecca didn't and she was never swayed.
Vincent waited up all night knowing that Rebecca would sneak in making sure to not wake him. He had spent the night thinking about everything and was ready to apologize when she got home. He was lying in the dark in bed when he heard the front door open and close. He could hear Rebecca and Ivy whispering goodnights to each other before the bedroom door opened. He turned the light on beside him and Rebecca gasped. "Hi," he said meekly.
"Hi," Rebecca looked at her fingernails and started to pick at them.
"Stop that," Vincent said. "Come here," he beckoned her. Rebecca sighed but obeyed. Vincent put an arm around her shoulders pulling her toward him. "I'm sorry," he kissed her head. "I understand that I over reacted. If I could I would bring him back." Rebecca opened her mouth to say something but he cut her off. "His father agreed with his training months ago, before I knew anything about him liking our daughter." Rebecca pulled away and looked at him trying to gage if he was telling the truth. "You know I don't lie to you." Rebecca nodded.
"You need to speak with Ivy. Explain that to her or she will never forgive you," she told him. Vincent nodded. He knew that she was right Ivy had never been good at forgiving but her was logical.
"I will speak with her tomorrow before she goes to school." Rebecca smiled. "Are we good though?" He asked.
"Of course. You know I can't be mad at you for too long. Especially when you realize that I'm right and you're wrong," she smiled. Vincent kissed her and she stood up from the bed. "I am going to go take a shower."
"Any chance I can join you?" He asked her. Rebecca turned to look at him like she was thinking about it.
"I don't know," she tapped her finger to her chin. "Do you think that you deserve to?" Vincent nodded. "I guess you can wash my hair," she shrugged and turned back toward the bathroom. Vincent jumped up from the bed and ran after her causing her to squeal and run from him. They were okay they always would be because they were each other's home.