Time went by fast since I got engaged to Dirk. I never thought I'd marry the man who once was my enemy. We didn't marry officially, of course, because we were criminals. Bosch and I did a small ceremony in Ocean Storm since he didn't want to throw a big party... Well, at least we were together. The event happened two months after he proposed. A week later, I found a job for Miguel, Dirk, and uncle Ruben at Ocean Storm. Bosch and Gálvez became gunners while my uncle got a job as our second navigator. While Ashton controlled the helm during the day, uncle Ruben did it at night. My three new crew members helped me immensely with my duties when my pregnancy was at its end. Miguel was the one who assisted me the most, and he became one of my best friends. Different from what I'd imagined, my crew was thrilled when my little girl was born. Everybody spoiled her, even the men. She had light skin, straight dark-brown hair, and blue eyes. Miguel and I gave named her Luna, which means moon in Spanish. Gálvez insisted on calling her Luna because he said she shined like the moon... wasn't that adorable? I liked the idea so much that I ended up agreeing! Luna had the cutest smile and Miguel loved spending time with her. He indeed gave all his love to our girl.

My heart was filled with joy as I observed my children... Yes, Dirk wanted to be a father too! Our little girl was born two years after I had Luna. She had red hair, blue eyes, and light skin. We named her Tess and she was five months old. Luna and Tess were my most precious treasures. Also, I have a surprise... my girls weren't the only kids around! Maartje and Laurens had a son one year after Luna was born. His name was Willem and he was a one-year-old. He had dark skin, dark-brown eyes, and black curly hair... to summarize, a cute mini version of Laurens! At that moment, Maartje took care of Willem and Tess on the main deck. Laurens and uncle Ruben talked at the quarterdeck while Francis sniffed their boots. I observed Miguel while he held Luna. Although she looked beautiful in that little green dress, I wanted to get her a pirate outfit once she got older.

Luna pointed at the sun, "El sol..."

Miguel smiled at our little girl, "El sol brilla para ti, princesa."

I couldn't help but grin... Luna was so unbelievably adorable! Gálvez frequently called her princesa, which means "princess" in Spanish. He always told me our daughter was his princess and the best thing that ever happened to him. Miguel was definitely a better father to Luna than my dad was to me. He looked at her as if she was the most beautiful creature that existed.

I chuckled, "What did you just say to her?"

He sighed, "I told Luna that the sun shines for her."

"That's really beautiful," I grinned. "I like it."

I gently caressed Luna's back. She kept staring at the sun, which was one of her favorite things to do. Sometimes I couldn't believe how lucky I was to have her. Luna was wonderful, and I loved her deeply.

I laughed, "If you keep spending so much time with her, I'll not understand what my own daughter says."

"You and Ruben taught me Dutch, so maybe Luna and I could teach you Spanish," Gálvez smiled at our daughter again. "Wouldn't that be fun, darling?"

My daughter grinned widely, "Yes, daddy!"

Luna sometimes mixed Spanish and Dutch since she heard both languages a lot. I often wondered if she wouldn't get confused at some point... who am I kidding? My daughter could learn anything! Have I mentioned that she was awesome? Yeah, I probably did.

"Maybe later," I chuckled and approached Luna. "By the way, do you want to come with mommy now?"

She shook her head in denial, "Not really."

Gálvez decreased his tone of voice, "Luna, I know you like to stay with me, but go be with your mom. She'll be delighted."

Luna hugged her father tight and cried a little. Even though my daughter seemed to like everyone, she was very attached to Miguel. That probably happened because he was the one who spent the most time with her. God, I always had a hard time taking her from him when he needed to return to the gun deck... They seemed inseparable! It was adorable.

"I'm sorry. She's a little nervous today," Miguel knit his brows. "Maybe you should come back later, Eva. Would that be alright?"

I smiled, "Of course. Don't have too much fun without me!"

Gálvez nodded and chuckled, "We won't!"

Dirk narrowed his eyes while passing by, "Ridiculous... No one can separate the Spanish Conspiracy."

I rolled my eyes. Since Luna was born, Bosch insisted on calling her and Gálvez "Spanish Conspiracy" just because they had a strong bond... God, could my husband ever stop being so weird? Anyway, that didn't change the fact that he was the cutest!

I sighed and took Bosch's hand, "I'm glad you're here, darling. Let's check on our little girl?"

He shrugged, "Whatever."

Yeah, Dirk still needs to decrease his sourness a little bit.

I smiled while approaching Maartje. Tess was sitting on her lap and wore a dark blue dress. Willem was dressed in a grey outfit, and I hugged him tightly. Dirk sat on the floor while biting his lower lip... Yeah, he didn't enjoy spending time with the kids as much as Maartje, Miguel, and I did. Laurens and uncle Ruben weren't fond of staying with the children either, but they definitely had more fun with them than Bosch did. I still hoped my husband would change his mind... Anyway, Willem laughed while Tess pouted. I bet you can't imagine who my younger daughter got that angry behavior from... Yes, you got that right! From her hotheaded father!

My cousin smiled at Tess, "You're the cutest baby ever, Tess! Yes, you are!"

My baby girl finally laughed. God, that was the best sound in the world! I could listen to it all day... My girls and Willem looked even more adorable when they laughed.

Dirk rolled his eyes, "The kids are cute. I just wish they were less loud."

I smiled sweetly, "I can't wait until they're old enough to drink with me."

My cousin and I laughed. Sometimes I couldn't believe Tess was real. Just like Luna, she was precious to me. I loved Willem as well, but definitely not as much as Maartje and Laurens did. Although I didn't have cool toys to distract the children, they appeared not to care. Having fun with anything was their special skill. If I gave them an empty rum bottle, they would still be happy... Don't worry! I never let them play with that.

"I don't want to see them drunk anytime soon," Maartje bit her lower lip. "I think Luna could handle alcohol, but Tess and Willem... I don't know."

I chuckled, "You're right. Let's just enjoy the sober versions of them for now."

"We should walk for a few minutes, Eva. Just the two of us," Bosch gazed at our daughter and wrinkled his nose. "I think I've spent enough time looking at Tess."

I nodded and went to the forecastle deck with Dirk. I loved staying with my babies, but I must admit he wasn't that wrong. Closing my eyes for a moment, I couldn't believe how perfect everything was. Having Dirk as my husband and raising two amazing girls while still plundering ships... I couldn't have asked for a better life!

Dirk approached me, "Can you believe we're here together? Sometimes I think I'm stuck in a dream."

"I feel the exact same," I raised my brows and smiled. "This is unbelievably amazing!"

Bosch put his arm around me, which made me even happier. After spending several years as Hendrika's victim and facing so many challenges, I never imagined I'd have a happy ending. Most pirates ended up killed somehow, but I lived to have kids... Two of them! Crazy, right? I was fortunate, I know.

I grinned mischievously, "We've come a long way since I threw you into the ocean, haven't we?"

The redhead laughed. He kept gazing at the bright sun for a moment, and I wondered which memories had come to his mind.

Bosch bit his lower lip, "I've been attracted to you since that day."

"Really?" I lifted a brow. "What took you so long to tell me this?"

Dirk glanced away, apparently holding a laugh. I loved it when he did that... Bosch never stopped being adorable! He was almost as cute as my daughters and Willem... I said almost.

He shrugged, "I was too hotheaded at the time."

I giggled, "You're still a hothead, but let's not talk about it."

I looked at the blue sky as Bosch held my hand. Each good moment I spent with my partner was precious, and that one wasn't an exception. Of course, we aren't happy all the time, but we definitely were on that day. It was a special occasion, after all.

"Happy anniversary," I smiled and kissed Dirk on the cheek. "I'm looking forward to many more years of plundering with you!"

"Happy anniversary to you too. I just have one request: no more kids, please!" he rolled his eyes and huffed. "I can barely handle the one we already have."

I chuckled nervously. Although I loved Dirk very much, we didn't agree on everything. Why did he have to be like that? I adored children! If I could, I would've had twenty more babies. Besides, it wasn't complicated for Bosch to take care of Tess. He barely spent time with her anyway.

I took a step closer while caressing him, "Is there really nothing I can do to change your mind?"

"I won't have any more children," he laughed nervously and blushed. "Regardless of the temptation."

I playfully tilted my head to the side, "Are you sure?"

My husband nodded and kissed me gently. I wished that moment would never end. Although I'd always loved adventure, I just wanted peace most of the time. I usually had more fun after than before looting a vessel, for example. The same was true about my pregnancies. I enjoyed both, but I was much happier after the babies were born... Well, I didn't exactly have peace after giving birth to my girls, but I loved them so much that I didn't mind the work.

"Almost forgot!" Dirk removed a small black box from his pants. "I stole a gift for you."

Jumping like a child who ate too much sugar, I grabbed the box and opened it faster than a hurricane... I couldn't wait to find out what Bosch had stolen for me! I gulped once I glanced at the present. It was a pearl necklace, just like the one I once stole for Hendrika. My mind was no longer on the anniversary. I controlled myself not to cry since all I could think about was the sound of my stepmother's whip, her cruelty, and my failed attempts to make her like me... Dirk had probably forgotten I hated pearls because of my bad memories.

I bit my lower lip, "It's beautiful."

"I'm glad you liked it," Dirk sighed in relief. "You once said something about pearls. That's why I chose this present."

I lifted a brow, "Do you remember the story I told you about the pearls?"

"Why would I?" the redhead scowled. "You talk so much that I can't remember everything you say!"

"Of course..." I nodded. "Thank you for the gift."

Dirk really doesn't remember... This is crazy!

I kept the necklace in my pants, hoping he wouldn't ask me to wear that. As you can see, nothing is perfect in a relationship... Men forget things way too often! At least Dirk did. Sometimes I felt like he didn't pay enough attention to me, but I shouldn't worry about that, should I? Anyway, I wouldn't let pearls ruin my day... Regardless of how much blood I saw on them.

Bosch grinned, "I love you, Eva."

"I love you too, Dirk," I smiled and hesitantly took his hand. "I can't wait to see how our future will look like."

You see? Minor issues would never affect us! A weird gift didn't mean anything. Nothing was wrong. I remained at the forecastle deck with my husband for a while, trying to imagine what would happen next. I believed we were destined to be together for eternity.

Although I suffered greatly before uncle Ruben came into my life, even Hendrika played a role in leading me to success. While living with her, I got stronger and learned to endure everything. I defeated violent leaders, prison guards, and even the Royal Navy because I knew how to survive. Besides, if my father had never run away with her, my uncle wouldn't have come to Willemstad and changed my life forever. I was thankful for all that had happened to me, even for the problems I encountered. If I hadn't faced some difficulties, I would've never found happiness. After the storm came the rainbow. Everything seemed perfect. What I didn't know was that life still had a lot in store for me.

****

This is how the book ends, but not the story...