Four years later

""

I freeze as I open the front door, startled to see all my friends, alongside my wife and daughter all packed in our living room, with decorations and balloons that read out 'Happy Birthday Austin 40'.

My gorgeous wife of three years, holding our daughter steps forward with a devilish smirk on her face, she leans in and I kiss her on the lips. "You really shouldn't have." I stiffly whisper against Rose's lips, with a tight smile.

She chuckles amused and I wrap my arm around her. and kiss her on the forehead "Thank you all for coming." I turn and smile at our guests, family, and friends.

As people come up and wish me a happy birthday, I see my wife sneak off into the crowd, leaving me with my devil of a daughter, Hope, who I love with all my heart, but she is getting more and more like me with each passing day, each day reminding me of how I was when I was younger, constantly getting into trouble.

I decide to pick her up, stopping her from going around popping balloons and startling people. As I walk through the crowd of people, eating and drinking, I spot Max in the back yard where music is playing with a live band, he's standing talking to a girl so I decided to leave him be, I wink at him when he spots me walking past and his ears turn red, embarrassed.

What kind of father figure would I be if I didn't embarrass the boy every so often?

The crowd hushes around me and everyone turns their head to the door leading out to the garden. There walks my beautiful girl, with my best friend leading a cake that is sparkling on a trolly in my direction out to me, as they start to sing, the band in the garden playing the tune as they sing.

"Happy birthday baby, make a wish." Rose says, coming to my side as my friends and family gather around me, happiness on their faces as they stare at me, gazing down at the gigantic cake with '40' on it in icing.

I really want to hate my wife for this, but seeing her this happy makes it impossible to, I didn't want to make a big deal out of turning 40, it just made me feel like an old man, and perhaps I am.

I have everything all I need right next to me, nothing else could possibly make my life any happier, my wish has come true after all, I got what I wanted, I'm the happiest I have ever been.

So, I lean in with my daughter and we both blow out the candles together, Hope's chubby cheeks inhale and exhale alongside me, and everyone claps and congratulates me.

I feel a tug on my shirt and I look down at Hope in my arms as her big blue eyes look up to me.

"What did you wish daddy?" My little girl asks me, innocently.

I kiss her on the cheek. "Ahh, I can't tell you or it won't come true, will it pumpkin?" I teasingly say, making her frown.

And just like that, I see my beautiful wife in our daughter and I can't help but laugh.

Speak of my better half and she will appear, Rose walks towards me with a slice of cake. "Hey handsome old man, are you surprised?" She asks, with a big smile on her lips.

I grunt and put Hope on the floor then take the plate from Rose. "Definitely, how did I not find out about this?" I mutter to myself out loud, causing Rose to giggle.

"I had help." She says proudly, hinting to Reese, my best friend, and the men that stand beside him as he stands at the bar laughing at something one of the guys say.

Of course, he helped her, bastard tells me nothing.

"I love it, baby, count me surprised as fuck." I say, digging into the cake with a fork.

She gives me a look when I swear and I smirk and shrug, I pull her to my side as we sit on the outdoor sofa. "Sorry baby slip of the tongue, and sorry little dude."I say to Rose, then to her bulging stomach, which is ready to pop any minute now.

Even heavily pregnant, I find Rose so fucking beautiful it's almost painful to watch her every day without not wanting to fuck her, if I had my way she would always be pregnant, it suits her, and I've never seen her happier when she's pregnant.

Rose had mentioned years ago that she wanted a big family, and I'm making it my life mission for her wish to come true, now we are expecting baby number two, a boy.

We had talked about names and the name Rose had decided on almost had me lost for words, she chooses the name I least expected her to pick, David.

My father's name.

David Silver.

It was fucking perfect, I don't think I have ever met anyone quite like Rose and I count myself lucky every damn day I wake up next to her, having come so far in our lives to end up here had not been easy, it took time and work to get to this day.

I'm no longer an FBI Agent, nor a criminal crime boss, I'm just a face amongst the crowd that someone may or may not notice from time to time, after time I just got used to the stare of wonder, 'is it him or isn't it him?'.

The FBI kept my name out of the investigation and the death of Don Maro De Sicia death was pushed under the rug, I never worked for the FBI, and my involvement was completely swept, my lives work didn't need to be documented in a piece of paper, in the end, all I cared about was the result, even if it meant my name to forever have a stain upon it.

I was free from that life and the life I built in the shadows, I slept better at night knowing I no longer had to do that shit anymore, I didn't have to wake up and wonder 'is today the day I die?' or 'who will die today?' everything fit into place in my life and worked itself out, I'm free to do what I want, without anyone after to kill me or threaten me.

Being officially retired from the underworld business, I opened my first garage, something I thought was never possible for someone like me, if not for Rose I would've never done it, she made me realize my dreams can become reality, she had pushed me to achieve my best and I thank her every day for giving me a shove to make it happen.

Fixing cars instead of taking lives, everything was a big change in scenery for me, I had been in the crime business for so long that I forgot what it felt like to be a normal person, I still find it difficult to adjust at times, even retired and no longer making headlines, Yes.. people still recognize me in the street, I am still the man people fear out in public, but in private I am not that person anymore and the people that see that are in this room right now.

As long as the people I care about see that, I am fine with my situation, the past isn't so easy to bury, after all, the things I have done don't go away and never will, I live with what I am every day, each day I become the man I had always wanted to be, with the support from my family.

When I left the business of crime, it turned a lot of heads and guns my way in speculation that I was the mole, which I was, but it was soon dropped after I had placed someone else in my position, Stev Malcoi, my right-hand man.

Stev had almost killed me when I had told him about my past, almost succeeding too if not for the pocket knife I keep in my pocket, I would be dead right now. After laying it all out, from the start, he did something I never expected from my silent right-hand man, he called me brother and accepted the title and then nothing more was said, just like that.

That day I was set free, it was a new beginning for me, a second chance at life, the life I had always wanted.

Now I live it every day.

"What you thinking so hard about?" My wife nudges me.

I blink my eyes then stare down at her with a smile. "About how much I love you." I pause. "And wondering where Hope ran off to." I mumble, scanning the crowd for the little girl who blessed my life.

Rose points and I follow her finger, it lands on Max holding Hope's small hands in his, dancing to the music around others, ignoring everything around them they dance to the music, I can hear my little girl's giggles from here as she dances with Max.

"She's so big now." I say, not believing how much she changes every day before my eyes.

Rose snuggles into my side and nods. "She is."

"Soon she'll be bringing boys home and causing havoc." My wife teases and I tense and glare down at her.

"Don't say that shit, I still own guns Rose." I say seriously, causing her to laugh, throwing her head back.

She will always be my little girl, she will never have to worry about anything as long as I am alive and kicking.

The day goes by in a flash, we eat, drink and laugh with all my family and friends as we all celebrate my 40th birthday, but nothing lasts forever which I am thankful for, because as much as I enjoy being around everyone, I just want to be with my family now.

After saying goodbye to the last guest, I give Reese a bro hug and tell him I'll see him tomorrow at work, closing the door and locking it, I head into the living room where my wife and Max sit, Hope had long been put to bed, running around had exhausted her out hours ago.

The room is tense when I enter it, I spot an envelope on the table in front of Max and I peer down at it. "What's this?" I ask, hinting at the envelope as I sit beside Rose and put my arm around the back of her.

I see Rose give Max a nod, making me look at Max confused. "Max wants to give you something, don't you Max?" Rose says softly to her brother, he nods his head nervously and grips the envelope.

Max is no longer a young boy anymore, he's 10 and almost as tall as me, the little man is no longer that shy boy I met, hiding behind his sister and clinging onto her shirt, he's turning into a good man.

He stands up and comes around the table to stand in front of me, he hands me the envelope and I stare at it confused.

Upon opening it, I lean forward and grab my reading glasses on the table, only needing them for when I read, I read what is wrote at the top and I stare at the letters.

A wave of emotions washes over me as I read what is wrote. 'ADOPTION'.

I feel my chest clench tightly at what is happening right now, my eyes begin to water when it all hits me, it comes so fast like the wind knocked me on my ass so I take off my glasses and wipe my eyes from the tears that are spilling out of me but I can't seem to make them stop, I don't want them to see me like this, but it's impossible to hide them at this point, I feel my wife's hand rub my back as she sits forward with me.

Rose is Max's legal guardian, but I had no idea that he would ever look to me as his dad, yet I had always treated Max like he was my own flesh and blood, he had called me dad a few times here and there but I had no idea Max felt this way, that he wanted this.

I'm speechless, without words but beyond overjoyed.

"Sorry- I don't know what to say, are you.. are you sure?" I ask, my voice breaking as I raise my head to look at Max.

Tears fall from his eyes as he nods his head and I stand up and wrap my arms around him tightly, he returns the hug and puts his arms around me also, his tears soaking my shirt. "I-I love you Austin, i-is this a yes?" He sobs out silently as I move back to see his face.

I can't stop the shit-eating grin from making its way to my face like he needs to ask such a question. "Hell fucking yes." I laugh out, making Rose laugh, which causes Max to join in as he wipes his eyes with his sleeve.

"This is the best birthday gift I could ever get." I pull him into a hug. "Thank you." I whisper, my chest clenching at how fucking happy I am right now. "I love you, son." I grin out, ruffling his hair as we both pull back.

I gaze lovingly at my wife as she sits sobbing into her hand as she watches us, I pull her up and wrap my arms around her, I also bring Max into the hug as I wrap my arms around my family, the family I am so fucking blessed to have in my life.

"Happy birthday Austin." Rose says through a small laugh with tears falling, with her arm wrapped around my waist.

"Best birthday ever." I sigh out with a heart full of love and my eyes glossy with tears.

I sign the Adoption papers surrounded by Rose and Max, with the biggest smile on my face, this is what family is about, and I found mine in an unexpecting place, yet I wouldn't change a single thing about how it happened.

Wishes come true and mine...

Well, that came true a long time ago.

Four years ago, in a prison cell, it started with a wrong number and ended with my happy ending, what more could I wish for? I have everything I need in my arms and sound asleep upstairs, safely wrapped up in her bed.

I got everything I need, as long as my family is healthy, safe, and happy.

Forever and always.