Hi! Just as promised! I really can't believe this is the end of this story! I am going to be uploading another story but I am not 100% sure when yet but hopefully sooner rather than later! I just wanted to say a big thank you to everyone who has given this story a chance and also to those who have left reviews they mean the world to me! Thank you so much everyone!

Epilogue

Tris

"Hold on tight!" Tobias said while grinning at our son. "The landing is the best part!"

In the airplane seat between us, Roman let out a laugh as the plane touched down on the runway. We bounced twice, and then everything became smooth.

"See?" I told him. "That wasn't so bad of a flight."

"It was much longer than when we visit grandma and grandpa," Roman insisted.

Roman had been a perfect little angel, from the time he was a baby all through the toddler years. But now that he was seven, he was beginning to get an attitude. He knew things, which meant he thought he knew better than mom and dad.

Tobias insisted he didn't know where the boy got it from. But I knew from Evelyn that he had been a stubborn little boy himself up until he became a teenager.

"Next time, I think we should stay in first class," Roman said thoughtfully as we exited the plane. "It looks really nice up there."

"It looks expensive up there," Tobias muttered. "Especially for an overnight flight."

Roman was a voracious reader, and had spent most of the flight memorizing facts about the city. Facts which he recited to us while we collected our baggage and took a train into the city.

"The airport is named after a famous painter," Roman babbled on. "Leonardo. Not like the Ninja Turtle. This one is different."

"Oh, wow," I said.

Tobias frowned. "Are you sure it's not the Ninja Turtle?"

"No, dad," Roman said. "It's not. I'm sure, because the book says so."

Tobias winked at me and said, "Well if it's in the book, then it must be true. What else does it say?"

"Lots of stuff! The Roman civilization…"

He had been especially excited to learn that he shared a name with an ancient civilization. I smiled while he regaled us with facts about Roman senators and the first triumvirate. He had dark hair and light-grey eyes like his father, although his skin was fair like mine. Three of the little girls on our street were always coming over to our house to play, although Roman insisted none of them were his girlfriend.

The boy was going to break a lot of hearts when he got older.

Tobias put an arm around me and kissed my hair while we listened to Roman talk. I knew what he was thinking, because it was the same thing I thought all the time: we couldn't believe we had made him. We were so, so lucky.

We got off the train and got in line for a taxi. "It's only two kilometers to the hotel," I said. "We could walk."

Tobias grinned at me. "I bet you want me to carry you, too."

"It would be nice to reenact the scene you're constantly bragging about. This time I'll be conscious enough to enjoy it."

"You're too old to carry her," Roman said simply. "You might throw out your back. That's something old people do, you know."

I laughed until my sides hurt while Tobias looked offended.

The Residencia Al Gladiatore lobby was full of people: reading newspapers in the lobby chairs, waiting in line for the concierge desk, and checking in at the front desk. It was strange to see it back to normal and full of life. For almost two months it had been ours.

Tobias rubbed my back. "I'm thinking the same thing. It's weird."

"Weird, but nice, too," I said. "Like the whole thing has come full circle."

We checked in at the front desk and then took the elevator to our room. We were on the fourth floor this time, but the room looked identical otherwise. Two double beds, a desk and couch, and a glass door opening up to the balcony.

We walked out and gazed out at the plaza. It was full of people now. Some milled about or looked into shops and cafes. Other clusters of tourists were gathered around street performers. One was juggling while riding a unicycle.

I glanced to the balcony to our right. A young couple was sharing a bottle of wine while watching the sun dipping behind the buildings to the west. They nodded at me, and I nodded back politely.

"Look, mom!" Roman said. "That's the Colosseum."

"It is?" I asked with a mother's patience.

"Yes. That's where the gladiators fought. Some of them even died."

I pulled out my phone and checked my emails. Tobias put a hand on my arm and lowered it.

"Relax. They have everything taken care of."

"I know," I said. "I just like to check just in case…"

"That's why we hired a manager," Tobias insisted. "To take care of the restaurants. If they need us, they'll call."

Our first restaurant in Chicago had done so well that we expended. We opened a second Solo Tu, then another in Indianapolis, and finally two locations in Michigan. We paid for all of our chefs to come and take classes at the same cooking school that Tobias had been to.

None of the chefs had returned with the love of their life, though.

I put the phone back in my pocket. "You're right. We're on vacation. Roman, want to go on a walking tour?"

"Yeah!"

We went downstairs and signed up for the next tour. Our guide arrived right on time, which prompted Tobias to wipe his forehead and make a joke about how I wouldn't have to yell at a stranger in the lobby. Roman asked what he was talking about, and I told him to ignore his father.

We walked over to Oppian Hill with the other tourists. Our guide explained all the fascinating details about Trajan's bath and the other ruins. Roman asked lots of questions.

When we reached the Colosseum, Roman was awe-struck. Tobias carried him on his shoulders so he could see better as we walked through the tunnels and arches of the ancient structure.

On the second floor of the Colosseum, Tobias stopped and gave me a silly grin.

"What?" I asked.

He nodded at the ground. "Remember this spot?"

Suddenly I realized what he was referring to. This was where I had dropped to my knees and unzipped his pants…

"Mom, you're blushing!" Roman said. "What happened at this spot?"

I gave Tobias a grin and said, "Nothing. Your father is just teasing."

"Teasing about what?"

"Isn't the view great?" I said, changing the subject. "You can see the entire interior from here!"

Roman pointed. "What are those pillars for? The ones at the very bottom?"

"Those held up the floor of the Colosseum," Tobias quickly said. "They could remove all the planks and flood the bottom area, so they could simulate water battles with fake ships."

"Woah."

I cocked my head. "Where'd you learn that?"

"Some girl told me a long time ago," Tobias replied. "She was smart. And sexy."

"So you do listen to what I tell you."

"Only when it suits me," Tobias replied.

I stood on my tip-toes and kissed my husband. Roman groaned and said, "Gross!"

We laughed at his embarrassment and followed the tour guide deeper into the Colosseum.

THE END