The Mafia’s Good Wife
Chapter 83

~ Damon - ---- ONE MONTH LATER

The sound of the baby crying pierced through the air and Damon stirred in bed. It was still dark outside, about to be dawn. Violet stretched her arm as she sat up from the bed. Like a champion, she was always the first one to get up whenever Zach was crying. She grabbed her robe from a nearby chair and walked toward the door. Damon let out a yawn and stretched his arm too. It was a Sunday, about 5 AM in the morning. He foolishly thought he could stay in bed until late today, but of course not. Damon got up from the bed and sauntered to the closet, grabbing a pair of sweatpants. He put them on lazily before walking toward the nursery. He pushed the door back to see Violet grabbing Zach from his crib, calming him down. Damon leaned his head at the doorway and smiled.

I suppose this is what Sundays are gonna be like from now on.

Violet's touch was like magic for the baby. Within seconds, Zach had stopped crying. Violet rocked him back and forth while gently stroking his head. He liked it when his mom or dad did that.

"Is he hungry?" Damon asked as he stepped into the room.

"No, I think he just wants to be held," she replied.

It never ceases to amaze Damon how Violet could know what the baby wants just by looking at it. It was a skill that he had to learn, but Violet did it so naturally.

"Here, let me take him," Damon said as he offered his hands.

"No, I got it," she shook her head and smiled. "You should go back to sleep. You have a long night tonight,"

Damon shook his and smiled too. Tonight will be a big night for him as it was the Mayoral Inauguration Night, but it wasn't a big deal. If anything, Violet was the one who should be resting. Not only was she a full-time mom, but she was also working with Dylan on the expansion of their coffee shop chain. Last week alone, they opened up two new chains on the Jersey Shore.

"You've done it for the whole week already, I can do this one," Damon said as he took baby Zach in his arms.

Violet's smile grew wider and Damon noted the bags under her eyes. With everything that's been happening, she must be exhausted. She was such a hardworking mom. And an even better wife and partner.

"Thank you, you're the best husband ever," Violet said as she stood on her tippy toes, planting a quick kiss on his cheek.

Violet then sauntered out of the nursery and went back to the bedroom. Damon followed her and watched as she fell back to the bed and went straight to sleep again. Oh, yes. She was definitely exhausted.

Letting out a soft laugh, Damon closed the bedroom door and walked downstairs with baby Zach. Zach wasn't sleepy at all and he was full of energy. He would probably cry again if Damon put him back in the crib, so Damon decided to take him on a walk.

It was an early autumn morning and the weather was cool and breezy. Damon was showing the trees that were turning orange and red to baby Zach when he noticed someone was walking in the garden too. The person was also carrying a crying baby, rocking and shushing him back to sleep. "Sup, new dad?" Damon beamed.

Liam stopped his tracks instinctively and looked up. He was shocked to see Damon there. Meanwhile, he was holding baby Asher in his arms. Asher was finally settling down.

"Baby trouble, huh?" Damon continued.

Liam stifled a laugh and nodded at baby Zach.

"Looks like you know what I'm dealing with too," he commented.

The two guys shared a knowing look. Damon then went to a bench and patted the seat next to him. Liam followed suit and sat down.

"He just wants to play for a while," Damon said, motioning to Zach. "What's with yours?"

"I dunno, I fed him and changed the diaper, but he's still fussy," Liam said as he held baby Asher up to his face. Asher was now giggling and reaching for him. "I didn't want him to wake his mommy up so I took him out on a walk," "Good idea,"

"Yeah. I wanna give Talia some rest. She's been through enough,"

Damon nodded his head knowingly. Talia gave birth to baby Ash about a month ago. His birth came as a total shock because he wasn't due until the coming week. Talia and Liam didn't even have time to rush to the hospital. Luckily, Dr. Lee was around and she helped them with the birth. Asher Clay Luciano was born that very night on Talia's bed in the cottage, healthy and kicking.

Liam was there when Talia gave birth, holding her hand and helping her breathe. He even held the baby and cut his umbilical cord. Liam thought that his love for Talia was the greatest love he could ever feel, but once he held that baby, he felt it even more. Since that night, Liam vowed that he'll do everything in his power to protect Talia and baby Asher. He adopted Asher as his own son and also proposed to Talia. To which, of course, she said yes.

And so, fast forward a month later, here they were. Two dads and their two sons.

"This is pretty insane, right?" Liam said, chuckling a little. "I mean, just a year ago, who would've thought that we'd be sitting here holding our babies...?"

Damon also stifled a laugh and nodded his head. Things were so different one year ago. Violet and he weren't even together and she was living in some town in Texas. Meanwhile, Adrian and Talia were obviously still together and Liam was nowhere near ready to be in a committed relationship with anyone, let alone be a dad.

"It's so crazy how much things changed," Damon said with a long sigh. He glanced up at the house and it amazed him how this place was no longer called the Van Zandt Family Estate. Right now, it was just called their home.

"I know, right?" Liam agreed. "Especially tonight. It's the biggest change of all,"

Damon glanced down at baby Zach and let out a smile. He couldn't be more proud of himself for leaving the mafia world behind and being able to give Zach a more peaceful life. Out of all the great things that he had done, this was the highest accomplishment of his life.

"Damn. It feels surreal, man," Damon chuckled.

"It's the end of an era, huh?" Liam said as he put a hand on Damon's shoulder.

"Yeah," Damon nodded, pausing for a beat before adding, "And the start of a new one,"

Damon smiled as he stared at the two babies before him. These kids were the future. They symbolized hope and strength. The start of a new dynasty. The beginning of a great new era.

- Violet -

Later that night, Violet walked down the steps in her long black dress, holding baby Zach in her arms. Zach was also wearing a matching suit. A cute little three-piece that she got from the mall last week.

Standing at the bottom of the steps is a man that was the adult version of baby Zach. Damon was wearing his signature black three-piece suit and a crisp white shirt. He looked cool, like always, with his hair slicked neatly to the side.

"Are you ready, Mrs. Van Zandt?" he beamed as he gave his hand out.

Violet's cheek blushed bright pink as she took his hand. It was the best thing in the world to be called that.

"Yes, sir. We're ready," she said as she showed off Zach and his cute attire. Damon couldn't help but chuckle when he saw the little bow tie. Zachie was just too adorable.

"Oh my gosh, this is like prom night but better!" Talia squealed as she entered the living room. Liam was right behind her, holding baby Asher. And right behind them were Beau, Dylan, Ivy, and Barbara.

"Can we get a photo real quick before the mayor goes to his inaugural party?" she said again, pulling out a camera.

Damon, Violet, and all their family and friends gathered around the staircase and took a photo. Everyone looked sharp, smiling brightly from ear to ear. Tonight was the night that they had been working for all these months. Everything that they had gone through, tonight was the culmination of everything. So naturally, Talia wanted to capture this special moment. "Everyone, say mayor of Jersey City!"

"Mayor of Jersey City!"

Everyone was laughing and giggling as the photo was taken. Violet glanced at Damon who was laughing and smiling at Dylan and Beau. She recognized how special this moment was. This was what Damon promised her all those years ago. This was him delivering that. Starting tonight, he would officially be named the Mayor of Jersey City. All of his businesses had been turned legitimate and he was leaving the dark side of the world for good. Now, nothing could stand in the way of their happiness again. This was a dream come true. Or better than that.

This was a fantasy come alive.

Violet sat with a big smile on her face as she watched Damon walk up the stairs to the podium. They were seated in this big ballroom, and every one of Damon's biggest supporters were in attendance. Including baby Zach who was now fast asleep at 8 PM, his bedtime.

"...And now, please welcome, your new Mayor of Jersey City, Mr. Damon Van Zandt!" the MC announced and the room erupted in claps and cheers.

Damon stood on that podium and gave everyone a big wave. He also waved at the camera, smiling that charismatic smile. Even with all those tattoos, he could still pull off the upstanding leader vibe.

"Thank you, thank you everyone for being here. Each one of you who are here tonight has been crucial to the campaign and I'm forever grateful for all of you," Damon said into the microphone, and the crowd erupted in more claps and cheers. Damon took a moment and glanced at Violet's table, shooting her a smile.

"...This mayoral campaign was never, never, never about me. This campaign was about this city and the people in it, from every corner and every background. It is for those who have been left behind and believed they would never catch up. This campaign was for the underserved, the marginalized, the abandoned. This campaign was for those who have been betrayed by their government. There is a covenant between the government and the people of our city. You pay your taxes, we deliver your tax dollars through goods and services. We have failed to provide those goods and services. But starting today, starting tonight, that stops. That all stops,"

The crowd erupted in louder cheers and Damon had to take a break for the applause. Violet looked around the room and saw the diverse group of people that had been supporting Damon. Even though Damon came from the background that he came from, that doesn't mean that he couldn't represent anybody. He represented those who were overlooked, those who were labeled as mere criminals when they had so much more to offer.

"This campaign is not just for you all, but it is by all of you. I am so proud of what we have accomplished and I can never repay the hard work and dedication of so many who worked tirelessly to get us here. This is your victory. Our Victory. And when I think about those who gave everything to get us here. It gives me hope and I want you to have hope. I want you to believe again. That if an orphan boy from the slums of New Jersey can rise up and stand on this podium, then anything is possible!"

The crowd erupted louder and Violet had tears in her eyes as she joined the claps. She was so proud of him. So very proud. To see how much he had grown and been the man that he was... there was nothing greater than that.

"So, let's walk differently. Let's hold our heads up. Let's have strength in our steps. Because we are who we are. And we must believe in who we are!"

Damon concluded his speech with a standing ovation from the crowd. He had successfully won over all their hearts, even those who were watching through the screens at home. As Damon waved his hand to the crowd, he made sure to find Violet's eyes and locked eye contact with her.

This is for you. For us.

Violet could almost hear him say that. Out of all the happiest and proudest moments of her life, this was definitely on top. She could never have predicted this moment, but that was life with Damon. Never predictable and always the best.