Princess in Lingerie

by Penelope Sky

  She made a disgusted face. “What the hell was that?”

  “What?” I asked, dead serious.

  “This weird thing…” She patted me on the shoulder awkwardly. “Come on, you can do better than that.”

  A restrained grin came across my face.

  She moved in and hugged me, squeezing me hard like we were family. She hugged me when we saw each other in Florence, but since her father wasn’t watching every little move I made at those times, I was a lot more comfortable. Things were going really well with the Barsetti family, and I didn’t want to cross a line and fuck everything up again. “This is how you hug family, Griffin. Learn from your mistake.”

  I chuckled. “Alright, I will.” Carmen was still my favorite Barsetti. Her blunt candor was refreshing. When she smiled, it was sincere. She talked to me like a friend when she didn’t even know me. She was the only Barsetti to give me a real chance, to trust Vanessa’s instincts and accept me.

  Cane came next. A guilty look was in his eyes, like he knew that whole charade was because of him. “Heard everything went well. Glad you’re back home.” He gave me a one-armed hug then patted me on the back. “My daughter tells me you walk her home all the time?”

  After we went out for drinks or dinner, I always did. “Yeah.”

  Cane gave me a look of gratitude—and remorse. “Thanks, man. That means a lot to me.”

  “She doesn’t need me to walk her home,” I said in Carmen’s defense. “I just do it because I like her.”

  Carmen nodded in approval. “And that’s why I let you.” She turned her angry look on her father. “I told you that you were wrong about him. I’m always right, but you never admit it.”

  Cane sidestepped the comment by bringing his wife over. “I don’t think the two of you have properly met. This is my wife, Adelina.”

  Adelina hugged me right away. She was beautiful like her daughter, with soft brown hair and pretty eyes. She smiled when she greeted me, reminding me of Pearl. “Nice to meet you, Griffin.”

  “You too,” I answered.

  Conway rose to his feet then came toward me, his son cradled in his arms. “Reid, it’s time for you to meet your uncle Griffin.” He turned his arms toward me so I could get a good look at the baby’s face.

  The green eyes were apparent, the same ones that Vanessa had. With olive skin like the rest of the Barsettis, Reid seemed to follow in his family’s footsteps right away. He was quiet, kicking his feet gently as he stared at me in fascination.

  Conway prepared to hand him over to me. “Here, hold him.”

  I’d never held a baby in my life, and I didn’t want to do it now. “No.”

  Conway stilled at my harshness; everyone did.

  It was touching that Conway trusted me enough to hold his son, so I knew I had to backpedal. “I’ve just never held a baby before…”

  “Neither had I,” Conway said. “Let me show you.”

  “No,” I repeated, stepping back.

  Vanessa turned her look on me. “Griffin, just hold your nephew.” She looked at me with annoyance, not letting me get my way this time. “You’re making it a bigger deal than it needs to be.”

  “This is someone’s kid, Vanessa.”

  “No,” she hissed. “This is your nephew. Now, suck it up and do it.”

  I looked around at her entire family, who were all patiently waiting for me to do what she asked. Maybe I was the one overreacting, but holding a kid seemed like a terrifying burden. I didn’t want to drop him or do something wrong. My livelihood depended on me being careful, shooting with perfect aim and getting myself out of difficult situations. Holding a child shouldn’t be hard. “Alright.”

  Conway moved Reid into my arms and pulled away when his son was secure. “I was scared the first time too. But it’s not so bad.” He pulled away, not the least bit afraid that I would let his son hit the ground.

  I stood there with Reid in my arms, the small baby that weighed practically nothing. He looked up at me with his big green eyes, fascinated by my eyes just the way I was fascinated by his. He fit perfectly in the crook of my arm, his length not spanning farther than the length of my forearm. I held Vanessa every day with ease. Not sure why I thought holding a baby would be any different. Now that I was actually doing it, it didn’t seem so difficult. All the stress faded away, and the little boy in my arms actually brought me peace.

  “Aww,” Vanessa whispered beside me. “Two peas in a pod.”

  Conway turned his back on me and joined his wife on the couch, perfectly comfortable leaving his son across the room with me. He grabbed his wife’s shoulders and massaged the tension out of her back, taking care of her once he was done taking care of Reid.

  Crow came to my side and looked down into his grandson’s face. “Pearl and I have been on night duty, taking care of Reid when he cries. I haven’t done that since Vanessa was a baby. It’s tiring, but I enjoy it.”

  “That’s nice of you,” I said, still looking at Reid.

  “He’s a bit of a crier. He’s usually loud more often than when he’s quiet. Seems to like you.”

  “Not sure why he would.”

  He patted me on the back. “He feels safe with you, Griffin. As we all do.”

  After we had dinner together, people gathered for drinks in the living room. Everyone took turns holding Reid, and whenever he started to cry, Sapphire would either feed him or Pearl would change him.

  Crow pulled me off to the side to speak to me in private. “Let me give you a tour of the house.”

  It was three floors of luxury, so I was not sure what he wanted to show me. “Alright.”

  He took me up the stairs to the second floor. “There’s mostly spare bedrooms here, along with a small gym. When the kids were young, this was their territory. Lars’s old bedroom was down this hallway too. He’s on the first floor now since the stairs are a little hard for him.”

  “He’s been working here for a long time.”

  “He’s been in the family since I was born,” Crow said proudly. “He started to slow down about a year ago. He does stuff around the house to keep busy, but he relaxes most of the time now.”

  “That’s generous of you to keep him here.”

  “Generous?” he asked. “He’s been a loyal servant to my family since the beginning. Actually, he is family. This is where he belongs.” He guided me to an open bedroom door. “I wanted to show you Vanessa’s room.”

  I followed him inside and saw the queen-size bed against the wall. Everything was decorated in tones of champagne pink and white. Classy and elegant, it fit her style perfectly. Her vanity held an old jewelry box, and there was a scarf hanging up on the back of her door. This was where she slept when we spoke on the phone last Christmas. It had been too dark for me to see her surroundings clearly, but now the image was easy to picture. I wasn’t sure what Crow wanted me to say about it, so I said nothing.

  “From when she was in a crib until she left for university, this was where she stayed. I watched her grow from a little girl to a very impressive young woman. Now she’s a professional success…couldn’t be prouder.” He walked to the nightstand and picked up a picture frame. “This is the three of us at her first art camp when she was in high school.” He showed me the picture, Crow and Pearl on either side of Vanessa. Vanessa was visibly younger, maybe seventeen at the time. She had a spot of paint on her nose and on her apron. She always got paint on her nose, and now I knew it was because she rubbed her nose with her arm when it itched. I only knew that because I watched her all the time. He sighed as he looked at the photo. “She’s a dream come true. Even through the difficult times, she was nothing short of lovely. When Pearl was pregnant with her, I was hoping for a boy. I never wanted to raise a girl. And then she came…a fierce spitfire. I knew I didn’t have anything to worry about. She’s just like her mother, a titan.”

  I stared at the picture for another moment before he put it back. I wanted to ask why he was showing me things, but I t
hought that would be rude. Of course, I found all of it interesting. It just seemed like something Vanessa would share with me instead.

  “The reason I’m telling you all of this is because…this is what I imagined I would do when a man came to ask for my permission to marry my daughter.” He came back to my side, his hands in his pockets. He wasn’t the silent and hostile enemy he used to be before. Since we’d buried the hatchet, he’d only shown his vulnerable side to me. Just as he was with the rest of his family, that was how he was with me. “I would want to share these things with him since he’s the only other man who will love her as much as I do.” He looked out the window into the darkness beyond. “I know she’ll always be my daughter, but I know things will be different now. I know I have to let her go…and that revelation has been very difficult for me.”

  I turned to look at him, to see the pain on his face. “You never have to let her go, Crow. I don’t want you to.”

  “That’s nice of you to say…but I understand it can’t be the same. And it shouldn’t be the same anyway. You’re the man replacing me…and she couldn’t have picked anyone better.”

  It was the nicest compliment he’d ever given me. “I haven’t asked for your permission yet.”

  He looked around her bedroom and settled on the painting on the nightstand. He took a deep breath before he spoke. “But I know it’s coming.” He moved his hand to the center of my back and rested it there. “And I’m happy about it. Really, I am.” He patted me before he dropped his arm.

  I could feel the pain in his touch, feel a father grieve like he was losing his daughter forever. “Crow, Conway married Sapphire. Now that he has a wife, it seems like he’s closer to you than he was before. They moved here to be closer to family—because they want more of you and Pearl.”

  He didn’t say anything, his eyes still on the picture.

  “And Vanessa has told me how much she wants to be close to you. It wasn’t an ultimatum, but she didn’t sugarcoat what she wanted. It was a compromise I was willing to make, to move to Tuscany so we can be ten minutes apart. You say you’re losing your daughter…but you aren’t. I love her more than anything in this world. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for her. But I can share you with her… I want to share her.”

  He smiled slightly, the emotion in his eyes. “That’s very kind of you to say.”

  “I’ve never wanted to come between you. I just wanted…to be accepted among you.”

  “And you are now.” He clapped my shoulder again. “You’re a Barsetti with a different name.”

  “Things may be changing, but they will stay the same. You can help us with our kids the way you help Conway. You can be the grandparents who watch them while Vanessa and I are at work. You can be in our lives as much as you want.”

  He chuckled. “Be careful what you say. You won’t be able to get rid of us.”

  “I knew from the beginning that I would have to share Vanessa with all of you. I’m happy to do that.”

  He sighed. “You’re a good man, Griffin. Truly. And since you mention work…that’s what I wanted to talk to you about.”

  “I’m not sure what I’m going to be doing with my time, but don’t worry, I won’t be getting into anything remotely illegal. I’ll find honest work. I’ll just have to find something that interests me. I’ve accumulated enough wealth over the past decade that I don’t need an income anymore. Vanessa will be well taken care of. But I’m too young to stop working. I need to keep busy…or I’ll go crazy.”

  “I couldn’t agree more. That’s what brings me to my proposition…”

  “With all due respect, Crow, I don’t need you to find me work.” I was capable of finding something on my own. Maybe I would start a business, a gym or a personal training facility. I was in amazing shape, and men would pay a lot of money to have me get them into their prime condition.

  “My idea sort of falls under that category, but not quite.”

  “Then what’s your idea?”

  “As you know, Conway has his own billion-dollar company that he runs. His wife and children will inherit it someday. Vanessa has her artwork. Carter runs his own car company, and Carmen is a florist. Cane and I always assumed that at least one of our kids would want to take over the winery eventually, but it doesn’t seem like that’s gonna happen. So…how about you?”

  I stared at him with a blank look on my face, unsure what he was asking me, exactly. “I don’t know shit about wine, Crow.”

  “And you can’t learn?” He raised an eyebrow. “When Cane and I retire, we don’t want to sell it. If it comes down to that, we will. But it’s another legacy that can live on after us. It’s our dream to hand it down from generation to generation. We really want to keep it in the family, and since you’re family…we wondered if you’d be interested.”

  I kept looking at him, unsure how to respond to the offer. I wasn’t even his son, and he was giving me something he’d worked on his entire life. It was incredibly generous. “I don’t know…”

  “What don’t you know about?” he asked, clearly disappointed with my answer. “You walked away from your old life for my daughter. Instead of doing something else to keep busy, be part of this. When you have your own children, you can share it with them. It’s more than just a business, it’s deep in our blood. Plus, the two of us will spend a lot more time together working side by side. Cane and I aren’t planning to retire anytime soon. We’ve both got at least a decade left in us. But when we start to wind down, it would be nice to know everything is ready to go, that you’ll be there to step up.”

  I still didn’t know what to say. When I left the killing business, I figured I would spend the next six months trying to find something entertaining. I didn’t ever expect to be given this kind of offer.

  “You told me you never wanted to come between my daughter and me. If you work for me, we’ll be even closer. I’ll see her even more. And more importantly, I’ll see you. You know how happy Vanessa would be.”

  She would probably cry again.

  “You’re moving to Tuscany anyway, so it won’t be a far commute.”

  “The commute isn’t my hesitance.”

  “Then what is?” he asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

  “Maybe you should talk to your kids and Cane’s kids first. They should get a say in it.”

  He nodded. “I already did.”

  I raised an eyebrow. “They were fine with letting me take over?”

  “I told you, they don’t want it. They all have their own dreams and pursuits, not that I’m complaining. I’m very proud that Cane’s and my kids have all chosen their own path in life. My dream used to be having my son work with me every single day…but that’s okay. I couldn’t be prouder of who he’s become.”

  That touched me even more, that Conway, Carter, and Carmen were completely fine with letting me take over the family business. They really did see me as family even though I hadn’t married Vanessa yet. “I don’t know what to say, Crow. Your generosity…leaves me speechless.”

  “I’m not being generous. You’re doing me a favor.”

  I knew he was lying. He was just saying whatever needed to be said to get me to agree.

  “It stays in the family this way. That’s what we all want. Your old profession seemed to be solely based on money. It doesn’t seem like you’re passionate about anything else.”

  Except Vanessa.

  “So the winery is perfect for you.”

  “I suppose…”

  “If you really aren’t interested, there’s no hard feelings. But I would like you to seriously consider it.”

  “If I do, I have a stipulation.”

  “Let’s hear it,” Crow said.

  “You can’t pay me.”

  He tilted his head slightly, surprised by what I said. “What?”

  “I don’t want your money. I’ll work there for free.”

  “I don’t feel comfortable with that.”

  “And I don’t fe
el comfortable taking a dime from you. I can take care of Vanessa on my own. I’m not taking her father’s money.”

  He sighed. “That’s not how it is—”

  “When you and Cane retire, I’ll start taking a cut. But not before.”

  He held my gaze, his arms crossed tightly over his chest. He didn’t like that offer at all, but he didn’t know how to circumvent it.

  “I have no need for money. I own real estate, investments, all kinds of things. Honestly, the last thing I need is money. Vanessa can live out the rest of her life as a queen if she wants to. I worked hard for those earnings, and I’m proud of it—regardless of how I earned it. I’m a self-made man, going from living on the streets to living in mansions. Taking your money would undermine all of that.”

  He shook his head slightly. “I don’t agree with that at all, but I respect your opinion.”

  “Those are my terms. Take them or leave them.”

  “So when we retire, you’ll start keeping the profits?”

  I nodded. “When the two of you are really ready to let it go, then yes. But mainly because that money is Vanessa’s. It’s her inheritance that I will take care of. And when we have our own children, I’ll pass it on to them…from their grandfather.”

  The second I spoke my last sentence, his eyes watered noticeably. Legacy was obviously important to him, leaving behind something for a future generation. All he wanted was to protect his family, selflessly. “That’s exactly what I want.”

  “Then do we have a deal?” I extended my hand.

  He glanced at it before he took it, a soft smile stretching across his lips. “Yes. We have a deal.”

  Ten

  Carter

  My family came over for dinner that night, my parents and Carmen.

  Mom walked into the house first and squeezed me so hard, she seemed to possess Father’s strength. “I’ve barely stepped inside, and I love it already. The landscaping is beautiful. The ivy on the wall…gorgeous.” She pulled back and cupped my cheeks, looking at me with the same fondness in her eyes that was always there. “It’s perfect. I don’t even need to see anything else.”