by Penelope Sky
I didn’t say anything, knowing it would be stupid to speak.
“His father raped my wife.” His voice rose in intensity, spit flying from his mouth. “Do you have any idea how hard that was for me to let go? But I did—for you. He told me he’s fucked prostitutes, he’s killed people for money, and he wanted to kill my entire family—and I still let that go. I looked past all of that for you.” His chest rose and fell at an exponential rate. It seemed like he might flip over the desk at any moment and smash it to pieces. I’d seen my father angry, but never quite like this. “But I will not look past this. Do you understand me?” He rose to his feet and slammed both of his palms against the desk. “I. Never. Will.”
I wore a brave face for as long as I could, but the moisture was starting to flood my eyes. I was heartbroken for so many reasons. Hearing my father yell at me like that made my stomach tighten in knots. He used to be the man I turned to for everything, and now we were screaming at each other like enemies on a battlefield. I told him he was being hypocritical, but that didn’t mean a damn thing to him. But what caused me the most pain was the undeniable truth right in front of me—that Griffin and I were really over.
My father would never change his mind.
It was done.
We were done.
I retreated to my childhood bedroom so I could let my tears fall in private. I didn’t want Sapphire to worry about me. I didn’t want Carmen to comfort me. I didn’t want my brother to think about me again since today was his special day. Normally, I would turn to my mother, but she was busy preparing for the ceremony.
And I didn’t want her to feel sad either.
Everyone should be happy today.
I sat on the foot of the bed and felt the tears fall into my hands. My makeup smeared, but thankfully, I had extra so I could clean up. I remembered sleeping in this bed while talking to Bones on the phone. At the time, I didn’t know how I felt about him. But I knew I missed him, knew I wanted to talk to him.
I wished I could pick up the phone and call him right now.
But that would just make it harder for him, for both of us.
I did my best to control my breathing and silence my tears. There would be plenty of time for my sadness later, when I was alone in my apartment in Florence. Right now, I should be celebrating this wonderful moment in my life, my future niece or nephew and my new sister. I didn’t want to be selfish, make this day about me. So I took a deep breath, closed my eyes, and tried to clear my thoughts. My throat still burned with the urge to cry, and I tasted the strong bite of salt on my tongue.
Stop, Vanessa.
Crying wouldn’t change anything.
I did my best to convince my father to let Bones and me be together. There was nothing more I could do.
It was time to let it go.
Knock. Knock. Knock. My father cracked the door without waiting for me to invite him inside. He looked at me through the opening, grief and anger mixed in his eyes.
I quickly wiped my cheeks with my fingertips. “I’m coming. I was just going to do my makeup—”
He stepped inside and shut the door behind him. Then he took a seat beside me on the bed, his weight making the mattress shift. He rested his arms on his thighs, his torso shifting forward. He stared at his hands, his fingers stitching together. Silence passed, but it wasn’t palpable with anger.
I forced myself to stop crying, feeling uncomfortable doing it in front of someone besides Bones.
My father massaged his knuckles on his left hand. “Tesoro…I don’t want it to be this way. I hate yelling at you. I hate this distance that’s grown between us. We used to be so close. Now our relationship is different…and I hate that.”
“I hate it too.”
He sighed quietly. “I was scared to have Conway. But when you came along, I was even more scared. Having a daughter is so much different from having a son. I want to protect you more, coddle you more. Just because Conway is a man doesn’t mean I should assume that he can take care of himself and you can’t. You’re a very strong and smart woman…I couldn’t be prouder of you. But because of that reason, I want to take care of you. I never want you to change. I never want a man to hurt you and shatter you.”
I moved my hand to his forearm.
He glanced at my hand before he rested his hand on top. “This is what I want…us.”
“We’ll always be us, Father. Nothing will ever change that.”
He closed his eyes for a brief moment, like that meant the world to him. “Thank you, tesoro. Being a parent is the hardest job in the world. One day, you’ll understand that when you have your own children. You’ll want to do the right thing for them…always.”
“I know you’re always trying to do the right thing.”
He squeezed my hand. “Are we okay, then?”
My father had made up his mind, and he wouldn’t change it. I would be forced to move on from Bones and start over. He was the love of my life, and he would always be the love of my life. But if my family refused to accept him, the relationship would only bring me pain. I wanted a husband whom my father loved like a son. I wanted him to be part of our family, to be friends with Conway. I wanted the Barsetti family to grow, not get smaller. “We’re always okay, Father.”
He turned his head toward me and kissed me on the forehead. “I love you, tesoro.” He turned forward again and pulled his hand away.
I rested my head on his shoulder. “I love you too.”
“Your mother is the first woman I’ve ever loved. She’s the love of my life, everything to me. I’ve always been a man who needs the sky, the soil, and the sun to be happy, maybe a glass of scotch here and there. But your mother became all of that…she became everything that makes me happy. I didn’t think my heart could grow anymore, that I was capable of loving anything besides her. It took so long just for me to find her. But then you came along…and I loved you instantly. You became the sky, the soil, and the sun. You became my everything.” He lifted both of his hands and cupped his fingers. “From the second I held you…I knew there was another woman I loved more than your mother.”
My eyes started to water, but for a different reason.
“I want you to be with a man who loves you more than I do. And you’ll find him, tesoro.”
Six
Conway
It was a beautiful spring day. The roses in the garden were bright and lively, and the olive trees were in full bloom. The grass had been neatly trimmed the day before, and the shady spot beneath the oak trees was the perfect place to marry my muse.
It was just me standing in front of the gazebo, in a black suit with a matching tie. Mama pinned a flower to my jacket, a soft pink that complemented the beautiful day. Muse was so pregnant that she couldn’t wear heels anymore, so Lars hemmed her dress a little shorter so she could walk barefoot across the grass covered in pink rose petals. She’d wanted to get married sooner, before her stomach became too big, but I thought the timing worked out perfectly.
She’d never looked as beautiful as she did now.
There wasn’t even a slight hint of a breeze, and the world was completely quiet. It was one of the things I loved about growing up in this house. It was away from the city and the road, so all you could hear was nature and the sounds of the grape leaves shifting in the wind.
There was nowhere else I’d rather get married.
Mama was dressed in a blue dress with the same flower pinned to the front. She walked up to me, her eyes wet like they were earlier that day. She’d never been an emotional person, hardly ever shedding a tear as the years passed. Strong like my father, she chose to be fearless. But today, those rules didn’t seem to apply.
She stopped in front of me and gripped my biceps, her chin tilted up as she looked at me. I was over a foot taller than her, twice her size, and she seemed so small in comparison. “My son…” She moved into me and rested her face against my chest. “So happy for you…”
I wrapped my arms around my mom a
nd held her.
Uncle Cane and Aunt Adelina sat in the row of chairs with Lars and Carter and Carmen. We had a small family, but it was nice having it just be us. My father stood on the other side of me, watching us together.
“I know, Mama.” I rubbed her back. “Thanks for raising me to be a man.”
She chuckled slightly and swiped a finger under her eye. “A good man.” She took a deep breath to steady her tears. “And a man I love so much.”
“I love you too.”
She pulled away and composed herself as much as possible. “It feels like it was just yesterday when your father and I got married in this very spot. And it seems like yesterday when I sat on the porch and told him I was pregnant with you. Now here you are…starting your own family. I feel very…lucky.” She rose on her tiptoes and kissed me on the cheek before she sat down with Vanessa.
Father turned to me next. He rested his hand on my back, a smile in his eyes. “I don’t think there’s any advice I have left to give you.”
“I don’t know about that. I’m not a father yet… I’m sure I’ll need some help.”
“You never needed my help becoming the successful man you are now. I’m sure you’ll be fine. But I’m here if you ever need anything.” He patted my back before he pulled away. “I never had anyone to ask for advice when I had you. I had to figure it out on my own.”
“I think you did okay.”
He chuckled. “I did more than okay. I have two perfect children. I wouldn’t change anything about either one of you.”
“Not even Vanessa’s brattiness?”
He laughed, knowing I was joking. “Not even that.”
“At least I have a good role model to look up to.”
He patted my back before he stepped away. “Thanks, son. Something I learned about raising both of you…something I learned just today…as long as you love your kids, everything will be alright.”
“That doesn’t sound too difficult.”
He shook his head. “It’s not.” He walked away and took the seat beside my mother, his arm moving around her shoulders as they waited for me to marry the love of my life. He gave me a slight nod of approval, along with a smile.
The harpist began to play, and the music started. I turned my attention to the house, where a beautiful woman in a white dress emerged. Glowing like the setting sun, she stepped onto the grass in her elegant white dress, her baby bump as lovely as the rest of her. She held a bundle of pink roses, and her eyes were stuck on me like I was the only person there. She looked at me the way I looked at her, like there was no one else in the world that really mattered.
She came closer to me, her movements just as elegant as they were on the catwalk. Her smile was true and radiant, but her eyes welled with emotional tears. Her hair was in large curls that trailed down her front, and the diamond necklace around her throat looked familiar, but I couldn’t recall where I’d seen it before.
As she came closer, the world seemed to stop. I’d never imagined what my wedding day would be like. I thought marriage was for people who couldn’t make it on their own. They needed someone to depend on, someone to give them self-worth. But once I’d fallen in love with Muse, I couldn’t imagine my life without her. She made me weak, but in a good way.
My life was about to be different forever. I would have to love and protect two people instead of one, and I wasn’t included in that number. Muse made me feel insignificant, because her life was much more important than mine. I used to be arrogant and selfish, thinking I had the world in the palm of my hand. And then this woman auditioned to be a model, and nothing was ever the same.
I realized I would do anything for her, even sacrifice my own life.
My body wasn’t hit with doubts. I was strong and confident like always, eager to make this woman my wife.
To call her Mrs. Barsetti.
I wanted to smother her with my life, wealth, and protection. I wanted to put her on a pedestal and make all her dreams come true. I wanted to give her as many children as she wanted, especially when I got to enjoy her looking that way for nine months.
She approached me, her eyes coated with unshed tears. She seemed to be deep in thought the way I was, thinking about our lives together and the family we would make. When she reached me, she stepped closer to me, her face moving to my chest.
My arms wrapped around her, and I held her in front of the priest and my family. I should take her hand and face her so I could say the vows that would bind us together forever. But now, I needed to hold her, to take this moment to cherish the woman I’d already committed to for the rest of my life. “You sure you want to marry me?”
She looked up from my chest, her tears thickening into drops. “Never been so sure of anything in my life.”
Five hours later, we arrived in Positano, a small village on the Amalfi coast. Just an hour away from Naples, it was a scenic route along the mountainside. With windy turns with gorgeous views of the Mediterranean, it was a beautiful sight—even in the darkness.
I would have preferred to fly, but Muse was far too pregnant for that. At seven months, she couldn’t board a plane. So I drove through the night, letting her sleep in the passenger seat, still in her wedding dress. I advised her to take it off for the drive.
But she wanted me to take it off.
We checked in to our hotel, a luxurious place in the heart of the city. Our honeymoon suite had an eye-catching view of the harbor with the sailboats. I carried her over the threshold and into the large suite that we would probably never leave.
I lay her on the bed, her white gown still as stunning as it was earlier.
She was tired on the drive, but now that we were alone in our suite, she was wide awake. She looked up at me with her hair across the bed, her eyes bright and playful. I was leaning over her, so she ran her palms up my chest to my tie. She slowly loosened it, her eyes locked on mine.
I watched her as her fingers worked the silk, my cock already hard in my slacks because I knew what was coming next. I’d been waiting all day for this moment. I didn’t realize it at the time, but I’d been waiting my whole life for this moment.
She pulled the silk from around my neck then unbuttoned my collared shirt, slowly making her way to my stomach. As each button came unfastened, our breathing grew deeper and louder. My eyes never left hers, and I felt the intensity stretch between us, the desire and the desperation.
I couldn’t wait to be inside her.
Inside my wife.
Fuck, I have a wife.
When my shirt was undone, she pushed my jacket off my shoulders with the shirt. Everything hit the tile floor with a dull thud.
Her hands explored my chest, pausing over my beating heart. I’d worked out hard that week, taking on more weight than I ever had. I wanted my ripped body to be in perfect shape for tonight, so she could enjoy me the way I enjoyed her.
She moved to my slacks next, unbuckling my belt and then opening the zipper. She pushed them down, making my thick cock emerge. With a slight tint of red, he was hard and stretched, ready to be inside the cunt that officially belonged to me.
I would just fuck her like that, but not tonight. Now I wanted to peel off that dress, remove every piece of clothing, and make her come the second I was inside her. I loved her pregnancy because it made her even hornier than she used to be.
She couldn’t get enough of me.
I pulled her to her feet and then undid the thousands of buttons along the back. I unbuttoned each one, moving until I reached the top of her ass. I pushed the dress over her shoulders and watched it crumple to the floor.
Beautiful.
In a little white thong, she looked as untouched as ever. I was the only man she’d ever had. And I would be the only man she’d ever have.
I pressed kisses from the back of her neck down to her shoulder. My hands moved to her thong, and I twisted it in my fingertips, playing with the material. I forced myself to slow down even though I was anxious to be inside her.
I couldn’t skip to the end when the beginning was more important. I didn’t want to fuck her, but I wanted to be inside her as quickly as possible.
I kept kissing her, listened to her breathe. And then I worked her panties, pulling them down until her perfect ass appeared. Her round belly was her sexiest feature, full of the life I’d put inside her. Her birth control couldn’t stop me from knocking her up, from putting a baby inside her.
I was prouder of that than any of my other accomplishments.
I knelt as I pulled down her panties, moving them to her ankles and kissing her as I went. This woman had brought me to my knees more times than I could count—and I never minded one bit.
How could I?
I turned her around and pressed my face close to hers, but I didn’t kiss her, regardless of how much my lips ached for that beautiful mouth. I paused, letting the intensity increase between us. The intimacy was hot, the way we looked at each other in expectation. I’d already taken her virginity once, but I felt like I was about to do it again.
My cock twitched.
“Mrs. Barsetti.” I guided her back to the bed, my bare feet planted on the tile floor. I placed her at the very edge of the mattress, her sexy ass hanging over. Her stomach was so big that it was difficult to make love in any other position.
But I didn’t mind.
I pinned her knees near her stomach and then pressed my cock inside. She was soaking wet, tight, and absolutely perfect. A quiet moan of pleasure escaped my lips, and my cock twitched once I was inside.
I moved all the way, hitting her until only my balls hung out.
She dug her nails into my arms and took a deep breath. “Con…” She bit her bottom lip and took a deep breath, her nipples hard like diamonds.
“Mrs. Barsetti.” I slowly started to move, my eyes on hers. My hands gripped her hips, and I dragged her toward me slightly, hitting her deep with every thrust. I took her gently, taking pleasure in the sight of her tits and her stomach. My hands moved to her belly next, where the baby we made together was growing deep inside. Knowing I put this life inside her aroused me in a carnal way I couldn’t explain.