by Penelope Sky
“Let it be?” Cane asked incredulously. “I’m just supposed to be thrilled she decided to be with a crime lord?”
“We aren’t any better,” Crow said simply. “Remember the kind of men we used to be? You tried to kill my wife. I actually hit my own wife. Come on, we were fucking assholes. For some reason, our wives loved us anyway. Look where we are now. Pussy-whipped, romantic, and protective fathers who only care about our families.”
“I’ll be the first one to admit my wife deserves better,” Cane said. “Pearl deserves better. But my daughter definitely deserves better. She deserves fucking Prince Charming. Is there such thing? Was that just some myth?”
“All men are the same.” I spoke up. “We’re all pigs. We’re all dogs. And we’re all selfish assholes who only care about a handful of things. The difference between a man and a good man is simply a woman. When a man meets the right woman, he’s inspired to be better. He’s inspired to be kind, loving, and devoted. Until that moment comes, there’s no motivation. Bosco is no different. He was an asshole in the beginning. But Carmen is clearly the right woman for him…because he rose to the occasion.” I drank from my glass then let it rest in my hand. “I understand you want Carmen to have someone better. I wanted the same thing. But the truth is…I don’t know if that’s possible. I know I love and deserve Vanessa, but that only happened because I worked for it. I was different before I met her. But I swear—” I snapped my fingers. “The moment I met her, I changed. And I was never the same again.”
Both men watched me, hanging on to my every word.
Cane spoke next. “My daughter will never be safe with a man like that. Any man in this country would want his head on a platter so they can take all his glory. My daughter can’t have the life she deserves if she’s always looking over her shoulder.”
“He gave it up.” I set my glass down. “He told me his brother bought him out. The casino is his brother’s now. It’s not official yet, only if this works out for him. But I can tell he means it. This isn’t some kind of act.”
Crow was speechless, rubbing his fingers against his temple. He turned to his brother next.
Cane seemed disappointed, not relieved. “Shit.”
“You’re stuck,” Crow said. “Fighting it will just make it worse. Trust me on that.”
“This guy isn’t like Griffin,” Cane argued. “He’s pompous and arrogant. He thinks he’s the king of this city.”
“Because he is.” I would never say it to his face. “The man owns everything and everyone. It’s a double-edged sword. He has the resources to protect Carmen, but he also brings the risk of attracting danger at the same time.”
“If he’s willing to give up that lifestyle…” Crow shrugged. “Then he must be pretty serious about Carmen. He’s trading in a life of power for a simple one with Carmen. It’s the same sacrifice Griffin made, but Bosco’s doing it much quicker.”
“Because he knew that was the only way to keep Carmen,” I said. “She left him at first, but he vowed to give her everything she wanted if she stayed.”
“And what else does she want?” Cane asked.
“A husband, four kids, and a house in Tuscany near you,” I answered, knowing that would touch him.
Cane didn’t show any emotion. “I’ve been dreading this day for a long time. I told myself it wouldn’t be that bad, that I was just making a bigger deal than necessary. Nope, it’s worse.”
“It doesn’t have to be worse,” Crow said. “Just be calm. Listen to her. And work toward accepting him. Don’t throw a fit like I did.”
“I don’t know if I can do that, Crow.” Cane shook his head. “I just want her to have a good life…”
“She stopped being a child when she was eighteen,” Crow reminded him. “She’s twenty-five now. She’s a smart girl who runs her own business, and in Bosco’s defense, he doesn’t seem that bad. It seems like he really does love her.”
Cane shook his head. “Who knows…”
“He let us go,” Crow reminded him. “He never threatened us. He never pointed a gun at us. He didn’t take the money. He’s walking away from the casino…I know you don’t want to accept it, but you have to, Cane. When Carmen talks to you, put on a brave face. Don’t push her away. It’s not gonna change anything besides putting a strain on your relationship with your daughter.”
“My relationship with my little girl is stronger than that,” Cane said, offended.
Crow gave him a sad look. “I know this is hard to hear, Cane. But she’s not your little girl anymore.”
Cane filled his glass then took a long drink, ignoring his brother’s words because he didn’t know what else to do. He swallowed the liquor hard then slammed his glass back on the table. “She’ll always be my little girl.”
14
Carmen
Bosco walked me to the elevator.
I hit the code on the wall so the doors would open, but I didn’t step inside. I turned around and faced the handsome man with the pretty blue eyes. Everything about him was rough, from his body to his personality. But those eyes shone like two orbs that would fit right on a Christmas tree.
His hands in his pockets, he stood in only his sweatpants. He was shirtless with a hard chest and flat stomach, and his tanned skin looked kissable anytime he was half naked. He gave me a sympathetic look, like he knew I was about to do something extremely difficult. “You’re sure you want to do this?”
“It’s the next step.” I had to start somewhere, and speaking to my father one-on-one was the best way to do that.
“Are you sure visiting him at the winery is the right approach?”
“If I do it at home, my mom will be there.”
“Isn’t your mother the most reasonable one of the two?”
“Generally, yes,” she said. “But my father handles things better when he’s alone. I suspect my mother won’t be difficult about this, so I don’t need to worry about her.” I’d always imagined this day quite differently. I would casually tell my parents I was seeing someone, and they would invite him over for dinner. That would be the end of it. But now I needed to tell my father exactly who Bosco was and make him understand this was what I truly wanted.
Bosco continued to stand there, handsome and focused. “I wish I could help you with this.”
“I think you would just make it worse, honestly.”
He raised an eyebrow.
“Not like that,” I blurted. “I just mean, if my father recognizes you, he’ll be uncomfortable the entire time.”
He gave that cute lopsided grin. “He would recognize me.”
“Then all the more reason for you not to come…it might give him a heart attack.”
“Your father is tougher than that, Carmen.”
“Not when it comes to me…”
He leaned in and kissed me on the cheek. “I’ll see you when you get back.”
“Alright.” I squeezed his arm before I stepped into the elevator. I made it to the lobby then hopped into my car and made the drive out to Tuscany. It was another beautiful but cold day. My windows were slightly clouded from the frost. I drove through the green fields and the beautiful vineyards until I arrived at the family winery.
I ran into Griffin first. “Hey.”
Instead of greeting me the way he used to, he seemed disappointed I was there. “Your father is in his office in the other building.” He knew exactly why I was there. It was unlike me to stop at the winery randomly, especially when I had a business to run.
“Thanks…”
Griffin walked off, heading to the main building where my uncle was.
I took the cobblestone pathway and stepped inside the other building. It was a newer addition to the property, built about ten years ago. I walked to his office in the corner and tapped my knuckles on the door.
“Yeah?” my father asked, clearly annoyed.
I opened the door and stuck my head inside. “You got a minute?”
Instead of smiling and show
ing his excitement to see me, he seemed horrified. He looked at me like he couldn’t believe I was standing in his office, even though I’d been there dozens of times before. He must have been having a bad day because it was not the kind of greeting I was used to. “Uh…”
I stepped farther inside, surprised by my father’s reaction. “Everything alright?”
Flustered, he ran his hand through his hair and sighed under his breath. “I’ve just got a lot of things to do today. Meetings, distribution…I was just about to walk out the door.”
“Oh, when will you be back?”
“I’ll be gone all day,” he blurted. He stood up abruptly and grabbed his stuff off his desk. “Shouldn’t you be at work?”
I couldn’t help but be offended by my father’s behavior. Normally, he dropped everything when I walked in. I was his whole world, and he made that known every single time we were together. But now I felt like a nuisance to him. “I just wanted to talk to you about something…”
“Sorry, Carmen. Today isn’t the best.”
“Should I come back tomorrow, then?”
“Uh…I’m not sure. We’ll play it by ear.”
“Alright…” I walked out of his office and headed down the path, unsure what to think about that odd conversation. My father was always calm and self-assured, not flustered and clearly annoyed. It didn’t seem like I was even his daughter, just another worker who would get him sidetracked. I tried not to let it get to me since my father had always been so loving my whole life. Maybe this was just an off day.
I crossed paths with Uncle Crow this time.
“Hey, sweetheart.” My uncle greeted me with more love than my own father did. He gave me a smile then a hug. “What are you doing here?”
“I came to talk to my father, but I guess he’s busy today.”
His smile immediately fell. “Oh…”
“It seems like he’s stressed about something, so I’ll try tomorrow or another day.”
Crow sighed then gave me a gentle pat on the back. “Yeah…maybe a different day.”
Bosco was standing in the living room when the elevator doors opened. “That was fast—too fast.”
“I didn’t talk to him.” I walked inside then kissed him on the mouth, greeting him like a woman greeted her husband. “He said he was too busy today, which is strange for him because it doesn’t seem like he’s ever busy. He always says having Griffin around had made him and my uncle bored, so…I don’t know.”
Bosco’s expression hardened, a clear look of sadness on his face. It was obvious in the way his eyes narrowed slightly, in the way his shoulder slumped as he wrapped his arm around my waist. “I’m sorry, Beautiful.”
“It’s okay. I didn’t want to talk to him about this if he’s in a bad mood anyway. I’ll wait for a better time.”
“Yeah…good idea.”
A few days later, I stopped by the winery again.
I came to my father’s office and knocked, but once again, I was met with a version of him I hardly recognized.
“I’m sorry, Carmen. I’m heading to a business meeting right now, and I won’t be back until the end of the day.” Like he was about to walk out the door, he grabbed his jacket and his coat. Just like the other day, I wasn’t greeted with a hug or even a smile.
It was as if he couldn’t wait to get away from me.
“Oh…” I didn’t hide my disappointment this time, annoyed that it was this hard to get fifteen minutes of my father’s time. “Maybe I can come by for dinner—”
“Your mother and I are pretty busy. We’re doing some stuff with Luca.” He had an excuse for everything, blocking me at every opportunity.
It seemed disrespectful to accuse him of doing this on purpose, so I held back my assumption, knowing my father would never avoid me on purpose. It used to seem like he couldn’t spend enough time with me. He gave me a diamond necklace just a couple months ago. What could have changed in that time? “Well, could you let me know when there’s a good time? You must have some time this week…”
He wouldn’t look me in the eye, treating me like a gnat that wouldn’t go away. “I’ll let you know, Carmen. I really should get going.” He walked out of his office like he couldn’t get away from me quick enough.
As if someone had punched me in the stomach, I felt winded and sick. I considered myself lucky because I always knew how much parents loved me. My classmates weren’t always so fortunate. My parents loved me no matter what, regardless of the decisions I made in life. That was something invaluable, something I couldn’t put a price on. But now it’d been taken away from me—overnight.
I had no idea what I’d done wrong.
When I stepped off the elevator, I tossed my purse onto the couch and yanked off my boots.
Bosco rose from the couch and watched me, concern in his eyes. “Couldn’t talk to him today either?”
“Nope.” I threw my boot on the ground because I was so annoyed. “He said he had to go to a meeting. When I suggested we have dinner, he said he was too busy for that too. Then I told him to pick a time that was good for him…and he pretty much blew me off. What the hell?” I kicked off my other shoe then placed my hands on my hips. “I love my father and think he’s a great man, but…why is he being such an asshole? It’s not in his character at all. I just don’t understand. I keep thinking I did something to piss him off, but if I did, he would just tell me. He’d always been honest and straight to the point.” I marched toward the bedroom, not caring about the mess I’d just made in his million-dollar penthouse. Clothes dropped on the way, and by the time I made it to the bed, I was in my underwear. It wasn’t even five yet, but I was ready for bed. I was ready for this day to end. I was questioning my relationship with my father entirely, something I’d never done before.
Not once.
Bosco joined me a minute later, getting into bed next to me and spooning me from behind. He wrapped his arm around my waist and pressed his face into the back of my neck. He didn’t try to comfort me with words. He didn’t try to take off the rest of my clothes either. He just lay with me.
Making me feel less alone.
15
Bosco
I met Ronan at the casino.
“Why do you look like hell?” he asked bluntly. “Just a few days ago, you were happy.”
“Cane is pissing me off.” I walked past him and stepped into the elevator.
He joined me. As we descended to the underground office, he spoke. “What’d he do?”
“More like what he didn’t do. He’s a fucking pussy. Carmen keeps trying to talk to him about me, but he refuses to have the conversation. He doesn’t want to deal with it, so he keeps avoiding her, like he can stop his worst nightmare from coming true.” I’d expected things to progress slowly with her family, but I didn’t think I would be met with a man who refused to acknowledge my relationship with his daughter.
The elevator stopped at the bottom, and we took the stairs to the office.
He chuckled. “That’s one way to handle it. Pretty clever, honestly.”
“It’s hurting Carmen, so I don’t think it’s clever.” I sat in the leather chair behind my desk. “I didn’t think he could stretch it out very long, but somehow, he’s managed.”
“What are you going to do?” He sat on the black sofa and helped himself to my booze. “Just wait it out?”
I hated seeing the way it affected Carmen. It made me rethink her entire relationship with her father. She wanted to come clean about her love for me, but Cane refused to listen to it because I wasn’t good enough for her. The only person it was hurting was his daughter. “No. I’m gonna give him a piece of my mind.” I grabbed my phone and made the call.
Ronan’s eyes widened in surprise. “Oh…this should be good.”
I listened to it ring three times before he finally answered. It was late in the evening, so he probably had to maneuver away from his wife to get some privacy. When he picked up, his tone was loaded with distaste.<
br />
“Asshole, do you know what time it is?” he hissed.
“I’m not the asshole who rejects my daughter every time she tries to talk to me.”
That silenced him.
“I don’t care that you don’t like me, Cane. But I care about Carmen. This behavior is ripping her apart. She’s confused and doesn’t understand why you’re shutting her out. I know you don’t want to acknowledge me, but you need to acknowledge her. Knock it off.” I hung up and set my phone on the desk.
Ronan couldn’t suppress his laugh. “That was some interesting ass-kissing…”
“I’m not gonna kiss his ass. Carmen is the most important thing in my life, and I’ll stand up for her when she needs me to—even if my opponent is her father. He knows his behavior is inexcusable, and I’m not putting up with it. I’m devoted to his daughter, not to him.”
Ronan filled another glass then stood up to hand it to me. “Hopefully, he sees it that way…but I doubt he will.”
16
Carmen
I’d given up trying to talk to my father.
Hopefully, his mood would pass, and he would behave normally again. Whatever his problem was wasn’t my problem. If he found out about Bosco in the meantime and got angry about it, I would feel guilty.
Because I’d tried to come clean.
I was at the shop when my phone started to ring.
And my father’s name was on the screen.
Finally. This better be some good news. “Hey, Father.” I stood behind the counter and watched the pedestrians pass on the sidewalk. People were taking advantage of the sunshine as long as they possibly could before the rain inevitably returned.
“Hey, sweetheart.” His tone was gentle, like a drop of rain on a rose petal. He wasn’t flustered or annoyed like he’d been all week. He sounded like himself but with a hint of disappointment. “I’m sorry about earlier this week…things were just crazy.”