by Penelope Sky
“Will I be joining you?”
“Yes.” I walked into his bedroom and shucked the rest of my clothes, leaving my panties on and fishing a t-shirt out of his drawer. I pulled it on then got into bed.
Bosco joined me a moment later, lying beside me in his boxers. He cradled me to his chest, and we lay there in the darkness, even though it was barely five.
I’d skipped lunch and dinner, but I still wasn’t hungry. I just wanted to lie there and think about nothing.
He dragged his fingers lightly down my back and pressed a kiss to my hairline. “I love you, Beautiful.”
I wasn’t ready to be angry with him, so I put my feelings on hold and let him comfort me. “I love you too…”
When I woke up the next morning, my fury was at the forefront.
Bosco noticed my anger in my movements, the way I quickly got ready for work without looking at him twice. He watched me hurry to do my hair and makeup and pull on my clothes before I marched for the door. “So…now, you’re officially mad?” He followed behind me, his hands moving into the pockets of his sweatpants.
“Very.” I hit the code on the elevator, and the doors opened. “We’ll talk about this when I get home.”
“Why don’t we talk about it now?” He grabbed me by the elbow and gently tugged me back toward him.
“Because I have to work. I already closed the shop enough times trying to talk to my father. I can’t miss any more time.” I looked at him, the fire smoldering in my eyes. “And it would have been helpful to know he was avoiding me on purpose. Wouldn’t have wasted so much of my time.” I yanked my arm out of his grasp and stepped into the elevator.
Bosco let me go, but he didn’t look happy about it. He slid his hands into his pockets as he stared at me, holding my gaze as the doors slowly closed and hid him from view.
The elevator descended to the lobby, and I kept picturing Bosco’s face in my mind. Handsome, apologetic, and full of angst. I could tell he wanted to yank me back into the penthouse and not let me go until he’d earned my forgiveness.
That was how I was sure he knew he was wrong for what he did.
I got into the back seat of the car, and his men dropped me off at work. I hardly ever drove my car anymore, only when I went to visit my family because it would be hostile to show up with a dozen armed guards on their property.
I arrived at the shop and got to work, doing my best not to think about all the drama going on in my life. My father and boyfriend were more aware of the situation than me—the person connecting them together.
I felt so stupid.
This entire time, Bosco had known my father hated him. And my father knew about Bosco too. Even Griffin was aware of everything, and he never once mentioned it to me. Did Vanessa know as well?
Who could I trust?
Around lunchtime, I got a special visitor.
My mom.
“Carmen.” Mom appeared at the counter, sneaking up on me slightly. She smiled at me like she wasn’t angry, just happy to see her daughter.
My heart nearly jumped out of my chest, especially because I knew exactly why she was there. The storm that had hit our family was spinning at full force, and there was no way to escape. Even when I stood in the eye, I could feel the wind swirl around me. “Hey, Mama.” I finally found a smile when I recovered from the shock. “Sorry, you snuck up on me.”
“I walked straight at you,” she said. “You were even looking at me.”
“Sorry…my mind was elsewhere.”
Her smile started to fall. “Your father told me what happened, Carmen…” She rested her arms on the counter as she looked at me, her fingers interlocked together. “He’s still fairly angry about it. I’ve been trying to talk him down. I think I’ll need a few more days to make a dent in his armor.”
“Well, thanks for trying.”
“Is this the same man you mentioned a few months ago?”
I nodded.
“The one who isn’t right for you but you can’t stay away from?”
“Yeah.”
“Why do you think he’s not right for you?”
“In the beginning, I thought he was too dangerous. But now I know he’s completely harmless to me. When I realized he was a good man, I knew Father would be my next obstacle. After talking with him…it doesn’t seem likely there will be any success.”
My mom tucked her brown hair behind her ear, her mocha eyes glowing beautifully. I inherited all my good looks from her, only getting my father’s eyes and subtle hints of his Barsetti blood. My skin wasn’t as dark as Vanessa’s because I took after my mother so much. “This is the man you want to spend the rest of your life with?”
Bosco told me he would give me whatever I wanted. Because of that, there was no doubt in my mind. He loved me enough to sacrifice everything, to walk away from all that he’d built just to have me. If that wasn’t love, I didn’t know what was. “Yes.” The idea of finding someone new and forcing myself to love him the way I loved Bosco sounded unappetizing. “He’s the one.”
“You’re sure?” Mom asked.
I nodded. “Absolutely.”
She rested her hand on mine and gave me a gentle pat. “Then I accept him, Carmen. In time, I’m sure I’ll like him. But since I haven’t even met him, that’s kinda hard for me to do right this second.”
That was surprisingly kind, even though my mom had always done everything for me. “Thank you.”
“Your father told me Bosco is one of the biggest crime lords in the city. He’s a bit arrogant. He set his eyes on you then never stopped pursuing you. Your father said you tried to break things off with him, but Bosco wouldn’t let you.”
“Yes…not his finest qualities.” I didn’t want to lie to my parents about my past with Bosco. I wasn’t ashamed of it because we grew into something more. That felt so long ago that it didn’t seem relevant anymore. “But that’s not who he is anymore. He’s…extremely kind. All he cares about is protecting me. He would die before he let anything happen to me. So instead of focusing on those moments, focus on that.”
My mother nodded, giving a slight smile. “I believe you, Carmen. I’ll keep an open mind…and I’ll try to convince your father he should do the same. The only reason it’s difficult for him is because he’s spent his entire life protecting you, and he can’t stop that impulse. He feels like he needs to save you…even though you don’t need saving. He loves you so much that he’s always imagined some Prince Charming riding in on a white horse. Your prince comes from a good family, he’s rich, and he’s squeaky clean. Since this doesn’t match your father’s expectations, he’s disappointed—not because he’s not getting what he wants, but because you aren’t getting what he wants.”
“I understand…but I don’t want Prince Charming.”
“I know,” she said. “Trust me, I do. Good men are boring, if you ask me. Women want a man who’s real, who has dimensions and layers. They want a man who pushes the boundaries and isn’t afraid to get his hands dirty. You would never be happy with some…accountant, doctor, or lawyer.”
I couldn’t picture Bosco with a regular job like that.
“The fact that Bosco had the talent to accomplish what he has at such a young age is admirable,” my mother said. “Maybe he was motivated by greed, but for someone to pull that together and retain his power and esteem for so long is incredible. Only a very powerful man would have been able to pull off something like that. His success is so incredible that even your father and uncle are intimidated by it…and that’s saying something.”
Sometimes I forgot that my mother was so much cooler than my father. She was more pragmatic and logical when she viewed the world. There was never pride or emotion in her decisions, just objectivity. She could immediately see past Bosco’s faults and highlight his charms. “Thanks for having such an open mind.”
“Well, your father is extremely biased in how he views things. Sometimes he forgets he wasn’t always the man he is now. Once upon a time,
he wasn’t so different from Bosco. He was young, greedy, and hotheaded. He thought he could do whatever he wanted without retribution. But then he met a special woman, and that changed his path permanently. It made him reevaluate what kind of man he wanted to be. He abandoned the darkness and embraced the light, finally finding a reason to become a good man.”
I smiled. “Was that special woman you, Mama?”
“Yes.” She patted my hand. “I’ve done my best to remind your father of that, but it doesn’t change the way he feels. He thinks you deserve better than I did. He loves you so much he can’t see straight. You have every right to be frustrated with him, but don’t forget, he’s only behaving this way because he loves you so damn much.”
“I know…”
“I’ll make him cut you and Bosco some slack. But I ask you to do the same for him.”
I nodded. “I’ll always cut Father some slack. He’s earned it.”
After talking with my mother, I wasn’t as stressed about the situation as I was before. Now that I had one parent on my side, it would only be a matter of time before the other caved. My mother was naturally persuasive, having the ability to change anyone’s mind about anything. Hopefully, changing my father’s mind would be simple.
When I took the elevator to the penthouse and saw Bosco standing right in the living room, my previous anger came back to me. The man I slept with every single night had betrayed me. He’d carried on the lie for weeks, choosing to withhold vital information that would have changed everything.
“Still mad, huh?” he asked, standing in his gray sweatpants.
“Yep.” I set my purse down and shed my coat.
“Alright.” He took a deep breath as he waited for me to start yelling.
I faced him and crossed my arms over my chest. That handsome face couldn’t bring my rage to a smolder, not this time. It didn’t matter how pretty his blue eyes were, how masculine that jawline was. “You lied to me. You made me look like a fool. You kept a secret from me for over a month. How could you possibly justify that?”
“It’s simple.” He spoke to me the same way he spoke to his men when he was at the casino, holding in all his emotion and talking to me like he didn’t feel a thing. All he felt was authority and power. “Your father made a mistake marching onto my turf like that. If he weren’t your father, he would have been thrown in the ring. I would have made him fight his own brother and watched every hit until the end. He threatened me on my own property, and then he insulted me by trying to buy me off with a hundred million dollars—which is pennies to me. I told him I would do him a favor by not telling you what happened—because it made your father look like an ass. I told him we weren’t just fucking, that we loved each other. I looked him in the eye and told him I would die for you—in a heartbeat. Based on all the mercy I showed, I think he believed me. I didn’t think he would confess to his crimes, not when it made him look so selfish. But I guess your father isn’t as much of a coward as I thought he was.”
It was a legitimate explanation, but I was still angry. “This whole time you knew…”
“I would have told you, but I couldn’t do that without compromising him. Even if your father and I have our disagreements, I don’t want to affect your relationship with him. As a man with no parents, I understand how important it is to cherish them while you can. I never want to come between you and your father. I just want to be accepted among you.”
“There’s nothing my father could ever do to make me stop loving him, to make me turn my back on him. I was pissed when he told me what he did, because it was wrong, but I know he only did it because he loves me. I forgave him for it.”
“As you should,” he said. “He meant well…even if his actions were idiotic. I respect a man who protects the women he loves. He and I are the same in that regard…even if he doesn’t realize it.”
“He will realize it…in time.”
He watched me for a long while, his eyes boring into mine. “If you forgive him, then you must forgive me.”
“Of course I do. But I’m still mad at him, and I’m still mad at you.”
He bowed his head slightly.
“I feel so stupid going down there without knowing. This entire time, my father knew about you, and I was assuming otherwise. Now I understand he was avoiding me the because he didn’t want to address the truth. It’s just…embarrassing.”
“Nothing to be embarrassed about,” he said calmly. “He should be embarrassed for blowing you off like that.”
“I guess he wasn’t ready to deal with this.”
“No. He’s had a hard time.”
I kept my arms crossed over my chest, my teeth grinding together in annoyance. “I’m irritated that this is my personal life, yet everyone knows more about it than I do. People are sneaking around behind my back and leaving me in the cold. Even Griffin was doing it.”
“Griffin was in a tough spot, in his defense.”
“Are you seriously defending him?” I asked, an eyebrow raised.
“It’s not black and white, Beautiful. That’s all I’m saying. Since everything is done and we’re still standing here, maybe you should let this go.”
“Easy for you to say…”
“The worst is over. Let’s enjoy our small victory.”
I couldn’t handle any more lies, any more half-truths. Griffin didn’t owe me anything, and I didn’t expect more out of my father, but I expected more out of the man I loved. “I never want this to happen again. If you want to be my man, that means no more secrets. I’m serious.”
Bosco stared at me as he considered the question, standing a short distance away from me with his hands in his pockets. “Alright.”
“Is that a promise?”
He nodded. “That’s a promise. I’ll never keep anything from you again. But remember, that’s a double-edged sword.”
“I’ll take my chances. If this is gonna last a lifetime, then I want a partner I can trust, someone I can count on. I want to be in the loop, not oblivious to important knowledge that’s been shared right under my nose.” That wasn’t much to ask for, so I didn’t feel out of line. He’d already sacrificed plenty for me, but I wanted a little more.
“Alright.”
Now that I’d gotten what I wanted, I kept my arms crossed over my chest, unsure what to do next.
“Can I kiss you now?” The corner of his mouth rose in a lopsided grin.
I loved that smile and couldn’t resist it. “Yes…”
He moved into me and bent his neck down to kiss me on the mouth, his scruff rubbing against me slightly. His lips were soft, but his jaw was hard. He lightly sucked my bottom lip into his mouth before he let go.
“So your mom stopped by?” He knew everything about my life, even as it was unfolding. “And how did that go?”
“My mom is a lot more logical than my father. She said if you’re the man I want to spend the rest of my life with, then she accepts that. She trusts my decision and supports it. But she needs to get to know you before she can actually like you.”
“Wow. She’s way better than your father.”
I chuckled. “Yeah, she’s great. She’s a lot more understanding. Doesn’t have unrealistic expectations of anything.”
“I look forward to meeting her…whenever that time comes.”
“I’m not sure when it’ll happen. She said she’s still working on getting my father to see reason. She’ll need a few more days.”
“The fact that she thinks she can do it in days instead of years is impressive.”
“Well, my mom can do amazing things. She’s a superhero.”
His smile faded slightly, and a note of sadness entered his look.
Somehow, I knew he was thinking about his own mother, the woman he respected most in the world. He still missed her, even though he was a grown man who didn’t need anyone for anything. “I’m sorry…”
“It’s okay,” he said quietly. “Sometimes the sadness just hits me, and it takes me
a second to recover. I still miss her. Your mother reminds me of her…at least, based on the way you describe her.”
“They are alike. They are both women who don’t put up with bullshit.”
“Yeah…and you’re like that too.” His hands squeezed my hips. “One of the reasons I fell in love with you.”
17
Bosco
After a few days had passed, Carmen forgot about her anger entirely.
Our nights were spent naked under the sheets, and our afternoons were filled with quiet conversations over dinner then time on the couch in front of the TV. It was still unclear what would happen with her father, but when he was ready to face me, he would have to make his first move.
A week later, it happened.
We were sitting on the couch together when his name popped up on Carmen’s phone screen.
She held the phone up to her face. “It’s my father…” The screen was clearly visible to me, but she said it out loud anyway, like she was saying it to herself. She took the call and pressed the phone to her ear. “Hey, Father.”
“Hey, sweetheart.” His tone didn’t seem threatening, but it wasn’t full of fatherly love either. “Hope I’m not calling at a bad time.”
“No, we’re just watching TV.” She grimaced slightly when she mentioned me, like that was a stupid mistake.
He would have to get used to it. We lived together now, and she wasn’t going back to her apartment unless she was packing up the rest of her stuff and vacating it.
He didn’t address what she’d said. “Your mother and I have been talking a lot lately…”
“Yeah, she told me she would wear you down, dent your armor a bit.”
“And she finally has…because she doesn’t let up.”
Carmen smiled. “She gets what she wants, Father. That’s why you fell in love with her in the first place.”
He chuckled slightly. “Yeah…I admire her perseverance. Anyway…maybe the four of us could have dinner over here tomorrow. Your mother will cook, and we’ll have some wine…and talk.” He’d invited both of us to dinner, but he struggled to get the words out nonetheless. He hated every second of this…but at least he was trying.