It was clear I would never talk sense into him. “He’s the man I want for the rest of my life, whether you like it or not. I don’t want it to be this way, and I hope that in the next few days your anger fades and your logic returns. But if it doesn’t, it changes nothing for me.”
“Then perhaps I made a mistake choosing you to run this business.”
It was a slap across the face, and despite how much it hurt, I kept my composure. Despite the heat that rose to my skin from where he’d struck me with his words, I didn’t show the depth of my anguish. I didn’t mourn the position and the power associated with it. I mourned the loss of my father…or the man I’d thought he was. He was a man who would dangle a carrot in front of me to earn my cooperation, and if I didn’t do what he wanted, he would yank it back. I refused to be in that position. “Yeah. I think you did.”
My heart had never felt so heavy at the end of a conversation. It was the worst heartbreak I’d ever felt. I felt like I’d watched my father pull out a pistol and shoot himself in the temple right in front of me. Our relationship had meant so much to me, but I watched it wither and die right before my eyes.
I got to my feet and headed to the door.
“Think this through, Frankie.”
I stopped in the doorway.
“A man isn’t worth your job or your home or your future.”
I felt the tears form in my eyes, taking the words in a way he hadn’t intended. “You’re right. No man is worth that…not even my father.” I stepped forward.
He rose to his feet. “What will you do without money or a place to live? You aren’t thinking this through, Frankie?—”
“I have a man who takes care of me,” I said as I turned back to him. “I don’t need you or this job. In fact, you need me a hell of a lot more than I need you. So, good fucking luck. You’re going to need it.”
16
FRANCESCA
I went by my villa to grab the rest of my things since I would probably never come back. I grabbed my old keepsakes, the rest of my clothes, and some of my favorite dishes I used for cooking. Wolfe probably had all the kitchen essentials in that big house, but it hurt my heart to part with some of the pieces. It made me think of all the times I’d cooked for Wolfe when he came over. It felt stressful at the time because of the secrecy, but in retrospect, I realized how beautiful that time was.
Wolfe texted me.You alright, baby?
He probably saw my location through the GPS in my phone and wondered why I was at my old house instead of at my father’s villa.Yeah, I just wanted to grab a couple things.
I finished loading my trunk and then left the property, the dust blowing around the car from underneath my tires, leaving the vineyard probably for the last time. I took my time, the car barely moving as I appreciated the dark grapes on the vines, the sight of my brother’s villa far in the distance on the top of thehill. My heart was broken at the thought of leaving this place, a place that had meant so much to me all my life.
But I could live in the past…or I could embrace my future.
I finally made it to the main road, my tires kicking up the last bursts of dirt before my back window cleared. I drove on the paved road and headed toward Wolfe’s home and away from the winery. My heart didn’t feel less heavy as the distance grew. It seemed to be a permanent part of me at the moment.
When I pulled up to the iron gate of Wolfe’s property, I was about to call him and ask him to open it, when the gates started to swing inward. The doors weighed tons, so it took a while for them to open completely and allow me to drive onto the property. When I followed the road that led to the fountain and the entrance, I saw Wolfe outside. He walked down the steps to the roundabout before he came to a stop, watching me like he’d been following my location the entire drive.
He was in his black sweatpants and barefoot, his tattooed chest bare, tall and wide and muscular and powerful. Despite how massive and strong he was, his eyes were vulnerable in their concern. Soft and delicate, carrying the hurt on my shoulders that he shouldn’t be able to feel.
I parked the car then got out.
He stood there and waited for me to walk around the front of the car to greet him. His arms were by his sides, and his eyes quickly took me in to assess my physical and emotional well-being.
I stopped in front of him, my eyes starting to water. I couldn’t find the words at the moment, every emotion hitting me at once and overwhelming me to full capacity. I eventually shook my head, because that was the best I could do.
“Baby, I’m sorry.” His big arm moved across the small of my back, and he hooked me into him gently, his other arm wrapping around my shoulders. He rested his chin on my head and held me there against him, the two of us standing in the summer sunshine.
I closed my eyes as I buried my face in his chest, feeling the comfort of my safe place, the only place in the world where no one could ever hurt me.
He dropped his mouth and kissed my forehead. “It’ll be alright.”
“I know.”
He brought my things inside and stored them in an extra room so I could go through it all at a different time. The only things I pulled out for the time being were my casserole dishes, especially the bright-blue one I’d gotten on a trip to Taormina.
My villa at the vineyard had been less than two thousand square feet, perfect for one or two people. But his place was at least ten thousand square feet on acres of land. It was beautiful and luxurious, but it felt far too big for the two of us. The ceilings were fifteen feet tall, the windows were huge, and everything was on a much grander scale. I loved it, but it would take some time to get used to.
