“I’m the man. Everything is my fault.”
“I still don’t think that’s fair.”
“Baby, it’s okay. I’ve seen you give everything to your family and this business. I’m not going to be the reason you lose this opportunity, especially when I think you’d be really good at it. Especially when I know I’ll be able to keep you safe while you do it.”
I felt like this man gave me everything and I didn’t give him much in return.
“I know you’re loyal to me,” he said gently. “Going back is not a betrayal.”
“But I imagined our lives together here.”
“It can be our vacation home. We can still spend time here. It’s a short drive away.”
I couldn’t believe how supportive he was being. I didn’t know that I deserved his devotion.
“You’re a tough fucking bitch, baby,” he said with a slight smile. “More capable than you realize. This is what you were born to do—and you’re going to fucking do it. And I’m going to be the man who watches your back and your front while you do it. It’s the perfect fit for us both. We just need to be patient for a little while before it happens, that’s all.”
I continued to stare at him across the table, unable to believe this man had literally dropped out of the sky and set his sights on me. Invaded my mind, body, and soul and made me his. Made me happier than I ever thought I could be. “You’re sure?”
“I speak the truth and only the truth—always.”
I gave a slow nod, feeling the stress and the excitement. “Then…I think I’m going to say yes.”
A genuine, handsome smile moved over his face. “Attagirl.”
23
FRANCESCA
I texted my father and told him I would return to my position. The only response I got back was a thumbs-up emoji. Wolfe and I moved our stuff back to his home in Caltanissetta, and I drove to work and parked in the parking lot like nothing had happened.
The week I’d spent with Wolfe in paradise had given me distance from what had happened the last time I was living at the vineyard. I’d killed more guys than I could count. The adrenaline seemed to block it all out. But the summer sunshine in beautiful Palermo made me forget the violence that had nearly sucked out my soul.
I walked into my father’s villa like I had so many times in the past, but now, this felt like a whole new season of life. I felt like a completely different person. I shared looks with people on the way and headed to my office on the second floor.
The renovation seemed to be almost complete because when I passed my old office, it just needed a new coat of paint and for the paintings to be returned to the walls. I walked into the extraroom where I’d set up my temporary office and found all my things scattered, as if my father had gone through it all and tried to make sense of it.
I saw a notepad with a long list of bullet points, all with question marks.
I opened my laptop and my notes and was immediately overrun with backed-up orders, emails full of complaints about shipping issues, submission forms from new clients, detailed reports from our internal winery inspection, so many things… “Cristo.” My father had either steered the ship into rocks or let it crash on its own. It was as if he didn’t know how the business worked at all. He was completely reliant on me. When I got back into the arms side of things, that appeared to be more in order because my father was directly involved in that area. But that was still chaos. And if he didn’t keep up with it, it would be easy to forget payments from partners, and they would assume my father was stupid or weak.
I felt momentarily overwhelmed when I looked at it all. I sat there and took a deep breath as I rubbed my temple. I already had a migraine just thinking about all the work I’d have to do to reorganize all this.
A text popped up from Wolfe. You doing okay, baby?
Yeah, I’m fine. Everything’s a mess…
No surprise there.
I should ask for a raise.
Do it. Know your worth.
I put my phone aside and got to work.
I’d been at the desk for a couple of hours when Leo came by.
He stopped in the doorway and stared at me in momentary disbelief.
