AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I start shouting his name, shouting it at the top of my lungs. I'm beginning to despair when at last I see that the boat has stopped moving, and in fact, has reversed its progress to begin to drift back towards the dock. I reach the end of the narrow strip of the walkway that reaches out into the water, panting for breath, leaning on my knees for support as I look up.
The boat is coming back. Nico is coming back.
I watch him with tears in my eyes, standing behind the wheel as he guides the boat back to my side. I don’t even let him touch the dock fully before I climb on board, using the by-now-familiar footing to avoid falling into the water. I jump right for him, throwing myself into his arms.
“Don’t leave,” I tell him, my face pressed against his chest.
“I wasn’t leaving,” Nico says. “Well, not for long.”
I look up then, into his face. I was more worried than I realized, I guess, or allowed myself to think about. Now that I’m here with him, tears of relief just want to spill down my face.
“But you’re on your boat,” I say.
“I was just going to take a couple of hours,” he says, and sighs. “I thought if I could get out into the open water, clear my head, I could come up with a plan of attack.”
“Attack?” I say, wincing at the word.
He shakes his head. “You know what I mean. A plan to show your father I’m serious about you. We weren’t getting anywhere back at the hotel, so I figured I should take some time to think things over. I wanted to let Frank cool down, too. This way, I could go back and try talking calmly again.”
I rest against his chest again, holding him tightly. “I don’t think it’s going to work,” I tell him miserably. “I think he’s too angry.”
“Lili…”
I look up at his serious tone, to find him studying me closely. “What is it?”
“If it comes to it…” Nico glances away, down at the water beside us. “What will you do? Go home with him?”
I bite my lip, thinking.
“No,” I say, at last. It hurts to say it because I know that I will lose my family. But it’s also the indisputable truth. I know what my heart wants. “I’ll stay here with you. But, Nico, I really don’t want things to end like this. He’s my Dad. I want him to be happy for me. To accept this.”
“Then, I’ll try my hardest for you,” Nico says softly, stroking a hand over my hair. “Let’s stay here at the dock. Maybe in an hour or so, if you call him, he will want to come and talk again.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Nico
By the time the next morning comes, I know that Liliana is feeling worse than ever. She barely slept at all, tossing and turning, and that in turn kept me awake.
Yesterday afternoon, we continued calling Frank over and over again. When he answered the first time and realized that I was with Liliana, he refused to answer any of our calls again. Today is his last day in Monaco. We both know that he is booked on a flight and that if he goes, it won't be easy to see him again.
I'm trying to think about what my strategy is for if he really does go home without speaking to her. Do I really charter a jet like I suggested before? Do I leave it, or try to get them to talk online? How can I make her smile again? All I know is that my beautiful angel needs her dad to be on her side, and that means I have to make it happen, one way or another.
We eventually went back to the house, where I’m glad Liliana left all of her clothes that I had bought her. If she hadn't, we wouldn’t have anything for her to wear. Not that that would be a great tragedy, at least for me. But she does have to look respectable at least if we're going to go out in public.
She’s just dressing after her shower when her phone rings. Both of us look at the buzzing device, exchanging a glance before she picks it up and answers it.
“Hello, Dad?” I brace myself against the dresser as I listen, anxiously trying to figure out what he’s saying on the other end. “No… No, I stayed with Nico last night. What? No, Dad. No, I’m not… just listen to me for a moment, please? I’m not getting on the flight. … No, I’m serious. No, Dad, I mean it. I’m staying here in Monaco. I… No, listen, I… Dad? Dad…?”
She turns to me with a morose expression. “He hung up.”
“I’m sorry, angel,” I tell her, moving over to pull her into my arms. “I am. Maybe we just need to give him some time.”
