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I rubbed my temple. “You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me. That fucking asshole? What the hell is she thinking?”
He held up his hand to silence me. “It’s shitty. I agree. I’ve talked to her about it a lot, met with him a lot.”
“You came face-to-face with him?” I asked incredulously. “And he’s still alive?”
My father smirked. “He’s been trying to get my approval. I’ve seen him a few times for dinner and whatnot. He’s assured me he means no harm to us. He genuinely loves Vanessa. And if I don’t accept him, he won’t come between us and Vanessa…he’ll walk away.”
This was the last thing I expected to hear. “You think he meant it?”
He nodded. “Seems like it. He’s talked to me one-on-one. He’s come into my home, handed me a loaded shotgun, and handcuffed himself to a chair to prove himself to me. Now he’s helping out at the winery, trying to get to spend some time with me so I can see who he is…”
I still couldn’t wrap my mind around this. “This has been going on the entire time?”
“I thought I was going to get rid of him in a few days…but he’s still here. He’s like a damn cockroach that just won’t die.” He finally took a drink, immediately clenching his jaw once the booze was down his throat.
“Why haven’t you ordered him to stop seeing her?” That sounded like the best solution. Bones said he would back off if my father didn’t approve. So that was all he had to do.
“Because…” He stared into his glass as he swirled it, the stress written all over his face. No matter what obstacle he faced, he was always fearless. He kept calm under dire situations, and even when bullets were flying, he was in control. But now, the worry was in all his features. “Vanessa asked me to try to accept him. She asked for a real chance. Because she loves him and knows I love her enough that I don’t want to hurt her. So…I guess I’m trying.”
“His father killed my aunt,” I snapped. “No, you don’t have to try, Father.”
He raised his hand again. “I understand how you feel. It’s the way I’ve felt for the past six weeks. I’ve said some very unkind things to Vanessa that I shouldn’t have said…because I resent her for putting us in this situation. I don’t like him, and it’s hard to imagine a time when I’ll ever like him, ever trust him.”
“Then end it,” I said. “Or I’ll kill him for you—for all of us.”
“Not so simple,” he said.
“Father, it is simple. Vanessa deserves someone better. Don’t ever tell her I said this, but she’s fucking incredible. Smart as hell and fierce like a soldier. She deserves a good man.”
“I agree,” he said with a sigh. “But he’s the man she wants…unfortunately.”
“She’ll find someone else. Plenty of fish in the sea.”
He set his glass down. “Their relationship is intense…strong. I can see it between them. It makes me hate him even more, that he won my daughter over so completely. But the worst part is…” He grabbed his glass again and took a deep drink, prolonging the inevitable. He licked his lips when he was finished and set down his glass. “I think he really loves her.”
It was hard to believe a man like that could love someone. He came from a cruel father, and he was at the Underground for a reason. I didn’t want a man of the shadows for my sister.
“I’ve seen them together.” His eyes formed a haze as he thought of a memory. “I’ve seen the way he treats her when no one is watching, the way he lifts her up and makes her feel good about herself. The way he worships the ground she walks on. The way he takes my insults even though it makes him want to kill me. The way Uncle Cane punched him twice and he still didn’t do anything. I don’t think it’s an act…I think it’s real.”
I couldn’t picture this relationship. I couldn’t picture my sister loving a man like that, and I certainly couldn’t picture a man like that loving a Barsetti. It didn’t seem possible. It went against nature. “Even it is, you can still end it. She’ll hate you for a while, but not forever.”
“This is the thing about having children.” He refilled his glass. “I should tell you this since you’ll be a father soon. No matter how old they are…you want them to be happy. And despite my reservations and my hatred for him…which is very intense…I see the way he makes her happy. Because of that reason, I may accept him. I’ll never like him. I’ll never trust him. But…I think I should try to give Vanessa what she wants.”
