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“Haven’t had much luck in the dating world, then?”
“Did my bitterness not give you a clue?” she asked sarcastically. “I haven’t come close to finding the right guy. And even if I did, I’m not sure any of them would be brave enough to face my father. My father is like a wild animal that can’t be tamed by anyone but my mother. Impulsive, angry, and ridiculous, he can’t stay calm for anything. If I even mentioned a guy, he wanted to interrogate him and his entire family. I know your father is protective of you…but my father is at a whole new level.”
“Yeah…I picked up on that.”
“Nothing would make my father happier than committing me to a nunnery,” she said with a chuckle.
“I doubt that. He wants grandkids.”
“I think he would prefer it if I were alone rather than for me to have children.” She stirred her drink with her straw before she took a sip. “Bones handled my father pretty well. My father was a dick to him, but he never retaliated.”
“He can control his temper…sometimes.”
“I think if he’s willing to go through all of this for you, then he must really love you. And if he really loves you, I don’t think the past matters. I hope our family sees it that way after a while.”
Carmen was the only Barsetti who didn’t hate Bones. Sapphire didn’t hate him either, but since her fiancé did, she couldn’t be openly supportive. My cousin was all I had. “I talked to my father this morning…and he said he accepted him.”
“Really?” she asked in surprise. “What changed his mind?”
“I don’t know. I pretty much demanded for him to accept Bones…so maybe that was it.”
“It’s been six weeks,” she said. “They should have made up their mind a long time ago. Griffin must be relieved.”
I had no way to contact him, so he didn’t have a clue. “He doesn’t know.”
“Why haven’t you told him?”
“He’s in the field right now. He’s unreachable.” I was happy my father finally said yes, but my happiness was masked by my fear. If Griffin didn’t come home, I wouldn’t know what to do with myself. He was my whole life. Every moment that he wasn’t beside me was torture. If anyone ever hurt him, I’d grab every gun I could find and hunt down his killers.
“For how long?”
I shrugged. “Until he decides to call.”
Carmen gave me a sad look. “That’s pretty scary.”
“I hate it. I hate it so much. He told me he would stop if I asked…but he asked me not to ask. But I don’t think I can do this again. When he gets back, I’m going to tell him I can’t handle it anymore. It’s too painful.”
“I think that’s reasonable. My mom would never allow my father to do that.”
“My mom wouldn’t either. It’s a sacrifice he has to make…and I know he’ll make it.”
“When do you think he’ll be back?”
“A few days,” I whispered. “I hope it’s less. I’m staying with my parents in the meantime.”
“Well, he’ll be thrilled when he gets back. Finally having your parents’ permission will be a relief to him.”
Yes, it would be. He battled his frustrations and took my father’s insults in stride, even though he would have killed anyone else who disrespected him like that. Bones was a hard man, and violence was the only solution he could conceive of. But he put aside his rage and focused on winning me—even though he had to swallow so much bullshit in the process. “Yeah, it will. He’ll finally realize it was all worth it.”
“Babe.” She placed her hand on mine. “Even if your parent said no, he would still think it was worth it.”
I smiled at her, knowing she was right.
“I hope one day I find a man who will battle hell for me, the way he does for you.”
“You will, Carmen. And you’ll meet him when you least expect it.”
It was nice to be home again, in the place that harbored so many wonderful childhood memories. The three-story mansion was too big for the four of us, but it somehow felt like the perfect size when we all lived there.
I was back in my old room, my clothes and necessities with me. My queen-size bed seemed too big for me alone. Without Bones beside me, that bed would never be comfortable. I slept in it for so many years, but now it didn’t feel the way it used to.
Now my bed was Bones. His chest, his stomach, his entire physique was my mattress.
I kept looking at my phone, hoping to see a call or text message. It was stupid to expect anything, especially since Bones never contacted me when he was on his missions. This time wouldn’t be any different. I would just have to wait it out.
