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Still, Crow said nothing.
I dropped my pride and spoke. “Vanessa said you wanted to talk.”
“Yes. And I’ll talk when I’m ready to talk.” He grabbed his glass and took a drink, devouring half of it in a single gulp. His hands were corded with veins, as well as his forearms. His musculature resembled mine, except my muscle size was twice as big as his.
I could tell this was hard for him, and that told me my guess was correct. All my hard work was finally about to pay off.
“Vanessa said you quit. Is that true?” He set his glass down and stared at me, his eyes hostile even though the conversation was calm. His eyes shifted back and forth slightly as he looked at me, his fingers tight as they were clenched into two fists.
I didn’t quit because he pressured me to. I did it because I wasn’t going to make my woman cry every time I left. “Yes.”
“For good?”
I nodded.
“What changed your mind? I haven’t given you my approval.”
I glanced at the glass sitting in front of me, half empty because I’d taken a big drink. Now I wanted more. I wanted the whole damn bottle. “She cried when I left. Then she told my handler to give me a message…that she loved me. It hit me hard in that moment. I was on the other side of the world, putting myself in danger and terrifying my woman, and she was here alone without me to protect her. I don’t want her to stay with you every time I’m gone. She feels the safest with me…so I should be here. That was why I changed my mind.”
Even though that was exactly what Crow wanted to hear, he still looked angry. “Took you long enough, huh?”
“It took you longer.” The words flew out of my mouth before I could stop them. It was in my blood to retaliate anytime someone insulted me. I could keep my fist steady and not punch him in the face, but I couldn’t sheathe my words as easily.
Crow grabbed his glass and finished it while he kept his eyes on me. He slammed it back down, the glass thudding against the cherry wood table. “Vanessa told me she’s tired of waiting for my decision. So, she made it for me. My wife is on board with it too.”
Finally. “I appreciate that.”
“Keep in mind that I still don’t like you. And I certainly don’t trust you.”
No surprise there. “That’s fine.”
“But I’m willing to accept you into our lives and try to like you…and trust you.”
“That’s very generous.” Crow Barsetti used to be one of the most feared men in Italy. He didn’t trust anyone, not after being molded by his horrible past. But he was willing to give this a try, because his love for his daughter outshone his doubts. “Thank you.” I had to force those last words out, even though it burned my blood to do it. I shouldn’t have to thank him for anything. I shouldn’t even have to feel grateful. Vanessa was a grown-ass woman who could make her own decisions. Crow was acting like they were the royal family. But he was compromising with me, so I had compromised with him.
“Putting the past behind us would do us all some good. Maybe in the years to come…it could finally bring us all closure.” He’d lost his sister, the woman he named his daughter after. And I’d lost my father.
It was the kind of stuff people never truly got over. “Yes…I agree.”
He grabbed the bottle and refilled the glasses. “But before you walk out of here, there’s something I’ve got to ask. I’ve come to respect your honesty and integrity, so I know you won’t lie to me.”
Fuck.
He stared me down, his hands together in between his knees. His hostility increased, burning the air around us both. His eyes smoked like a gun that just fired bullets. He seemed to anticipate my answer before I gave it, before he even asked the damn question.
He’d already asked me a hundred questions, even questions that were too personal between two strangers. If I were another man dating his daughter, he would never ask for the details that should be private between two adults. But in this scenario, he didn’t seem to care.
So he could ask anything.
I finally found my voice, my heart beating a little faster. I was so close to having everything I wanted. He’d given me his permission, and I could go home to Vanessa right now and ask her to marry me. But her father kept me in place with his cold stare. “Alright.” Despite the tremors rocking my body, I kept myself perfectly still. Perfectly fearless. I wasn’t afraid of the man, just the power he had over me. He had the ability to change my future on a whim.
