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He took another drink before he answered. “Much better. He’s moving around a lot more. They’re looking for a house before the baby comes, but since she’s due in a month, I’m not sure how likely that is to happen.”
“So all the Barsettis are congregating here?”
“Except Carter. He’s been busy lately with work, but he calls Conway to check in.”
That was a lot of Barsettis for one postal code.
He stared at me for a while, probably wanting to say more but unable to think of something.
I refused to make it easier on him. I’d tried talking to him many times, especially at the winery, and I was always met with hostility. I should be the bigger man for Vanessa, but this was as big as I was willing to be. She should be grateful I was standing in that house at all, let alone drinking her father’s scotch.
He studied me for a moment longer, his features slackening into a focused look. “There’s something I want to talk to you about. But I’ll wait until after dinner.”
I didn’t care what he wanted to discuss. I didn’t want to stay in that house any longer than necessary, especially for another hour after dinner. Sitting with the Barsettis for an entire meal seemed impossible.
Vanessa walked into the room. “Father? Uh, thanks for saying hi…”
“Sorry, tesoro.” He set his glass down and wrapped his arms around her. “Just got sidetracked.” His hand cupped the back of her head as he held her, his eyes soft in a special way just for her. His chiseled arms tightened noticeably while he gripped her, his body stiffening protectively for her. It was like he couldn’t breathe, couldn’t appreciate the moment enough. “How are you?” He kissed her forehead before he pulled away.
“Good. I’m hungry.”
He smiled at her, a look of pure happiness on his face. “You always say that when you walk in the door.”
“Because it’s true. All I eat is cereal all day.”
“Yes, Griffin mentioned that,” he teased.
She turned to me. “You told him I couldn’t cook?”
I shrugged. “It’s not like it’s a secret, baby.”
She smacked my arm playfully. “You—”
I grabbed her wrist and yanked her into me, pressing my mouth on hers. I gave her a kiss, right in front of her father because I didn’t give a damn. I pulled away and fixed my authoritative look on her face. “You what?”
She melted right before my eyes, not caring about her father either. “You…wonderful man.”
I pulled her in for another kiss. “Good answer.”
I pulled out the chair for her before we sat down to dinner.
Vanessa did a double take, shocked by what I’d just done. I’d never been the kind of man that showed manners. I didn’t open the door for her, I didn’t pull out the chair before dinner, and I never gave her any indication I was a gentleman.
But I had it in me…once in a while.
She smiled before she took her seat.
I pushed it in then sat beside her.
Her parents sat down, along with Conway and Sapphire. Conway made small talk with me about Florence and his sister’s artwork, but he didn’t go out of his way the way Crow did. But Conway’s behavior was definitely an improvement over to the hostile way he treated me before.
Sapphire was nice, like always.
The women in this family were a lot more understanding, with the exception of Pearl. They were the kind of Barsettis that I liked, the kind that were logical enough to look past their hatred and see me as my own man.
I’d been sitting there for less than a minute when the memory came back to me.
This was the very chair I’d sat in. The very chair Vanessa handcuffed me to. I recognized it because of the cuts in the wood, the cuts the metal from my handcuffs had caused. The shotgun had been placed on the table, and Crow checked the barrel to make sure it was loaded. Both of the Barsetti brothers had stared at me with utter disgust. They called me trash. They called my mother trash. They said I was worthless then ordered me to get out of their house. I shouldn’t have expected them to react in any other way, especially with our history, but there was something I would never let go…
The way he insulted my mother.
My dead mother.
I stared at my empty plate while the Barsettis talked among themselves. Bottles of wine sat on the table, along with burning white candles. Everyone helped themselves to the freshly baked bread in the baskets, along with the extra virgin olive oil and freshly churned butter. The smell of dinner wafted in from the kitchen.
But my mind was a million miles away.
I wasn’t an innocent person. I admitted I wanted to kill every single person in this room at one point in time. But I dropped that vendetta because I loved a very special woman. Crow could never drop that vendetta. It wasn’t until I took that bullet for him that he started to see me as a real person.
