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“Great. So, how does retirement feel?”
“Not sure yet. I’m too young to retire.”
“I agree. I have a proposition for you. We’ll talk about it when you come by.”
I wanted to reject his idea right away, but since I was working on my manners, I let it be. “Alright.”
“Tell my daughter hi for me.”
“I will.”
He hung up.
I put the phone down, surprised I’d just had a normal conversation with Crow. He was a man I’d despised for a long time. Now he was a strange mixture of a friend and my girlfriend’s father.
“So, you want to drive out there?” Vanessa asked, having heard every single word of the conversation.
I wanted to spend the day with her, preferably in bed. But when I saw her eyes light up in excitement at the thought of both of us visiting her family, I didn’t put up a fight. I could be selfish, but with Vanessa, I didn’t want to be. “Sure.”
“Great. I bought Reid this cute little outfit, and I want to give it to him. He’s too small to wear it right now, but in a few months, it’ll fit him perfectly.” She carried the half-eaten bowl to the sink and left it sitting there. “I’m so excited.”
I watched her move around the kitchen, her happiness infectious. I’d traded in my dangerous lifestyle for a simple one in Florence. My days would be filled with the Barsettis, but since that made Vanessa so happy, it didn’t sound so bad.
Not at all.
We walked in the door and were greeted by her parents.
It was the first time I’d set foot inside that house since I forgave Crow. It had been impossible for me to sit through dinner when I kept thinking about that shotgun pointed at me. But now it was a new beginning, a clean slate.
I had to forget all that stuff.
Pearl hugged me before she kissed me on the cheek. “How are you, honey? So glad you’re home—for good this time.” Pearl gave me her motherly affection, looking at me with love and treating me like a son. She was the person who had suffered the most in this family, and it was remarkable that she could welcome me so easily. She must see my father when she looked into my face…sometimes.
“I’m glad to be home too. So is Vanessa.”
Pearl squeezed my arms affectionately before she let me go. “I hated seeing my daughter go through that. I can’t count the number of times my husband left me to go fight some war. I’m happy to know that’s over for good. It means a lot to both of us that you made that sacrifice.”
“It’s my job to protect her. How can I do that when I’m somewhere else?” I was never worried about not coming home. But now I was worried about leaving my woman unguarded. If I wanted to be her husband, she would have to be my first priority. I couldn’t have it both ways.
“Excellent point.” She smiled and stepped aside so Crow could greet me.
He skipped the handshake and embraced me the way he embraced Conway—minus the kiss on the forehead. “It’s good to see you, Griffin. You look well. No gunshot wounds anywhere.” He patted my shoulder as he stepped back. “That’s always a good sign.”
“Yes, Mr. Barsetti.”
Crow flinched at the use of the name, as did Pearl. His eyes softened at the sign of respect I gave him. “Call me Crow. Please.” He patted me on the back, embracing me as a father embraced his son.
Vanessa had tears in her eyes. The second she blinked, they dripped down her cheeks. She quickly wiped them away, but not quick enough for us not to notice the emotional moment she was experiencing.
Her parents didn’t greet her the way they greeted me and chose to dismiss themselves from the entryway, giving her a moment to compose herself.
I stared at her, watching her combat the emotion that she couldn’t resist. Since this was her parents’ house, I wanted to refrain from my usual affection because it seemed inappropriate, but then I remembered I’d never cared before. I’d always been transparent about my feelings and thoughts. I was easy to read, like an open book. “Baby.” I moved into her and cupped her cheeks so I could focus her stare on mine. Over a foot shorter than me, she was tiny in comparison to my size, but all woman just the same. I kept her gaze on me, knowing my expression would calm her in a way nothing else could.
“I’m sorry… I’ve wanted this for so long.”
“I know.” I wiped away her tears with the pads of my thumbs.
“I never thought it would happen.”
“It did happen. You should be happy, not sad.”
“I am happy…” When she took a deep breath, she stopped the tears that pooled in her eyes. “Ever since I was a little girl, I imagined bringing my future husband to meet my family. I imagined him being close with my father, having their own relationship. My father is my best friend…and I wanted my future husband to be my father’s best friend too. For so long it didn’t seem possible. But now…” Her voice broke, and she didn’t finish what she was saying.
