AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I already do,” he mumbled as I walked away.
I was thrilled that Ireland got what she wanted, and hopefully, it was the start of a profitable business relationship with the Monroes. I was confident that once Ireland’s wedding went smoothly, they’d come around to the idea and see the advantage. It would build and expand their brand, especially if their mother wanted to extend their busy season to other holidays.
I was flying high as I drove toward the original pizzeria in Annapolis. When I got there, Leo said, “Papà and Mamma are in the back.”
“Wish me good luck,” I said with a self-deprecating smile.
“You won’t need it. It will be fine,” Leo said with confidence as he resumed filling the condiments at the tables.
I shook my head, not believing that things between me and my father would ever be great, and continued in the direction of the office.
Leo stopped me when he said, “Oh, I wanted to say I’m happy for you.”
My forehead wrinkled as I turned to face him. “For what?”
Leo dipped his chin. “For giving Silas a chance. He’s a good guy.”
I wanted to argue with him for old times' sake, but it felt good to tell him the truth. “He’s the best.”
“I’m glad you found each other,” Leo said sincerely.
“How do Matteo and Carlo feel about it?” I asked, almost afraid of the answer.
“Once they see that you two are happy, they’ll be fine,” Leo said.
I chuckled without any humor. “I hope so. I don’t need any more tension in the family.”
He waved his hand toward the back. “Go talk to them. They’re waiting for you.”
I nodded and made my way to the back. My heart rate kicked up as I got closer. Would this be one more time when we wouldn’t agree? Would Papà tell me he was disappointed in me?
I took a deep breath and knocked on the door, which was slightly ajar. “You wanted to talk?”
Mamma hugged me. “We’re so happy to see you.”
I looked at Papà to see if that was true.
His expression was pained, and at Mamma’s nod, he said, “I’m sorry for the way I’ve been acting.”
My entire body softened. I couldn’t believe he’d admitted that he was different with me. “I haven’t been the best daughter either.”
Papà held up his hand. “Let me finish. I would love for you to work with me. You’re brilliant and hardworking. But it was wrong of me to pressure you to come back, to make you think I wasn’t proud of you and your business.”
“You are?” I asked, a little surprised.
Papà nodded. “I’m so proud of what you’ve accomplished.”
“But you said no one would ever pay for an event planner,” I said, feeling more than a little confused.
“I was wrong. You’ve obviously made a name for yourself, and you’ve built a successful business.”
“Thank you.” I couldn’t believe he was saying the words I’d been striving to hear for so long. It was funny because I’d stopped believing I needed them, but they still felt good.
“If you wanted to come back and work here, I wouldn’t let you,” Papà said.
“Why?”
“You have built something special, and I think you should focus on that.”
