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  “No.” I had no idea what he’d done to initiate their wrath. Conway seemed like a careful man, especially now that he had a wife he wanted to protect. “But I’m sure there’s a reason…and your son knows what that reason is.”

  “I haven’t asked because we haven’t had a moment alone together.”

  That meant his family was here. They were sitting at Conway’s bedside. Instantly, a dagger went straight into my heart at the thought of Vanessa being there. She was in the same hospital as me, but she wasn’t at my bedside. After everything I did for her family, I would have expected her to be holding my hand with tears streaming down her face.

  “I haven’t told her.” Crow read my thoughts. “I will…but I just needed some time.”

  After everything I’d done, he kept that secret from her? “You’re fucking kidding me.”

  He raised his hand to silence me. “I wanted to talk to you first.”

  “Why?” If I weren’t stuck in this bed, I would rise to my full height and look at him with all the power I could emit. “To see if I would agree to keep all this a secret?”

  His eyes narrowed, like he was offended. “No.”

  “Then why?”

  “We obviously needed to talk first.”

  I didn’t want to talk to him anymore. I wanted her. I wanted the woman I’d missed for the past three months of my life. “And what else is there to say, Crow?” I didn’t bother keeping the anger out of my voice. “That I’ll never be good enough for her?”

  He rose from the chair, his dark eyes on me with the same aggression. “No.” He slowly came to my bedside, his boots tapping against the tile floor. He stood at the rail, looking down at me with his hands in his pockets. “I’ll never be able to thank you enough for what you did…especially after the way I treated you.”

  “I didn’t do it for you.” Even though he loomed over me, I didn’t give him the upper hand. “She can live without me. She can’t live without you.”

  It was the first time Crow’s eyes softened in front of me, that he showed me the same vulnerability he showed with his daughter. He looked at me differently, not with the look of disgust he used to wear. “You have my gratitude forever. If there’s ever anything I can do for you—”

  “I want your daughter.” I barked it loud, aggressive, and quick like a dog. I gripped the rails on either side of my bed, needing something to keep me steady. My monitor was starting to beep quicker as my heart rate spiked. “I earned her. I want her. Give her to me.” I spoke of her like an object rather than a person, but that’s what she was to me—my baby.

  “Your feelings haven’t changed, then.”

  My eyes shifted back and forth as I stared into his gaze. “They’ll never change, Crow.”

  He gave a nod so slight I wasn’t sure if I saw it. “She’s seeing someone.”

  The words meant nothing to me. “She doesn’t love him. She loves me.”

  He didn’t challenge me. “From the beginning, I could never look past my hate. Neither could my brother. Even my wife, brighter than the sun, struggled with it. I think I’ve always been looking for a reason to get rid of you. I promised my daughter I would try to accept you, but I didn’t try hard enough. I couldn’t look past our history, past what your father did to my family. But as I got to know you, I should have accepted you as your own man. When you said we’re the same…you were right. I was never any better than you. It was wrong for me to judge you. When it comes to my daughter, I can’t see straight. I had very specific expectations of how I wanted her life to be…and now I realize I can’t control it. I shouldn’t control it. I should trust her…trust her instincts.”

  Every word he said was months too late, but hearing them now gave me a sense of peace. I was finally recognized for who I was. I was finally given the apology that was long overdue.

  He paused as he stared at me. “Griffin, I hope you accept my apology.”

  I could be bitter about what happened, but that would be pointless. I took a bullet for this man, and he’d finally dropped his pride and bitterness and owned up to his mistakes. That was the most I could ask for. “I accept it.”

  He pulled his right hand out of his pocket and extended it to me, offering me a handshake.

  When I’d first tried to shake his hand, he’d looked at my gesture as a threat. He’d seemed like he wanted to spit on my palm rather than greet me like a man. Now, I stared at his offering, unsure if I was really seeing it because it seemed so mythical.

  “You’re a good man, Griffin.”

  I finally moved my hand into his and shook his hand—shook the hand of Crow Barsetti.

  “And my daughter is lucky to have you.”

  Seven

  Vanessa

  “Vanessa?” Father stepped into Conway’s hospital room.

  I’d just gotten there after hitting a hotel, getting some sleep, and taking a shower. My brother was scheduled to be in the hospital for a few days. Right now, Conway was asleep, his face so black and blue he was hardly recognizable.

  Sapphire was supposed to be there that morning, and I couldn’t wait to see her.

  I looked at my father, seeing him stand in the doorway. “What’s up?”

  He nodded to the lobby, telling me to join him where we could talk.

  I followed him into the waiting room, which was empty. People hadn’t arrived yet, still getting ready for the day. “What’s going on?”

  He stood with his hands in the pockets of his jeans, an exhausted expression in his eyes. Even though everyone was okay, he seemed just as stressed out. “There’s something I need to talk to you about. It’s going to be a lot to take in.”

  “Okay…you’re scaring me.”

  “Nothing to be scared about.”

  I crossed my arms over my chest, my arms bubbling with goose bumps. “Then what is it?”

  He sighed before he spoke, like he was trying to find the right words before he answered my question. “When your uncle and I saved Conway, we were in the middle of pandemonium. We were outnumbered, and when they took Conway away in the car, I didn’t have any other choice. I exposed myself to shoot out the driver. I didn’t get very far before a man pushed me down and pointed a gun in my face.”

  My eyes watered immediately. “Father, please don’t. I don’t want to—”

  “The reason I survived was because of Griffin.”

  I hadn’t heard my father speak his name in months. I hadn’t heard anyone mention him in a while. My shoulders stiffened as I soaked up his words like a sponge, taking everything in but without processing it. “What?”

  “The guy shot me, but Griffin took the bullet. Then Griffin proceeded to kill everyone in our vicinity…and save all of us.”

  Speechless, my jaw dropped and I stopped breathing. “I…what?”

  “He was the one who told me about the hit in the first place. Without him, I wouldn’t have even known about it. His men got Sapphire out before she could be taken. He saved your brother and your uncle. We’d all be dead if it weren’t for him.” Emotion entered his eyes, a look I’d only once seen my father express. The day I moved out, he was heartbroken, and that same sorrow came into his eyes now. “He saved my son…and I’ll never be able to repay him for that.”

  “Oh my god…is he okay?”

  “I got him and Conway to the hospital, and after surgery, he was fine. He’s in his room recovering.”

  My heart started to pound. “He’s here?”

  “Yes. We had a conversation. I thanked him for everything he did. I apologized to him for the way I treated him in the past. And when I told him he could ask me for anything, there was only one thing he wanted.”

  Me.

  I knew it was me.

  My eyes watered, and my fingertips dug into my arms.

  “I shook his hand and told him you would be lucky to have him.” My father’s eyes mirrored my own. “I’m sorry I kept him from you, tesoro. I’m sorry I caused you all this pain. I’m sorry…I couldn’
t look past my hatred. I thought Griffin wasn’t a good enough man for you…but I was the man who wasn’t good enough for you.”

  “Father…” The moisture formed tears that streaked down my cheeks. “That’s not true. That’ll never be true.”

  He moved his hands to my arms and squeezed me gently. “I’ve never wanted to let you go. Watching you move out of my house was hard enough. Giving you to another man is even harder. But if I have to let you go…Griffin is the best man I can give you to. I know he’ll protect you, love you, and treasure you for how wonderful you are. A truly strong man wants a strong woman, and he’s never been intimidated by your strength. He put up with my bullshit for months. He listened to me insult him, and he never gave up on you. And then when he could have looked the other way and left me to my fate, he didn’t. He’s a much bigger man than I am.”

  I’d always wanted my father to love him, and hearing him speak so highly of Griffin was a dream come true.

  “I know you’re seeing Antonio…”

  The second Griffin was mentioned, it was like Antonio never existed. “I only love Griffin. It’s always been Griffin. It’ll always be Griffin.”

  My father lowered his hands. “That’s what he said you would say.”

  I wiped my tears away with my fingertips, trying to fix my makeup so I wouldn’t look like a mess when I finally laid eyes on him. “I want to see him.”

  “Of course.” Father led me down the hallway and to the right, and then he stopped next to the open door. “In there.”

  Instead of walking inside, I stayed by the wall, feeling my heart pound in my chest. My entire body was shaking because the emotions were breaking the foundation of my spirit. This man was all I’d ever wanted…and now I was finally getting him. He was the love of my life, and I would never have to live without him again. My sheets would always smell like him. His lips would always taste like me. Those eyes would always be on me. It was almost too good to be true.

  Father watched me, waiting for me to go inside.

  I wasn’t ready. This was all I’d ever wanted, but I wasn’t ready.

  My father placed his hand on my shoulder, gave me a gentle squeeze, and then walked away.

  I did my best not to cry, but I couldn’t help it. My hand covered my mouth to stifle my sobs, but there was no use. My heart was crying, and my eyes were just draining the endless tears. My heart was beating so hard I actually felt dizzy. I was weak in the knees, weak everywhere.

  I kept fixing my makeup, but it didn’t make a difference.

  Then I heard his masculine voice, deep, powerful, and full of the love he used to show me every single day. “Baby.”

  I stiffened at the word, crying even more because I missed hearing him call me that every day. He used to say it when he made love to me. He used to say it when he was angry with me. It was a simple nickname every couple used, but that gentle word meant so much to me, to us.

  “Baby,” he repeated. “Get your ass in here.”

  I finally moved into the doorway, unashamed of the tears streaming down my face. The second his face came into my sight, I stared at the man of my dreams. I stared at the man I could never forget. I moved closer to him, my fingers twitching to feel his skin. My lips ached to feel his crush mine.

  When my eyes locked on to his, I saw the same emotion mirror my own. Just like the day we said goodbye, tears were in his eyes. He must have heard me crying outside the room, and since my pain was his pain, he felt everything I felt. “Griffin…” I pushed the rail down and climbed onto his chest despite how reckless it was. My arms circled his neck and I kissed him, kissed him like we’d never been apart.

  His fingers moved through my hair just the way they used to, soft to the touch but aggressive at the same time. His other arm wrapped around my waist, and he squeezed me against him, pulling me so tight that his monitor started to beep in warning. His IV was yanked out, but that didn’t stop him. He kept kissing me, never stopping. “You’re mine…finally mine.”

  The hospital bed was small for a man his size, and there wasn’t much room for me. Most of my body was on his, but I stayed clear of the wound in his left shoulder, hiding the right side of his body instead.

  I propped my elbow against the mattress and held myself up so I could look at him, look into the face of the man who haunted my dreams every night. My hand glided over his chest, feeling muscles that were even harder than they used to be. Smooth and soft skin brushed against my fingertips, the exact skin I used to claw late into the night. My palm moved over his heart so I could feel it beat, deep and strong.

  It was hard to believe he was right in front of me, directly under my touch. Since my mother had told me what was going on with Conway, I hadn’t thought about Bones once. I’d been panicked about my family, about my brother and sister-in-law. It was one of the rare times when Bones was squeezed from my thoughts.

  I examined the hard line of his jaw, his chiseled features that made him so manly. His fair skin looked the same, and his bright blue eyes were as beautiful as I remembered. It was the only soft feature about him, that gentle blue color. It reminded me of a shallow sea that could cleanse me of my past.

  My hand glided under his hospital gown, and I examined the thick bandage that covered his shoulder. A bullet had pierced his skin, a bullet meant for my father’s face. It hit Bones deep, cutting up his flesh and making him lose so much blood. He could have died, probably would have if he hadn’t made it to the hospital in time. My father had thanked him for what he did, but I knew I had to thank him too.

  Bones kept his head against the pillow and stared at me with the same intensity, as if he could scarcely believe I was leaning over him. Hardly blinking and always focused, he stared at me just the way he used to, like no time had passed at all. Three months hadn’t come and gone. Antonio had never bought my painting. The women he’d bedded had never graced his sheets. It was exactly as it’d been before.

  “Thank you for saving my family…” I’d stopped crying thirty minutes ago, but tears welled in my eyes once again before they streaked down my cheeks.

  He wiped one away with the pad of his thumb. “You’re the only person who doesn’t have to thank me, baby.” His hand moved to my other cheek and wiped the other drop away, next to the corner of my mouth. His eyes shifted down to examine my lips, to see his thumb gently caress me.

  “After everything they did to you, I’m still surprised.”

  “I didn’t do it for them. I did it for you.” His eyes came back up to mine. “Your family is everything to you. I’ll always protect them with my life. Because they are you…you are them.” His thumb brushed across my bottom lip, the pad of the digit rough against the softness of my lips.

  “Griffin…”

  His hand cupped my neck, and he brought my forehead to his, our skulls touching each other. He didn’t kiss me, but he released a quiet hum under his breath, like this connection was all he ever needed. He just needed me, not even my kiss or my body.

  His fingers felt right against my skin, like they’d never left. I turned into his hand and kissed his thumb, feeling the heat from his skin against my mouth. I took in a deep breath, feeling the fire of desire that I’d missed for so long. I’d been in the longest dry spell of my life, and thinking about him with my hand between my legs wasn’t good enough. It was nothing compared to having the real thing—the real man.

  “How long do the doctors want to keep you?” I asked, my forehead still pressed against his.

  “Tomorrow.”

  I didn’t want to lie in this small bed with these wires everywhere. I wanted privacy. I wanted to touch him exactly how I wanted, to say things I couldn’t say now with the open door. “Where do you want to go?”

  He pulled away so he could look at me, the corner of his mouth raised in a smile. “I get to choose?”

  “Of course.”

  “I thought we decided we would live in Tuscany.”

  After everything that had happened, Bones d
idn’t have to make that sacrifice anymore. He’d proven himself to my family and didn’t have to accommodate me anymore. “We can live wherever you want. How about Lake Garda? It’s nice there.”

  He moved his hand to my waist, gripping my rib cage with his large fingers. He gathered the fabric of my sundress with his movements and gave me a gentle squeeze, like he wanted to pull up the dress and see the rest of me. “That’s too far away.”

  “As long as you are there, no, it’s not.”

  He tilted his head slightly, his hard face just as handsome as ever. “Now that I’ve finally earned your father’s approval, I don’t want to take you away from him. All I wanted was to be accepted by him. We can live in Florence.”

  After everything he did, he was still making sacrifices for me. “Really…?” Tears welled in my eyes again. “You don’t have to do that—”

  “I want to.” His large hand cupped my cheek, feeling my soft skin. “As long as you’re mine, I don’t care where we live. That apartment above your gallery is small, but for just the two of us, it’s fine.”

  That was exactly what I wanted, to have the man I loved and my family. I wanted to see my parents all the time, see my brother and cousins. I wanted to see my aunt and uncle. I wanted to raise our family there. “Thank you.”

  “You know I’m a selfish man, baby. I expect something in return.”

  “Anything.” He was giving me my dream. There was nothing I wouldn’t give him.

  “You. All of you. When I want. How I want. No questions asked.”

  My mouth formed a smile. “Wasn’t that how it was before?”

  His eyes narrowed on my face, turning contrary and intense. “You haven’t seen anything yet.”

  Eight

  Conway

  The doctors were reviewing my chart, deciding whether I could leave or not. I’d been there for a few days, and despite my bruises and pain, I was perfectly healthy. I was eager to get home, to put this nightmare behind me.