I was used to morning sex—even if I wasn’t really awake at the time. Bones took what he wanted when he felt like it, pretty much the same way I did. He didn’t explain his behavior or make apologies for it either. He just went for it.

Now it was part of our daily routine.

But that morning, it didn’t come.

When I opened my eyes, it was almost eight. Bones usually woke me up the first time at seven in the morning. He moved between my legs, got off, and then headed to the gym. I assumed there was something wrong because our routine never changed.

I sat up and looked around the room, not seeing anything unusual. I pulled on his t-shirt and walked into the living room, expecting to see him at the dining table with his morning coffee. He was usually shirtless, his ink vibrant against his fair skin.

Instead, I saw him sitting on the couch, fully clothed in black jeans and a t-shirt. His bag was on the floor beside the coffee table. His elbows rested on his knees, and his chin was tilted toward the floor, his eyes downcast instead of on the TV or me.

I knew what that meant.

I knew he had two more missions to do. This was the first one.

I’d convinced myself I could do this. It was just two more, and it would be over for good. Bones was a strong man who was capable of anything. He would come back to me. He was powerful, fast, and experienced, and there was nothing he couldn’t handle. There was nothing that would stop him from coming back to me.

But no matter how many times I whispered those assurances to myself, it didn’t change anything.

It didn’t heal my broken heart.

I stared at his black bag on the floor then took a deep breath, doing my best to be calm about the situation. Getting emotional wouldn’t change anything. It would just make it harder for both of us. I knew he waited until the last possible moment to limit my suffering.

But now, I would suffer every single moment he was gone.

Bones sighed before he rose to his feet. “Baby…”

I crossed my arms over my chest and refused to look at him.

He faced me, the couch between us. “Only two more.”

All it took was one bad mission to take him away from me. All it took was one stray bullet. I’d lost him once, and now that my life was complete, I couldn’t bear that pain again. I’d finally found the man I wanted to spend my life with, to sleep with every night, and I wanted to hold on to that so tightly that it never slipped through my fingers.

When I turned my gaze back on him, I saw the structured way he held himself, his muscular arms hanging by his sides and stretching the sleeves of his t-shirt. He watched me with his hard gaze, waiting for me to say something about the horrible situation we were in.

But I didn’t have anything to say. It was just too horrible to address.

He sighed when I remained silent. “I’ll be gone three days. Short trip.”

“For you…” I turned away again, not wanting to look at him.

“It’ll be over before you know it.”

“Again, for you…”

He moved around the couch and approached me, his footsteps heavy in his boots. “Baby, you’re stronger than this.”

“Stronger than this?” My neck nearly snapped when I turned my head. “You think I’m weak for not wanting you to go? You think I’m weak because I want my man to stay here with me, to live the quiet life he promised me? You think I’m weak because I don’t want to sleep alone? Griffin, I’m stronger when you’re here. I’m braver when you’re here. Because I know I can do anything as long as you’re beside me. If that makes me weak…then, fine. Guess I’m weak.”

He bowed his head slightly, visibly regretting his words.

“I don’t understand why you have to go. There are three other men who want to be part of this. They’ll have to manage without you then, so why can’t they manage without you now?” Maybe I was being selfish, but I didn’t want to live without Bones ever again. I’d already paid my dues with my suffering.

“Because.” He lifted his head, his intense gaze staring into mine. “They had my back when I saved your family. They didn’t have to do that. They weren’t obligated. They didn’t even want to until I asked. These guys are family to me. I owe them everything. I’m not turning my back on them—not even for you.”

I was suddenly overwhelmed with embarrassment, feeling selfish for making my demands. Bones did something unforgettable for my family. I forgot that his men made the same sacrifice.

“Just as you didn’t turn your back on your family when it came to me. We both have loyalties to other people—loyalties that we both respect.”

I tightened my arms across my chest. “I hate this.” I closed my eyes for a brief moment, and that’s when the tears started. “I can’t lose you, okay? I don’t want to feel that agony again. I’m so damn happy, and I never want to not be happy again.”

“I’m happy too, baby. This is the only time I’ve ever been happy—when I found you.”

My eyes softened, just the way they always did when he said something like that.

“Two more times.” His massive shoulders tensed with the words. “That’s it.”

Getting upset wouldn’t change what was about to happen. I had to tuck my chin and prepare for the hit. A part of me wished someone would put me in a coma until he came back, just so I wouldn’t have to suffer the stress.

“Then I’ll never leave again.”

“Okay…”

He crossed the distance between us and moved his palms up my cheeks until his fingertips reached my hair. He tilted my chin up, forcing me to look at him. Instead of kissing me, he gazed into my eyes with the love that thudded deep in his look. His thumb brushed across my bottom lip, and he sighed as he looked down at me. “Where are you going to stay?”

“I don’t know…probably here. I stayed here alone when you were gone.”

His eyes shone with a hint of approval. “You’ll be safe here. Max will around if you need anything.”

“Alright.”

He bent his neck down and gave me a soft kiss on the lips. “I need to make love to you before I go.”

“I didn’t get morning sex today…”

He scooped me up in his powerful arms and cradled me against his chest. “You’ll get it now.”

After Bones was gone, I went back to bed to cry into the sheets. The bed smelled like him, so it was easier to pretend he was still there. My imagination ran wild, and I thought about things I didn’t want to think about…like him being shot between the eyes.

I lay there for a few hours, forgetting about work and the life waiting for me outside the front door. If I stayed in bed until he returned, time would only move more slowly. I was making myself suffer needlessly instead of breathing fresh air and being productive. I reminded myself he only had two missions left. Once they were completed, I would never have to feel this anguish again. We could live a peaceful life, the one we promised to each other. We would find a house close to my parents, get married, and raise a family.

I finally had the courage to go down to the gallery and get some work done. I wasn’t in the mood to paint, so I sat behind the counter and waited for customers to walk inside. Sometimes I would get foot traffic, but most of the time, I was addressing emails from current clients. They contacted me when they wanted to decorate their second home or redo their living room. They already had a few of my paintings, and once they became fans, they preferred to contact me when they wanted something new. Most of the time, tourists only came inside to see Italian craftsmanship. That was fine with me because it was always nice to meet new people and ask how they felt about Florence.

In the late afternoon, my father walked inside.

I wasn’t the least bit surprised. I’d assumed he would show his face after Bones left. I was sure he knew everything about it and wanted to check up on me. I left the chair behind the desk and came around to greet him. “I’m fine.” I blurted out the phrase without bothering with a hello.

He stopped in front of me, a foot taller than me with dark Tuscan skin. He wore the same affection in his eyes, just as he wore his heart on his sleeve. His entire life was devoted to me and Conway; he was a lot more than just a parent. His intelligent eyes scanned mine, seeing the despair written all over my face. “It’s okay if you’re not fine, tesoro. I know this is difficult for you.”

I shrugged it off, trying to be strong like Bones asked me to be. “Just trying to keep busy…”

He glanced around the gallery, seeing that it was completely empty. “How’s that going?”

“It’s been a pretty slow day…too hot.”

He examined the new paintings I had on display, pausing in front of each one to take it in. My father wasn’t an artistic person, but his natural curiosity for everything I did made him seem like an art collector. “This one is my favorite in the batch.” He pointed to an image of a sunset, one Bones and I had seen about a week ago.

“Thanks.”

He walked back to me, his hands sliding into his pockets. “I always want to buy your paintings, but then I realize I would be hogging all of your work…and you wouldn’t have any other clients.”

I knew he was being sincere. “True.”

“You want to get some coffee? Have lunch?”

“Father, you don’t need to check on me every time he’s gone.” I appreciated the concern, but I was a grown woman. Bones fell in love with me because I was tough and fearless. When he wasn’t around, I had to be that same person. I didn’t need a man before he came along. I shouldn’t need one when he was gone.

“Tesoro, you know I’ll always check on you. Even when you’re forty and I’m almost eighty, I’ll still be here…checking on you.”

I smiled. “When you’re almost eighty, I should be the one checking on you.”

He grinned back. “That’s what your mother is for.”

“I’m sure she has better things to do.”

He chuckled. “Yes, she does. So, are you going to stay here until Griffin returns? You know you’re welcome at our place.”

I’d stayed at that apartment when Bones was gone. It didn’t make sense for me to leave now. “I’m fine here. It’s a nice place. Quiet.”

My father didn’t try to convince me otherwise. “The offer always stands if you change your mind.”

“I know.”

“So, how about lunch?” he asked. “Since I’m here, we may as well spend some time together.”

“Sure.”

Father and I went to the café down the road, a place with great coffee and deli sandwiches. We both got the same thing along with two coffees. It was the same place Antonio liked to go to, but I didn’t care if I saw him. I was too upset about Bones’s absence to care about anything else.

Father scanned the café and the events occurring outside the window, always on alert for anything that might happen. It was a hot day in Florence, with scorching temperatures and insane humidity. When October arrived, it would start to cool off again. “I’ve been trying with Griffin, but it doesn’t seem to be getting better.” He looked out the window as he spoke, his sadness obvious in the tone of his voice.

“I know…he’s very stubborn.”

“Your mother told me he forgave her…because she reminds him of his mother.”

Griffin never told me that, and I couldn’t stop my eyes from softening. “That doesn’t surprise me. She’s a pretty great mom.”

“But with me, I’ll always be the man who came between you. I’ll always be the reason you almost ended up with that other young man.” He drank from his coffee, his black wedding ring contrasting against the whiteness of the cup. “I can’t change the past, so I’m not sure what I can do at this point. I guess we’ll just have to deal with it.” He kept his look indifferent even though the pain was deep inside him.

“There’s still hope. He’ll come around.”

“What makes you say that?” He lifted his gaze and looked at me again, his hand gripping the handle of the coffee cup.

“He’s a very stubborn man. He was even more stubborn when we met. But when love looked him in the face, he softened. He softened more and more…until there was no hatred left. He was committed to killing our family for his revenge, and nothing was going to deter him from that. But after enough time had passed, he dropped his pain and turned into a new man. The same thing is happening now. Each time you talk to him, you make a dent in his armor. It gets bigger and bigger every single time. Eventually, you’ll break through it. Trust me.”

He held my gaze without blinking, and after several seconds, he gave a nod. “Then I’ll keep trying.”

“I know you will. I told him you cared about him.”

“I hope he believed you…because I do. I used to hate him so much, but now I admire him. When I asked him to help with the Skull Kings, he immediately agreed. He’s committed to doing right by you, protecting the family he vowed to execute. His love for you has turned him into someone different, but not someone weaker. I wish I’d seen it sooner…things would be so much different if I had.”

I hated seeing my father in regret since it was something he rarely did. He stood by his decisions and didn’t think twice about them. But now he would give anything to erase the past, to accept the man I loved far sooner. “Our separation only solidified our love. It only brought us closer together. In time, he will forgive you. I know he will—and not just for me.”

“I hope you’re right, tesoro. It gives me hope that he’s forgiven your mother.”

“She’s the one who killed his father, so that speaks volumes. You’ll be next.”

“Hopefully.” He drank his coffee then looked out the window again. “Three days, huh?”

“Two and a half,” I said with a sigh. I’d been counting down the hours since he left. I spent most of my days down at the gallery, so we weren’t always together, but knowing he was in danger every single second until he returned is what killed me. It made every hour feel like a lifetime.

My father gave me a slight smile. “He’ll come back. He’s the strongest man I’ve ever met. It would take an entire army to take him down.”

“I hope he never crosses paths with any army…”

“He’ll be fine. Only two left, and it’ll be over.”

I had to focus on that, to remember that this would be over for good eventually. “You asked for his help with the Skull Kings. What does that mean?”

My father sighed before he explained the plan to me. “Griffin has a pretty solid relationship with them. My goal is to pay them off, basically. End the war before it can escalate. Conway is about to be a father, and Griffin is getting out of that life of crime. I want to settle our debts so we can never think about it again.”

“And you’re going with him?” I asked, slightly afraid.

He nodded. “But it’ll be alright, tesoro. I’ve been in worse situations.”

“When is this happening?”

“Once he gets back.”

So Bones would return to me but then take off on another mission. This nightmare would never end.

My father gave me a look of pity. “I wouldn’t have asked him if I had any other choice. He was eager to get on board because he wants to make sure this is done right. He wants all the Barsettis to have peace…since you’re a Barsetti.”

“Now I understand the need for a simple life…what you’ve been talking about all these years.” I wanted to leave my front door open without fear of who might walk inside. I didn’t want to look over my shoulder and expect to see someone following me. I wanted my family to live freely under the sun, unafraid of the past.

My father gave a slight nod. “And we’ll get it, tesoro. I promise.”