I had fifteen paintings in my collection.

I should take them to the winery to be displayed, but asking my parents for help didn’t seem appropriate right now.

There was this distance between us, as if an ocean separated us rather than a few hundred miles. I hated the way it felt, to be closed off from the people I was closest to. I suspected they hadn’t told Conway or anyone else yet. Otherwise, Conway and Sapphire would be calling me right now.

Inspiration didn’t come to me that afternoon, so I didn’t work in the art room.

I moped around the house all day while Bones worked in his office.

I hated being patient. I hated waiting to know the outcome of this nightmare. It didn’t seem like it could ever work, but then again, I hadn’t believed my parents could be so understanding of it this far.

So maybe anything was possible.

I went back into our bedroom and opened my drawers. Inside were different lingerie options, some I’d already worn and others I hadn’t touched. I picked a purple one and put it on before I walked to his office.

When I was most upset, I turned to Bones for reassurance. When he was buried between my legs with his lips pressed against my ear, I wasn’t afraid of anything. All I thought about was him, the way he told me he loved me when he made love to me. That was what I wanted now, a distraction, so I wouldn’t think about the pain in my life.

I stepped in the entryway and looked at him sitting behind his desk, his broad shoulders powerful. Ink ran all over his chest and shoulders, highlighting the impressive muscles underneath the skin. His deadliness was beautiful; his eyes drops of beauty in a sea of terror.

He slowly looked at me from top to bottom as he sat behind his desk, studying the purple push-up bra and matching thong. I was barefoot because he liked me that way. The color went well with my skin tone, and he’d always been attracted to the dark color of my skin.

His eyes slowly made their way back up to mine, his face hard with devastating masculine features. His hard jaw was a stark line in comparison to his neck and shoulders. His jaw was cleanly shaven from his shower that morning, revealing the fair skin I liked to kiss.

He rose from his chair and walked toward me, his sweatpants low on his hips and his chest bare. He pressed me against the frame of the doorway and angled his neck down to kiss me. His hands immediately went to my tits, and he squeezed them, his large palms aggressive.

I breathed into his mouth, feeling the bumps form on my skin at his touch. The second we were connected, I forgot about the turmoil in our lives. I only thought about the man I loved, the mountain that protected me from the wind and the rain.

He lifted me into the air with a single arm and pulled me to his chest as he carried me to the bedroom. His mouth was still on mine, never breaking our kiss as he moved me into the other room.

He laid me on the bed and dropped his sweatpants and boxers to reveal his impressive dick. “You want me to make love to you, baby?” He widened my legs then pressed kisses to the insides of my thighs, his soft lips devouring my sensitive skin.

I arched my back and ran my fingers through my hair as I felt him kiss me. “I want you to kiss me…”

“Where?” He inched his mouth closer to the apex of my thighs, knowing exactly what I wanted.

“You know where…”

“Tell me.” He kissed the skin right next to my panties, not going any closer.

I growled through my teeth then pushed my panties down my body, wanting me to be available to his mouth. “Here.”

He pulled my panties off the rest of the way then lowered himself onto the bed, scooping his hands around my thighs and holding himself on his elbows. He pressed a kiss to my aching clitoris before he began.

My head rolled back, and I moaned in pleasure. “Yes…right there.”

He circled my nub with his tongue, his warm breath escaping across my folds. He sucked and kissed the area before his tongue dived into my slit, adding his saliva to my already weeping arousal.

“Griffin…” No man had ever done this to me, and I didn’t understand how amazing it could feel until he put his mouth there.

“You want to come, baby? Or you want to wait for me?”

I wanted to wait, but I didn’t think I could. I was too deep into this, too deep into how good it felt. If I had to stop, I’d cry. “Make me come…”

He was rougher with me, sucking and biting my clit with aggression. He stimulated me harder and deeper, his tongue doing amazing things just like his dick could. He pushed hard until I was on the edge, about to explode in a fiery wave of pleasure.

Then he gave it to me, providing me one of the greatest highs I’d ever experienced.

Without thinking, I grabbed his face and pulled him harder into me, my hips bucking against him as I got off to his amazing mouth. I could feel his hard jaw against me, and that made it even better. It felt so good I knew I needed to give him an amazing blow job as a thank you. “God…yes.” I ran my hand through my hair as I closed my eyes, treasuring the memory of that satisfying orgasm.

He pulled his mouth away and held himself on top of me, his lips shining with the evidence of my arousal. “You like that, baby?” He kissed my stomach and moved his lips along my rib cage.

“Yes.”

“Has a man ever done that to you?”

“No.”

“Good thing I was your first. You would have been disappointed by the others.” He grabbed my hips and dragged me to the edge of the bed so his cock could press against my wet folds. He prepared to slide inside me.

“Wait.” I pressed my hands against his rock-hard abs.

“Yes, baby?” He ground his cock against my folds, his throbbing length created the perfect friction against my swollen clit.

“How do you want me?”

His eyes narrowed in interest. “In every way imaginable.”

“You know what I mean. How do you want to give me your come?”

His eyes darkened, like I’d said the perfect words to get his engine revving. His hands released my hips, and he moved up the bed until he was against the headboard. His long cock rested against his stomach. He beckoned me to him with a slight nod of his head.

I straddled his hips and gripped his shoulders, crawling on a mountain of solid rock. I kept my bra on, my tits pressed tightly together with a noticeable line of cleavage between them. I looked into his eyes, seeing the same arousal I’d just felt when his mouth was between my legs.

He hooked his arm around my waist and pulled me up slightly as he pointed his cock to my entrance. Then he nudged me down, making me slide all the way until his entire length was inside me.

I felt my body tighten around him, his large size stretching me wide apart. It always took time for my body to accommodate him. He was a monster compared to my petiteness. My arms wrapped around his neck, and I pressed my forehead to his while I sat on his lap, being claimed by his throbbing dick.

He gripped my ass with his big hands and kissed the corner of my mouth. “Nice and slow, baby.” He pulled me up by my cheeks, directing me up and down his length. His mouth moved to my neck, and he kissed me softly, his lips trailing over my pulse and everywhere else. He thrust up slightly, giving me his length at the same speed I lowered myself onto him.

“You never like it slow.”

He pressed his mouth to my ear and breathed into my canal, his hot breaths showing his arousal. “I do with you.”

Bones asked me to dinner, so we got dressed up and went to a nice place down the road.

Going out for a meal wasn’t really our thing.

But since we weren’t hiding anymore, there was no reason why we couldn’t.

I wore a little black dress, and he wore black slacks with a dark blue collared shirt. He hardly dressed up, so when he did, he looked delicious. His broad shoulders looked even wider in the fitted fabric, and seeing his shirt tucked into his tight slacks showed off the firmness and hardness of his physique.

There was one drawback to going out.

I couldn’t stop staring at him—but that was true for everyone else too.

We both had a glass of wine with dinner, and instead of scanning the people in the restaurant, Bones stared at me with his soulful blue eyes. Head slightly tilted and his fingers on his glass, he looked at me like we were completely alone inside that restaurant.

I was used to the look, but I never got tired of it. “Why do we go out if we do the exact same thing at home?”

“I like to show you off.”

“You hate it when men stare at me.”

“But I like watching them turn away when they see me with you.” Innately arrogant, he lifted the corner of his mouth in a smile. “Besides, it’s nice not to cook once in a while.”

“Is that a jab at me?” I asked.

“It wouldn’t kill you to open a cookbook.”

My eyes narrowed, but I didn’t glare at him because I knew he was being playful. “I’m an artist, not a chef.”

“And I’m a killer, but I manage to do both.”

It shocked me he made that confession out loud in a public place. He really wasn’t scared of anyone. I sipped my wine and watched the waiter set our dishes in front of us. Bones always ordered something boring, like fish and greens. I got pasta because there was nothing better in the world than hot noodles, sauce, and cheese. “My parents haven’t called me, and it’s been over a week. I guess I should call them tomorrow.” Bones and I hadn’t talked about that day since it happened. We spent our time pretending there was nothing wrong.

He dropped his look and drank from his glass.

I caught the movement. “Why do I feel like you know something?”

He shrugged and returned his wine to the table. “Maybe I do.”

“And what would that be?”

He held my gaze for a long time before he answered. “Your father called me the other night. We went to Bellissima and had a good talk.”

I almost dropped my glass. “Where was I?”

“Asleep.”

“Why didn’t you tell me this until now?”

“There’s really nothing to talk about.”

“Uh, I disagree. I want to know everything.”

Like this was completely casual, he picked up his fork and dug into his salad. “It was a conversation between men, baby. He asked me a lot of questions, drilled into me like an enemy, and we parted ways with the same mutual dislike.”

My heart fell into my stomach even though his words weren’t the least bit surprising. “So, he’s made no progress in accepting you?”

“No, not really.”

I crossed my arms over my chest and sighed.

“And this is why I didn’t want to mention it.”

Now our evening together was ruined, and I didn’t have an appetite. A delicious meal was placed in front of me, but all I could think about was the tense conversation my father had with the man I loved.

Bones glanced down at my food. “Eat. Otherwise, you’re just going to watch me eat.” He stuck his fork into his salmon and took a bite, his angular jaw moving as he chewed. There was nothing he did that wasn’t sexy. Every movement he made exuded masculinity.

I wasn’t going to let this delicious dinner go to waste, so I stuck my fork into the pasta and forced myself to eat. Once the cheese and sauce hit my tongue, my appetite returned. I hadn’t been exercising as much since I’d shacked up with Bones so now I had a bit of a tummy, but the food was so good I didn’t care. And Bones didn’t seem to mind the weight I’d put on. “He told me he would try…” I should change the subject, but I couldn’t.

“He said the same to me.”

“Does it seem like he is?”

Bones chewed his food thoroughly before he swallowed. “Yes. He wouldn’t have talked to me for an hour otherwise.”

“What did he ask you?”

He kept eating his dinner, taking his time as if I hadn’t just asked him a question. “How we met. How our relationship started. Things like that.”

“And did you tell him…?”

“The whole truth and nothing but the truth.”

“You’re serious?” I asked in shock.

He nodded. “I told your father I would never lie to him, and because of that, I told him to seriously consider his questions before he asked them. He might not want the answers. But he asked them anyway.”

“So you told him you tased me?”

He nodded.

“And he was just fine with that?”

“No…he was pretty angry. But he didn’t strike me. He didn’t hesitate to insult me though…called me trash. I think that’s his nickname for me.” He brushed off the conversation like it wasn’t as intense as it really was.

“And you told him you were going to kill me?”

He nodded. “Yeah. But I also told him you’re such an incredible woman that the last thing I ever wanted to do was hurt you…so I didn’t. He knew you shot me, and I told him that only made me respect you more. I told him you’re the kind of woman who turned me into a man. All I want to do is protect you, and I would take a bullet for you in a heartbeat.”

“Did you tell him you asked me to sleep with you to keep my family safe?” There was no way my father would look the other way on that one.

“No. But I told him I never raped you. He got a little emotional at that part.”

I couldn’t even imagine how that made him feel. Something like that happening to me was his worst nightmare.

“I told him everything he wanted to know without holding back. But I also reminded him that none of that matters because that’s not how we are now. You never wanted to love me and did your best not to. This isn’t something that either of us can control. I told him I was the perfect man for you because I could protect you and provide for you. I would do anything for you, die for you. I emphasized all of that because that’s what’s most important right now. But truth be told, I don’t think he’s ever going to look past everything else…not that I blame him.”

“Yeah…”

“I told him I wouldn’t stand in the way if he doesn’t approve of me. If we can’t make this work, I’ll bow out. I wouldn’t ever ruin your relationship with your family. I understand how much they mean to you.”

My eyes softened, the guilt hurting my chest. My father obviously told Bones about the deal he’d made with me.

“I meant what I said, and I hope that makes him understand how much I love you…because I’m willing to lose everything for you to be happy.” His eyes moved down to his plate as he kept eating.

I took a deep breath, feeling twinges of pain inside my chest. Bones was a remarkable man, selfless and loving. “You saying that should be enough for my father to accept you.”

He kept eating, his eyes downcast.

“We’re not going to lose, Griffin. This is going to work.”

He finished the food on his plate, taking the final bites until his plate was clean. He hadn’t looked at me yet, like he was tuning out everything I just said. He grabbed his wine and took a long drink, his throat shifting as he swallowed.

“I’ll make it work, alright?”

He set his glass down and looked at me, his blue eyes unreadable. “Baby, I’ll do my best to get your father to accept me. But I’m not going to change who I am to make him like me more. And you’re going to have to accept the fact that there’s a good chance this won’t happen. Your father has to look past a lot of crimes I’ve committed, my family history, along with everything else. It would be unrealistic to expect him to be okay with all of that. I’m not going to get my hopes up. Neither should you.”

“Please don’t say that…” I’d never been happier in my life than I was with Griffin. I loved sharing his bed every night. I loved seeing him first thing in the morning. I loved making love to him, feeling his powerful body sink me into the mattress. I’d never felt this way about anyone else. I didn’t want just to live in the present with him, but share my entire lifetime at his side. Losing him was something I couldn’t even contemplate. “I can’t live without you.”

His expression didn’t change, his eyes just as stern as they were before. “Yes, you can, baby. Don’t forget how strong you are.”

“I’m stronger when I’m with you.”

His blue eyes showed his unbreakable power, the way he kept his emotions bottled deep inside even when he was upset.

“You act like my father’s decision has already been made.”

“Because it has,” he said simply. “I want to enjoy the rest of the time I have with you. But we both know how this is going to end.”

Tears welled up in my eyes. “You’re supposed to fight for me…”

“Why do you think I continue to let your father call me trash? Every time I stop myself from punching him in the face, I’m fighting for you. But I’m not going to come between you and your family. I love you too much to do that. You can always find another man. You can’t find another father or mother. Treasure them while you have them…because they’ll be gone before you know it.”

“I don’t want another man, Griffin. I want you.” I quickly wiped the tears away, not wanting them to ruin my makeup when we were in public. “I’m never going to love anyone the way I love you.”

“You’re going to have to try.” He turned his gaze away, looking at everyone sitting in the restaurant.

I kept my emotions in check, but only barely. My heart was breaking, and I felt sick to my stomach. Bones predicted the end of this relationship, and the fact that he was probably right made me incredibly weak. I couldn’t lose my family, but the idea of moving on from him and trying to find someone else to love was sickening. What we had was a love that couldn’t be described. It was powerful, beautiful, rare. I didn’t want to let it go. Not now.

Not ever.

I locked my ankles together around his waist and held on to the back of his neck as he thrust inside me, pushing me hard into the mattress as his large dick hit me in the right spot over and over.

He breathed into my ear, his arousal coming out as sexy pants.

I squeezed his hips with my thighs as I dragged my nails down his back. Once we’d walked in the door, he slipped off my heels and took me to bed. He made love to me without my having to ask, knowing I wanted him just like this.

I needed him just like this.

“Griffin…” My fingers moved through his hair, and I moaned toward the ceiling.

“Baby.” He lifted himself so he could look down at me, his expression hard and sexy. With blue eyes the color of the ocean, he looked at me like I was his paradise. He thrust into me hard but made his strokes nice and slow, trying to make this last as long as possible. Without blinking, he kept his gaze on me, like I was the sexiest thing in the world. It was the same look he gave me every hour of the day, but when he was deep inside me, it was more intense.

I never wanted him to give that look to anyone else.

The idea of him moving on with someone else caused me so much pain.

I wanted him all to myself. I never wanted to share. “I love you…” My hands gripped his shoulders as I felt his thickness stretch me wide apart.

He rocked into me nice and unhurriedly, making my toes curl because it was just as good slow as it was fast. He was an enormous man who covered me completely like a blanket, the sweat from his chest dripping onto my chest as he moved. Even when he did all the work, he never seemed to mind. He just enjoyed being deep between my legs, conquering me on his bed while I confessed just how deeply I loved him. “I love you too, baby.”

I cupped his cheek and kissed him, and our lips moved together with the same passion as other parts of our bodies. I breathed into his mouth and let out a moan, feeling the chemistry ignite between us. When I had all of him, it was always my breaking point. It was always the moment that pushed me over the edge. “Right there…”

He gave me his tongue and thrust into me a little harder, keeping his kiss going at the same time. He gave it to me deep, hitting my clit with the perfect amount of friction. “Come all over my dick, baby.”

I was already sheathing him in all of my cream, all of my arousal. My hands wrapped around his body, and my nails anchored into his back. I moaned against his mouth, exploding around his dick as I lost my breath. “Yes…”

He watched my performance, his eyes focusing on my open mouth as well as my eyes. “So. Fucking. Beautiful.” His eyes darkened in intensity as he watched me finish, his cock thickening slightly inside me as he reached his trigger.

I grabbed his ass and pulled him deep inside me. “Come inside me.”

He gave his final pumps before he released, groaning as his cock twitched with pleasure. He dumped everything inside me, filling me with his heavy seed. It exploded inside me, warm and with significant weight. I’d never let a man come inside me before Griffin, and now I understood just how good it felt. But I suspected it wouldn’t have felt so good with anyone else.

He kept kissing me even when he was finished, his cock slowly softening inside me. It was one of those nights when the sex didn’t seem to end. We kept wanting more, wanting to treasure every moment we had with each other because this relationship could be over tomorrow. I wanted to be stuffed with his come, to have his seed spill out on the sheets once he pulled out.

“You like taking my come even more than I like giving it,” he whispered against my mouth.

“Yes. Every drop.”

I was sitting in the art room drinking wine when my mom called me.

I hadn’t talked to her since that afternoon at the house. There was a heavy silence between us, an awkwardness neither one of us wanted to address. I’d never felt so distant from her, like another conversation could destroy what little connection we had left.

I answered. “Hey, Mama.”

“Hey, sweetheart.” She spoke the same words as she did before, but her tone was certainly different. “What are you doing?”

“Painting and drinking wine.”

“That sounds like a nice afternoon.”

My man was down the hall, and I wore his baggy shirt as I worked. It was definitely nice. “It is. I actually have a lot of paintings I need to give to you.”

“How many?”

“About fifteen.”

“Wow, that is a lot,” she said. “But I know they’ll sell. You seem to get better with every piece.”

“My technique does seem to get a little stronger.” I wasn’t sure if she was going to bring up Bones or not. I wasn’t sure if I was going to either. As if that afternoon had been a nightmare, both of us wanted to forget about it.

“Your father and I are in town for work. Thought we could get dinner or something.”

Was the invite just for me? Or both of us? “Yeah, that would be nice.”

“Are you guys free around seven?”

So he was invited. “Yeah.”

“You want to meet us there? I can text you the address.”

“Sounds good to me.”

“Alright. See you then, sweetheart.”

“Mom?” I knew how hard this was for her. She was trying so hard to pretend everything was normal, but she detested this situation as much as my father did. She just did a better job of hiding it.

“Yeah?”

“Thanks…for trying. It means a lot to me.” The thought of losing Bones made me realize how much he meant to me. I didn’t want to say goodbye. I’d already done that once, and it didn’t work. Every man after him wouldn’t compare. I might get married someday, and in the back of my mind, I would always know my husband was second-best.

“Of course. Your painting expressed everything you’ve never told me with words.”

I knew it expressed the depth of my emotion, the powerful love that sank all the way down to my bones. “I’ll see you soon.”

I wore tight jeans with a white top and a black sweater. Black booties were on my feet, and I had a gray scarf around my neck. Spring had arrived, but it wasn’t exactly warm yet. That evening in particular, there was a strong breeze filled with the coldness of old snow.

Bones wore black slacks and a gray collared shirt, his dress clothes fitting his muscular body to a T. With sculpted arms, narrow hips, and a tight stomach, he looked undeniably handsome. Even when his ink was hidden, he had a profound appearance of deadliness. He exuded terror, a persona no one crossed. He wore a nice watch that I only saw him wear when he got dressed up, and his dress shoes were so shiny because he hardly ever wore them.

I knew he went the extra mile for me.

We stepped inside the elevator and rode it to the lobby. Bones didn’t show his displeasure over our dinner plans even though he was probably dreading them. Anytime he was with my father, he turned into a punching bag of insults.

I looked at him, seeing him display the same indifferent exterior he always had plastered on his face. “Thanks for doing this…”

The doors opened, and he stepped out first. “Don’t overthink it.”

“Overthink it? This is going to be just as shitty as last time.”

“Then there’s no reason to stress about it. We know what’s gonna happen.” We got into his truck then headed down the road. The restaurant we were going to was close by. It was a nice place, but more on the casual side of the spectrum. It was a restaurant we’d never been to before, and I suspected that was because my father wanted to go to a place where he didn’t know the owner.

The closer we got to the restaurant, the more my heart started to palpitate. My palms were sweaty and cold at the same time. Nothing would happen tonight that was worse than what had already happened, but there was so much at risk.

My happiness.

I needed my family to accept him, but unless I held a gun to their head and forced them, I didn’t think it was possible.

Bones parked the truck in the parking lot then turned to me. “You need to relax, baby.”

“I didn’t say anything,” I said defensively.

“You don’t need to say anything to tell me how you feel. You’re wound up so tight you might snap in half.” He grabbed my hand and brought it to his lips to kiss it. “Be yourself. Talk to them the way you normally do. The more casual you make it, the easier it’ll be for them.”

“My father doesn’t like casual. He likes intensity as much as you do.”

“But your mother doesn’t. While your father is the head of the household, she calls all the shots. If she wants me to stay, she has the power to make it happen. Remember that.”

“But she’s probably the one more likely to say no…” She’d been the victim of his father when she was my age. It was the kind of suffering you didn’t just forget about.

“Women are more compassionate than men. But she’s also more logical than your father. She can separate emotional thinking from logical thinking.”

“You gathered all of this from being around them a few times?”

He shrugged. “They’re pretty easy to read. One thing is clear…they’re a team. Your father might be the only one in the room with me sometimes, but he definitely discusses everything with her. After all, she was the one who killed my father. I’ve been told she stashed a knife inside her stitches, and then when she was alone with him, she ripped the knife out and stabbed him to death.”

My jaw dropped. “Jesus Christ…”

He nodded.

“Fucking badass.”

Bones didn’t crack a smile, probably because his father was the victim of the situation. He didn’t get mad about it either, understanding my family had every right to do what they did. “My father actually captured your uncle. Held him as captive and asked to switch him for your mom. Crow wouldn’t do it, obviously. Your mother made the switch behind his back. She saved your uncle and killed my father all on her own.”

I knew my mother was a strong woman, but I had no grasp of her true bravery. She willing went back to her former tormentor to save my father’s brother. She killed him on her own—with no one’s help. I knew exactly where my strongest qualities came from, but now I was even more proud of them. “Wow…”

“Point is, she has as much power in the decision as he does.”

“But you’ve never tried talking to her.”

“Like your father wants me anywhere near her. That would cross the line. I would call her or stop by for a private conversation, but that would piss off your father so much that it would be counterproductive.”

When it came to my mother, my father did turn into a guard dog.

“Let’s go.” He killed the engine, and we hopped out of the truck.

Bones didn’t hold my hand or show me any kind of affection. All he did was open the door for me, and to anyone watching us, we would seem like two people who hardly knew each other—not lovers.

My parents had a table in the corner, with significant space around it as if it was a table they gave to customers who required a lot of privacy. The other tables were filled with families and couples enjoying wine and their dinner.

Bones let me walk first, and I headed to the table with dread in my heart. My father didn’t even look at me because he was too busy staring at Bones, like he suspected my lover would make a sudden movement and kill everyone in the restaurant.

It made me sick.

My mother rose from her seat and greeted me with a hug. Nothing could stop her from smiling at me, regardless of how she felt about the man standing behind me. Her eyes glowed with happiness anytime she looked at me, like she always missed me—no matter what our circumstances were. “Hey, sweetheart.”

“Hey, Mama.”

She squeezed my arm before she stepped aside so I could greet my father. She looked at Bones like she didn’t know what to do. She stared at him with her blue eyes, examining him not with hatred but reluctance. “I feel rude not shaking your hand, but I’m just not ready for that yet…”

Bones didn’t seem the least bit offended. “I understand.”

My father hugged me next, embracing me the way he always did. He squeezed me and kissed me on the forehead, treasuring me with his unconditional love. He hated the man I was sleeping with and thought I was stupid for being with him, but that would never change the way he felt about me. “Tesoro, you look nice.”

“Thanks, Father.”

When my father looked at Bones, his affection disappeared instantly. The only greeting he gave Bones was a cold look.

Bones didn’t wait for the handshake that wasn’t coming. He pulled out the chair so I could sit down and took a seat in the other chair.

“It’s nice to see both of you,” Bones said politely.

My father stared at him like he’d just heard an insult instead of a greeting.

My mother was the only one who could say something back. “Thank you.” She grabbed her menu and looked down at it.

Bones didn’t seem to care about the cold response. He would normally have his arm resting on the back of my chair or his hand on my thigh, but he didn’t do either of those things. He kept his hands in his lap, taking up as little space as possible. He was by far the most handsome man in the room, gorgeous from head to toe. If I weren’t so involved in the situation, I would be pissed about all the women making eyes at him.

My father sat directly across from Bones with the menu in his hands. He barely looked at the menu for more than a few seconds before he looked at Bones again, like he might miss something important.

Things seemed to be getting worse rather than better.

“What are you getting?” I asked Bones as I held my menu for him to read.

“Salmon.”

“You always eat fish.”

He shrugged. “I like it.”

“Well, I’m getting the lasagna.” I shut my menu then grabbed the piece of bread from the basket.

“Good choice,” he said.

My mother shut her menu then grabbed her glass of red wine. “So…how are you?” There was no good way to break the ice between all of us. This was a terrible situation, uncomfortable for everyone.

“Good,” I answered. “I’ve been working on my artwork. Griffin has been working in his office a lot.”

“Are you painting at his place?” Mom asked quizzically.

A part of me wanted to lie, but I knew we had to be honest about everything. “Griffin made me an art studio at his place. It has a large window that overlooks the city, and it has the perfect morning light. It has enough room for all my supplies.”

“Oh, that’s nice,” Mom said. “That explains how you can fit all those paintings somewhere.”

My father set down his menu and stared at Bones without blinking.

Bones held his gaze, maintaining the standoff.

God, this was bad.

“Are you two living together?” Mom asked, her eyebrow raised.

“No,” I said quickly. “I just spend a lot of time there. After the whole thing with Knuckles, my apartment has never felt the same.”

My father’s eyes shifted to me. “Why didn’t you tell me that? I could have gotten you a better place. I could have bought you anything you wanted—”

“I didn’t tell you because I knew that was exactly what you would say,” I said quickly. “I don’t want your money, Father. I’ve already taken enough from you.”

“I don’t mind giving it to you, tesoro,” he said. “I would much rather you take my money than stay with trash like him.”

I respected my father’s anger, but I was getting fed up with the insults. “Stop talking to him like—”

“Let it go,” Bones said. “It’s fine. He can call me whatever he wants.”

“And I will.” My father clenched his jaw. “And I can get you a new place to stay.”

“It’s not just about the place,” I said. “I just like knowing…” I didn’t finish my sentence, not wanting to share anything too intimate that would make the conversation even more tense. “He makes me feel safe. I already said that.”

“Conway is right down the road,” my father said. “You can stay with him.”

“He’s getting married and has a baby on the way,” I said. “He doesn’t want me there.”

“Then find another guy,” my father countered. “A better one, and one who isn’t a murderer.”

Bones kept a straight face, taking all of this with no reaction. He was the kind of man who shut down insults before they were even uttered. He wasn’t afraid to cause a scene or tell someone off. But he kept his silence—for me.

“Father, stop,” I said, keeping my voice low because we were in public. “I don’t need a man to take care of me or make me feel safe. That’s not the purpose of having someone. But Griffin makes me feel invincible, like nothing could ever hurt me. I’m not afraid of someone coming through the front door to hurt me because he would never let that happen. Just the way you make Mom feel safe, I feel safe with him. And I don’t feel that way with just anyone.”

“You don’t feel safe with me?” my father asked. “My whole life, all I’ve done is keep you safe. I’m telling you now, I don’t like the man you’ve chosen, and I don’t trust him. But now, you don’t listen to me.”

“It’s not the same thing, and you know it,” I said quietly. “And you told me you would try, but it doesn’t seem like you’re putting in any effort at all. The second you look at him, it’s like we’re starting over from the beginning again. We need to move forward, make progress. This man means everything to me. I want this to work…I need it to work.” I didn’t want to get emotional in the restaurant, but my eyes were welling up with tears.

Bones turned toward me. “Vanessa, it’ll be alright.” He kept his voice quiet, so quiet I wasn’t sure if anyone else could hear it.

“I’ve already told you that I would leave him if we couldn’t get past this,” I said, ignoring Bones’s attempt to calm me down. “I’ve already shown you how much you mean to me, even if that hurts Griffin. Now you need to meet me halfway. You aren’t even trying. All you do is insult him over and over, and it needs to stop.”

My father didn’t show a hint of remorse. “I told you I wouldn’t be nice to him.”

“And that’s fine with me,” Bones said. “Let it go, Vanessa. I told you I’m bulletproof.”

My father’s gaze shifted back to him, the anger still heavy.

I ran my fingers through my hair, my insides ripped apart. “Just try. You said you would, and you aren’t.”

My mother turned to my father. “She’s right, Crow.”

My father breathed through his flared nostrils, irritated.

“We need to uphold our end of the deal,” my mother said. “Insulting him and ignoring him don’t qualify.”

“What do you want me to say?” my father demanded. “You want me to ask about work? Have fun killing people this week? Or you want me to ask about his family? About his rapist father and his whore mother?”

Bones took a deep breath, the insult piercing him.

“Father.” I glared at him. “Leave his mom out of it. She had nothing to do with anything that happened to us.”

“She fucked my enemy,” my father said. “So she’s my enemy.”

I hated my father like this. I hated his cruelty. I didn’t even recognize him anymore.

My mom rested her hand on his shoulder. “Crow—”

My father pushed his chair back as he stood up. He stormed out of the restaurant, obviously having no intention of returning. He weaved through the tables then disappeared out the entryway.

None of us moved.

Mom didn’t go after him.

I wanted to cry. I wanted to sob to myself like there was no one around.

Bones stood up next.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

“Have dinner with your mother.” He pushed his chair in and walked behind me. “I’ll talk to your dad.”

“Just leave him alone,” I said. “You can’t talk to him like this.”

He leaned down toward me, one hand on the table. “Watch me.” He kissed my temple before he walked away and left the restaurant.

I turned back to my mom, my eyes still wet. “I hate this…I hate this so fucking much.”

My mother gave me a look of pity, a sadness in her eyes and her frown. “I know you aren’t used to seeing your father like this. It’s been a while since I’d seen him behave this way. It’s as if he’s returned to thirty years in the past. His life of peace has been disturbed, and he can’t stand it.”

“Well, it’s the first time in my life I’ve been happy, and I don’t want to lose it.”

“You’ve been happy before, sweetheart.”

“Not like this.” I stared at the flickering candle between us. “Mom, I love him. I know he’s the worst possible person I could pick, but it’s how I feel. I’ll never love anyone else the way I love him. I wish you understood that…”

She watched me, her blue eyes gentle. “I do understand, Vanessa. I can see it written all over your face. I can see it expressed in your artwork. I can see the depth of your feelings and the complicated layers surrounding it. It’s not that I don’t understand. Sometimes, we can’t choose who we love.”

“Then why can’t you guys just accept him?”

“Vanessa, while you may love him with all your heart, it’s difficult to expect us to forget everything we’ve been through. It was before your time, so it’s hard for you to comprehend, but his father did many terrible things to us…”

My heart broke when I imagined what that man had done to my mother. “But he’s not him. You’re punishing him for something he didn’t do.”

“Up until he met you, he didn’t seem to be that different.”

“But he is different. He would never hurt me or any of you.”

“You’re right,” she said. “He probably wouldn’t. But you’re asking us to welcome a man into our family that we despise. Remember, who you marry is who we marry. He will be a son to your father. He is the last man your father wants to have as a son, the son of his greatest enemy.”

“Let’s not skip to marriage just yet,” I said. “I just want you to accept the fact that I’m dating him.”

“Are you telling me you don’t want to marry him?” She raised an eyebrow. “Because if this isn’t serious, then it’s not worth our heartache.”

“Yes, I do want to marry him.” I didn’t want to say the words out loud because it would make losing him more painful. “I want a family and a life together. There’s probably someone out there better suited for me, but I don’t want that person. I want him.”

She sighed quietly under her breath.

“I’m begging you.”

She looked away, as if she couldn’t handle my emotion.

“He said he would let me go if you didn’t approve of him. If that’s not a declaration of true love, then what is?”

“I’m not denying that he loves you. He wouldn’t put up with your father if he didn’t. He obviously doesn’t scare easily, and I respect him for that. He’s fighting for you, taking insults when he would normally kill the man who issued them. But you’re asking us to love him too…and I’m not sure if we can.”

“You said you would try,” I whispered. “You aren’t trying.”

“I know.” She closed her eyes for a brief moment. “You’re right. It’s hard to try when the only thing connecting us is something we don’t speak of. The name Bones hasn’t been said in our home for thirty years. Your father forbade anyone from saying that name. And now the door to our past has reopened, and it seems like we’ll never escape it.”

“Maybe you aren’t supposed to escape it. Maybe this is the closure everyone needs. What better way to end the blood war for good than to welcome him into our family?”

My mother didn’t give a response, her lips pressed together tightly.

“You told me Father wasn’t perfect. He was cold and cruel. You said he wasn’t easy to love and he refused to love you. It sounds like he wasn’t much better than Bones. He did criminal things for a living. He’s killed people too. Maybe I don’t understand the full story, but it sounds to me like our stories are extremely similar. But you loved Father, and I see how much he loves you every day. How is it any different?”

She didn’t answer, staring at me with a guarded gaze.

“How is it any different?” I repeated.

“It just is, Vanessa.”

Silence settled between us, the quiet full of discomfort. She tucked her hair behind her ear, her button wedding ring catching the light. “We will try to overcome this, Vanessa. We’ll try harder. Don’t expect this to happen overnight. It’ll take time.”

“That’s fine,” I said. “But anytime you’re in the same room together, all Father does is yell at him.”

“I know,” she said quietly. “I’ll talk to him about that…again. He can’t see straight when it comes to you. He gets very emotional and aggressive. He’s so angry because he loves you so deeply, but he’s also trying to make this work because he loves you so deeply. He’s at war with himself, and he has no control over it.”

“Yeah…I can see that.”

She placed her hand on mine. “I want you to be happy. I really do.”

“I know, Mama…”

“Just be patient with us. It seems like Griffin is more than patient with us.”

“He’ll do anything for me. It wasn’t easy for him to let go of his hate. It took a long time. But he finally did it, so I know he understands it’ll take you a while to feel the same. I would just like it if we could be in the same room without…everything going to shit.”

“Me too,” she said. “Maybe we’ll get there eventually.”

“Yeah…maybe.”