Bones packed his bag and placed it by the front door. He was taking a taxi to Florence so I could have the truck while he was gone. He didn’t say much as he got ready that morning. We did our normal routine, making love as soon as the alarm went off before he showered and got dressed.

Now I stood by the front door, dreading the moment I had to say goodbye to him. I loved spending this time with him in Tuscany with my family. It was a dream come true, something I didn’t even know I wanted until I had it. I hadn’t missed Milan once.

He carried a pistol in his hand then placed it in my palm. “It’s loaded. More rounds in the nightstand.”

I gripped the handle and pointed it at the ground.

“But I’m sure you won’t need it.” He stared down at me, bending his neck because I was so much shorter than him.

I didn’t want to sleep in this house alone, not without him there. I felt so exposed, so alone. “I think I’m going to stay with my parents.”

Bones didn’t take the gun away from me. “You should keep it anyway. Put it in your nightstand.”

“Alright.” I set the gun on the entryway table then crossed my arms over my chest.

“This area is perfectly safe, baby. You don’t need to stay with your parents.”

“I want to. I know it’s stupid, but I can’t sleep without you here. I used to do it all the time when I was single. I was never scared of anything. Even after Knuckles, I was fine. But when you came into my life, everything changed. I hate it when you’re gone…” I didn’t want to whine or complain about his job, but I couldn’t lie about the way his absence made me feel. My life was turned upside down when he was gone.

His fingers moved under my chin, and he lifted my gaze to meet his. “I hate it when I’m gone too. I worry about you as much as you worry about me.”

“I doubt that…” He was the one directly putting himself at risk. He was sent off to kill someone, and I was always afraid someone would kill him instead. If Max ever called me and told me Bones would never return, I wouldn’t know how to go on. “I told my father you would stop doing this if I asked you to…” Bones had never said those words to me, had always told me how much his work meant to him. It was his life, and he didn’t just do it for the money. He needed it for his anger, needed it to give him purpose.

He stared at me, his callused fingers rough against my smooth skin. His blue eyes showed his undying affection for me, but there was also a hint of a resistance. His wide shoulders were twice my length, and his arms were thick enough to be tree trunks. His size always made me feel smaller, even smaller than I really was.

“Was I right…?”

His fingers slid down my neck until his hand gripped my waist. He moved into me, his chin moving on top of my head. He pulled me close to him, holding me in the doorway. His fingers gripped the back of my t-shirt, keeping me in place like I might float away. “Yes.” He pressed a kiss to the top of my head. “But please don’t ask me. Don’t ask me to give up my livelihood, my purpose. I would never ask you to stop painting.”

“Painting isn’t dangerous.”

“Doesn’t matter.” He pulled away so he could look at me again.

“If my parents accept us and we move forward…it’s inevitable. I can’t handle you doing this forever. I can’t suffer every single moment you’re gone. Don’t turn me into Cynthia. Don’t come back to me in worse condition than when you left.”

When he sighed, it sounded more like a growl. “I’ve done nothing but make sacrifices for this relationship.”

“I know you have… I know.”

“You’re asking me to give up everything…all that I am.”

“And embrace everything else. You aren’t giving up anything, Griffin. You’re growing into a new man. That’s all.”

“Sounds like the same thing to me.”

“It’s not.” My arms rested on his. “I’m not asking you to make the sacrifice now, but if you’re my husband, you’ll have to do it. I can’t live like that. Don’t make me live like that…please.” I rested my forehead against his chest and closed my eyes. “I love you so much…”

He cupped the back of my head and rested his lips against my forehead. “I know you do, baby.”

I squeezed him with my arms, wanting to hold on to him as long as I could. Once he was gone, I wouldn’t speak to him for almost a week. Every day would feel like an eternity until he was back in my arms. “Please call me when you’re on your way back.”

“I’ll try. But if I don’t, that doesn’t mean anything is wrong.” He pulled away and grabbed his bag from the floor. “I’ll always come back to you, baby. I’ll always do everything I can to make it back to where I belong.”

I wasn’t going to cry because it was pathetic. I’d never been the kind of woman to cry, to let tears streak down my face. I preferred to keep my feelings bottled up inside and forget they existed. I preferred to respond to my pain with smartass comments and sassiness. But with Bones, I couldn’t do that. He stripped away my exterior until the wall surrounding my heart was long gone. Now all that was left was me…just me.

The tears started, and I couldn’t stop them.

He stared at me, his eyes hurt and his jaw clenched in pain. “Baby…”

I wiped my tears away with my fingertips and sniffed. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry. Just don’t cry.” He cupped my cheeks and kissed my tears away, absorbing them with his lips. “I’ll be back. I promise.”

“You can’t make a promise like that.”

“Yes, I can. Because nothing will ever stop me from coming back to you.”

When I got to the winery, I had my bags of clothes in the truck along with the pistol Bones gave to me. I intended to drive to my parents’ place once the workday was over and ask if I could crash there for a few days. That house made me feel safe because my father made sure nothing ever happened to us, and it also chased away the loneliness from my man’s absence.

I headed into the main building and walked to my father’s office. He was usually there as soon as the sun rose, wanting to get his job done so he could run along the fields and then hit his private gym.

I knocked on the door before I stepped inside. “Can I come in?”

“Why do you always ask me that?” my father asked as he made notes with his pen. “When have you ever asked that and I said no?”

Not once. “Never.”

“Exactly.” He kept writing. “What do you need, tesoro?” He finished his note then set down his pen. He leaned back in the leather armchair and looked up at me, his gaze hard like he anticipated I had something important to say about Bones. But then his gaze softened, and the concern started to come into his expression. “Tesoro, what is it? Everything alright?” He shifted from being a man to being a father instantly.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” I cleared my throat. “Would it be okay if I stayed with you and Mama for a few days?”

My father’s eyes shifted back and forth slightly as he looked at me. His wide shoulders seemed to slacken, and the pain on his face mirrored the sadness in my heart. When I saw him interact with others, he didn’t show the slightest hint of empathy or compassion, but with me, when I was in pain, he was devastated. “Our home is always your home, tesoro. But what happened with Griffin?”

“He had to leave for a job…he’ll be back in a few days.” I thought I did a better job of hiding my sadness, but my father could see right through my stoic expression. I’d cried before Bones left, so my eyes were probably still red and puffy.

The sadness disappeared from his gaze, replaced by annoyance and disappointment. “I see…”

“I just don’t like being alone when he’s not there.”

My father rested his fingertips against his lips, looking at me without really seeing me. He seemed to be thinking something else. “I’m trying to like this man, but when you tell me this, it’s hard not to hate him. It’s hard not to hate him when he hurts my daughter.”

“He’s not hurting me. He’s just…”

“Leaving you and risking his life,” he countered. “And making you worry until you’re sick to your stomach. He’s leaving you alone and defenseless. A man never does that to his woman. It makes me respect him less.”

“Did you respect him in the first place?”

He rubbed his fingers over his chin. “A little.”

“Well, he said he would stop if I asked him to…but he doesn’t want me to ask.”

My father dropped his hands into his lap. “So, you’re never going to?”

“No. I told him this has to stop if he wants to marry me, especially when we start a family.”

My father cocked his head slightly, his eyes narrowing. “You talk about that sort of thing?”

I nodded. “Of course.”

“And you really think he’ll stop?”

“He would never lie to me. And he’s already sacrificed so much for me…I don’t think there’s anything he wouldn’t do.”

My father stared at me, his moss-green eyes deep and indecipherable. If we were having a conversation about something else, he would have been a lot more open and vulnerable. But since Bones was involved, he closed up like a clam.

“Father?”

He released a quiet sigh, as if he anticipated the next thing I was going to say. “Yes?”

I looked him straight in the eye, holding my ground in his office. I couldn’t take this indecision anymore, couldn’t handle the painful anticipation of his decision. “I need this man in my life as much as I need you. I need you to accept him. I need him…in ways I can’t explain. So I’m not waiting for your answer anymore. He’s my life. He’s my present, my future…he’ll be my husband and the father of my kids. That’s the end of my story.”

He stared at me, his body so still it was like he wasn’t breathing. Time seemed to slow down as I waited for a response, waited for him to yell at me or accept what I said. The sun was bright outside his window, but the mood in his office was dark and cold. His jaw was clenched, and his eyes were hollow. It didn’t seem like he would say anything at all because the silence spanned several minutes.

Just when I turned to walk out, he spoke.

“Okay.”

I turned back to my father, shocked by the single word he’d just uttered. I had to stare at him to make sure I’d really heard it, that it wasn’t a dream I fabricated myself. “Really…?”

He nodded. “Really.”

Carmen sat across from me at the restaurant, her high cheekbones amplified by the blush that outlined her feminine facial features. Tall and thin, she had luscious brown hair like her mother’s. She had Barsetti olive skin and startling green eyes. She was model material, but she never seemed interested in the runway despite her connections. “This might tick you off a little bit, but I have to say it. Your man is h-o-t. Yes, I had to spell out each letter to get my point across.” She had an iced tea in front of her along with a slice of bread she hadn’t touched.

I wasn’t mad at all. Carmen was my friend and my cousin. She would never stab me in the back or try to cross the line. “I know he is. He’s a very gorgeous man.”

“Where the hell did you find him? I never meet guys like that. Was he at the military tank store?”

I chuckled. “He found me. And I’ve never met a man like him before either. Makes every other guy look like a boy in comparison…” And not just because he told me that. He proved it, time and time again.

“I’ve met a lot of boys too,” she said with a sigh. “They don’t know what they want…how to handle a woman…how to please a woman.” She rolled her eyes. “Most of them are all talk, and when it gets down to the action, they don’t know what the hell they’re doing.”

“Haven’t had much luck in the dating world, then?”

“Did my bitterness not give you a clue?” she asked sarcastically. “I haven’t come close to finding the right guy. And even if I did, I’m not sure any of them would be brave enough to face my father. My father is like a wild animal that can’t be tamed by anyone but my mother. Impulsive, angry, and ridiculous, he can’t stay calm for anything. If I even mentioned a guy, he wanted to interrogate him and his entire family. I know your father is protective of you…but my father is at a whole new level.”

“Yeah…I picked up on that.”

“Nothing would make my father happier than committing me to a nunnery,” she said with a chuckle.

“I doubt that. He wants grandkids.”

“I think he would prefer it if I were alone rather than for me to have children.” She stirred her drink with her straw before she took a sip. “Bones handled my father pretty well. My father was a dick to him, but he never retaliated.”

“He can control his temper…sometimes.”

“I think if he’s willing to go through all of this for you, then he must really love you. And if he really loves you, I don’t think the past matters. I hope our family sees it that way after a while.”

Carmen was the only Barsetti who didn’t hate Bones. Sapphire didn’t hate him either, but since her fiancé did, she couldn’t be openly supportive. My cousin was all I had. “I talked to my father this morning…and he said he accepted him.”

“Really?” she asked in surprise. “What changed his mind?”

“I don’t know. I pretty much demanded for him to accept Bones…so maybe that was it.”

“It’s been six weeks,” she said. “They should have made up their mind a long time ago. Griffin must be relieved.”

I had no way to contact him, so he didn’t have a clue. “He doesn’t know.”

“Why haven’t you told him?”

“He’s in the field right now. He’s unreachable.” I was happy my father finally said yes, but my happiness was masked by my fear. If Griffin didn’t come home, I wouldn’t know what to do with myself. He was my whole life. Every moment that he wasn’t beside me was torture. If anyone ever hurt him, I’d grab every gun I could find and hunt down his killers.

“For how long?”

I shrugged. “Until he decides to call.”

Carmen gave me a sad look. “That’s pretty scary.”

“I hate it. I hate it so much. He told me he would stop if I asked…but he asked me not to ask. But I don’t think I can do this again. When he gets back, I’m going to tell him I can’t handle it anymore. It’s too painful.”

“I think that’s reasonable. My mom would never allow my father to do that.”

“My mom wouldn’t either. It’s a sacrifice he has to make…and I know he’ll make it.”

“When do you think he’ll be back?”

“A few days,” I whispered. “I hope it’s less. I’m staying with my parents in the meantime.”

“Well, he’ll be thrilled when he gets back. Finally having your parents’ permission will be a relief to him.”

Yes, it would be. He battled his frustrations and took my father’s insults in stride, even though he would have killed anyone else who disrespected him like that. Bones was a hard man, and violence was the only solution he could conceive of. But he put aside his rage and focused on winning me—even though he had to swallow so much bullshit in the process. “Yeah, it will. He’ll finally realize it was all worth it.”

“Babe.” She placed her hand on mine. “Even if your parent said no, he would still think it was worth it.”

I smiled at her, knowing she was right.

“I hope one day I find a man who will battle hell for me, the way he does for you.”

“You will, Carmen. And you’ll meet him when you least expect it.”

It was nice to be home again, in the place that harbored so many wonderful childhood memories. The three-story mansion was too big for the four of us, but it somehow felt like the perfect size when we all lived there.

I was back in my old room, my clothes and necessities with me. My queen-size bed seemed too big for me alone. Without Bones beside me, that bed would never be comfortable. I slept in it for so many years, but now it didn’t feel the way it used to.

Now my bed was Bones. His chest, his stomach, his entire physique was my mattress.

I kept looking at my phone, hoping to see a call or text message. It was stupid to expect anything, especially since Bones never contacted me when he was on his missions. This time wouldn’t be any different. I would just have to wait it out.

My phone started to ring, but it was a number I didn’t recognize. I answered it, just in case it was him. “Hello?”

“Hey, Vanessa. How are you?”

The masculine voice sounded familiar, but I couldn’t figure out how I recognized it. “Fine…who is this?”

“You’re kidding me, right?” he asked, slightly angry. “I’ve called you before. You didn’t think I was important enough to be added to your contacts?”

After listening to a few more words, I figured it out. “Max?”

“Yes. Took you long enough.”

“Sorry. I’ll add it this time. Did you need something?”

“No. I’m calling to see if you need anything. It’s my job, remember? I know you’re staying with your parents, but I wanted to check in anyway.”

“How did you know that?”

“Bones told me before he left. And I’ve got your tracker location…”

I didn’t mind that Bones had that information, but it felt weird when someone else had it. “Good to know.”

“So, let me know if you need anything. I can get to you in two hours if you ever need it.”

“I’m not going to need anything, Max. But thanks for offering. By chance…have you talked to him?” He’d only been gone a day, but it felt like a lifetime.

“I just got off the phone with him. He landed in Sydney.”

“Oh…how long do you think it’ll be before he comes home?”

“Anxious, huh?” he asked with a chuckle. “You remind me of Cynthia.”

“I take that as a compliment.” I would worry about Bones until he returned, until I could see him in one piece.

“The job is pretty simple. He could be on the flight back in two days. The man needs to sleep.”

“Will you check in with him again?”

“I will pretty often, actually. Why?”

“Could you tell him I love him?” He already knew how I felt. I said it when he left, tears streaming down my face. I didn’t need to say it now, but I wanted Bones to understand I was thinking about him every moment until he returned.

Max didn’t tease me for it. “Yeah, sure.”

“Also, tell him he better get back to me in one piece…otherwise, I’ll shoot him again.”

Max chuckled. “There’s the woman he fell so hard for. I’ll be sure to tell him.” He hung up.

I went downstairs and joined my family for dinner. Lars made chicken piccata, salad, and fresh bread. I sat on one side of the dining table while they sat on the other. My father was dressed down in a gray t-shirt and black sweatpants that hung low on his hips. In some places, his skin hinted at his age, but his youthful physique made him seem fifteen years younger. Mom was dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, what she usually wore around the house.

My father and I hadn’t talked since our conversation that morning in his office. It was quiet when I sat down, and we started eating without saying a word to each other. My mom didn’t even say anything, and she was the one always trying to make small talk.

“Thanks for letting me stay here.” I had to say something to break the silence, to interrupt the awkwardness that settled between us. While this place felt like home, I knew this was their domain now. I’d moved out of the house years ago and started my own life, so my childhood bedroom wasn’t mine anymore.

“You don’t need to thank us, sweetheart,” Mom said. “This will always be your home. Stay as long as you want.”

“Stay forever,” my father said. “We wouldn’t care in the least.”

“Be careful what you say,” I teased. “This place is pretty big. I could raise a whole family on the second floor, and you wouldn’t even know they were there.”

“You know how much I want grandkids, so that’s fine with me,” Mom said. “I would never say this to Conway, but I wish they’d decided to move closer so I could see my grandbaby more often. Milan is just so far away. If we didn’t have our winery, we would have left a long time ago to be closer to you two.”

“Well, Griffin and I will be here. I don’t know about kids right now…but eventually.”

My father kept eating despite what I said, but my mother stilled at my words. “You guys intend to move here permanently?”

“He knows that’s what I want.”

“And did he agree to give it to you?” Mom asked.

I nodded. “He knows how important you are to me. I loved living in Milan, but ever since I’ve been here, I haven’t missed it. Florence is close by, so I could open my gallery there. In the wintertime, we’ll probably go to Lake Garda because that’s where Griffin likes to spend his winters. But the rest of the time, we can be here.”

Whether my mom liked Griffin or not, having me close by would make her dreams come true. She wanted both Conway and me to be right down the road, but just having one of us would be enough. “Your father told me about your conversation this morning…”

“I assumed so. Does that mean you’re on board too?”

My father drank his wine and watched the two of us, being an observer of the conversation rather than a participant. He’d already said everything he needed to say, and now my mom was the last one to accept the circumstances.

“I trust your father’s instincts,” she said. “If he accepts him, then I can accept him too.”

The moment was so bittersweet I wasn’t sure if I could handle it. It took so much work to get to this moment, and it finally happened. I only wish Bones were there to see it. “Thank you…it means a lot to me.”

“But it’ll take a long time for us to trust him,” Mom said. “He’s welcome in our home and at the winery, and we’ll do our best to be kind and respectful. But prejudices like ours don’t just disappear. It takes a very long time for serious change to happen.”

“That’s fine,” I said quickly. “That’s more than enough. Take your time. Get to know him. Take five years if you need it. I know it’ll happen eventually, that you’ll love him like a son someday. You’ll love him the way you love Sapphire.”

“We spoke to your uncle about it,” my father said. “He’ll behave himself…as best he can.”

“Thanks,” I whispered. “I know that must have been hard for him.”

“The Barsettis are very stubborn and unforgiving,” my father said. “But we also love fiercely. We love you more than words can say…and we’re willing to do anything to make you happy.” He grabbed his wine again and took another drink, his eyes on me. “I just hope you understand the gravity of the situation, the enormous sacrifice we’ve made for you.”

“I do…” Tears almost built up in my eyes, but I made sure they stayed back. “What made you change your mind?” I thought my father would be even more stubborn once Bones was on his mission. I assumed it would make him angry, and he would only hate Bones even more.

My father stared at me for a long time, his gaze more intense than any words he could say. “Seeing how heartbroken you are when he’s gone. If he didn’t come back, I know how devastated you would be. If you love this man that much, I’m not going to keep him from you. Your mother doesn’t want to either.”

The air filled my lungs, full of relief and gratitude. My parents may not like the man I’d chosen, but they respected the love I had for him. They loved me enough that they wanted me to be happy, even if my partner was their last choice. “Thank you…for being so understanding. I know this has been hard for you, for all of us. But I promise you that you won’t regret it.”

“I hope not, sweetheart,” Mom said. “He’s been helpful around the winery, put up with your father and uncle, and apologized to me for what his father did. And he’s been honest since the beginning.”

“Which I respect,” my father added. “I respect a man who doesn’t lie, even when the truth makes him despicable. He’s never pretended to be something that he’s not. Because of that reason, I’m willing to give him a chance. He and I aren’t that different, unfortunately.”

“I know you’ll love him…in time,” I said.

“I’d prefer it if you didn’t tell him what your mother and I have agreed on,” Father said. “I’d like to talk to him first.”

It wouldn’t be hard for me to keep that bottled inside since I couldn’t talk to him anyway. “Okay. I hope that conversation ends with a handshake.” Carmen was the only member of my family who had offered him the courtesy. Everyone else treated him like a criminal the day he set foot in our lives. I knew a handshake from my father would mean a lot to Bones after all the sacrifices he made.

My father didn’t give any indication that it would. “We’ll see.”