Bosco walked me to the elevator.

I hit the code on the wall so the doors would open, but I didn’t step inside. I turned around and faced the handsome man with the pretty blue eyes. Everything about him was rough, from his body to his personality. But those eyes shone like two orbs that would fit right on a Christmas tree.

His hands in his pockets, he stood in only his sweatpants. He was shirtless with a hard chest and flat stomach, and his tanned skin looked kissable anytime he was half naked. He gave me a sympathetic look, like he knew I was about to do something extremely difficult. “You’re sure you want to do this?”

“It’s the next step.” I had to start somewhere, and speaking to my father one-on-one was the best way to do that.

“Are you sure visiting him at the winery is the right approach?”

“If I do it at home, my mom will be there.”

“Isn’t your mother the most reasonable one of the two?”

“Generally, yes,” she said. “But my father handles things better when he’s alone. I suspect my mother won’t be difficult about this, so I don’t need to worry about her.” I’d always imagined this day quite differently. I would casually tell my parents I was seeing someone, and they would invite him over for dinner. That would be the end of it. But now I needed to tell my father exactly who Bosco was and make him understand this was what I truly wanted.

Bosco continued to stand there, handsome and focused. “I wish I could help you with this.”

“I think you would just make it worse, honestly.”

He raised an eyebrow.

“Not like that,” I blurted. “I just mean, if my father recognizes you, he’ll be uncomfortable the entire time.”

He gave that cute lopsided grin. “He would recognize me.”

“Then all the more reason for you not to come…it might give him a heart attack.”

“Your father is tougher than that, Carmen.”

“Not when it comes to me…”

He leaned in and kissed me on the cheek. “I’ll see you when you get back.”

“Alright.” I squeezed his arm before I stepped into the elevator. I made it to the lobby then hopped into my car and made the drive out to Tuscany. It was another beautiful but cold day. My windows were slightly clouded from the frost. I drove through the green fields and the beautiful vineyards until I arrived at the family winery.

I ran into Griffin first. “Hey.”

Instead of greeting me the way he used to, he seemed disappointed I was there. “Your father is in his office in the other building.” He knew exactly why I was there. It was unlike me to stop at the winery randomly, especially when I had a business to run.

“Thanks…”

Griffin walked off, heading to the main building where my uncle was.

I took the cobblestone pathway and stepped inside the other building. It was a newer addition to the property, built about ten years ago. I walked to his office in the corner and tapped my knuckles on the door.

“Yeah?” my father asked, clearly annoyed.

I opened the door and stuck my head inside. “You got a minute?”

Instead of smiling and showing his excitement to see me, he seemed horrified. He looked at me like he couldn’t believe I was standing in his office, even though I’d been there dozens of times before. He must have been having a bad day because it was not the kind of greeting I was used to. “Uh…”

I stepped farther inside, surprised by my father’s reaction. “Everything alright?”

Flustered, he ran his hand through his hair and sighed under his breath. “I’ve just got a lot of things to do today. Meetings, distribution…I was just about to walk out the door.”

“Oh, when will you be back?”

“I’ll be gone all day,” he blurted. He stood up abruptly and grabbed his stuff off his desk. “Shouldn’t you be at work?”

I couldn’t help but be offended by my father’s behavior. Normally, he dropped everything when I walked in. I was his whole world, and he made that known every single time we were together. But now I felt like a nuisance to him. “I just wanted to talk to you about something…”

“Sorry, Carmen. Today isn’t the best.”

“Should I come back tomorrow, then?”

“Uh…I’m not sure. We’ll play it by ear.”

“Alright…” I walked out of his office and headed down the path, unsure what to think about that odd conversation. My father was always calm and self-assured, not flustered and clearly annoyed. It didn’t seem like I was even his daughter, just another worker who would get him sidetracked. I tried not to let it get to me since my father had always been so loving my whole life. Maybe this was just an off day.

I crossed paths with Uncle Crow this time.

“Hey, sweetheart.” My uncle greeted me with more love than my own father did. He gave me a smile then a hug. “What are you doing here?”

“I came to talk to my father, but I guess he’s busy today.”

His smile immediately fell. “Oh…”

“It seems like he’s stressed about something, so I’ll try tomorrow or another day.”

Crow sighed then gave me a gentle pat on the back. “Yeah…maybe a different day.”

Bosco was standing in the living room when the elevator doors opened. “That was fast—too fast.”

“I didn’t talk to him.” I walked inside then kissed him on the mouth, greeting him like a woman greeted her husband. “He said he was too busy today, which is strange for him because it doesn’t seem like he’s ever busy. He always says having Griffin around had made him and my uncle bored, so…I don’t know.”

Bosco’s expression hardened, a clear look of sadness on his face. It was obvious in the way his eyes narrowed slightly, in the way his shoulder slumped as he wrapped his arm around my waist. “I’m sorry, Beautiful.”

“It’s okay. I didn’t want to talk to him about this if he’s in a bad mood anyway. I’ll wait for a better time.”

“Yeah…good idea.”

A few days later, I stopped by the winery again.

I came to my father’s office and knocked, but once again, I was met with a version of him I hardly recognized.

“I’m sorry, Carmen. I’m heading to a business meeting right now, and I won’t be back until the end of the day.” Like he was about to walk out the door, he grabbed his jacket and his coat. Just like the other day, I wasn’t greeted with a hug or even a smile.

It was as if he couldn’t wait to get away from me.

“Oh…” I didn’t hide my disappointment this time, annoyed that it was this hard to get fifteen minutes of my father’s time. “Maybe I can come by for dinner—”

“Your mother and I are pretty busy. We’re doing some stuff with Luca.” He had an excuse for everything, blocking me at every opportunity.

It seemed disrespectful to accuse him of doing this on purpose, so I held back my assumption, knowing my father would never avoid me on purpose. It used to seem like he couldn’t spend enough time with me. He gave me a diamond necklace just a couple months ago. What could have changed in that time? “Well, could you let me know when there’s a good time? You must have some time this week…”

He wouldn’t look me in the eye, treating me like a gnat that wouldn’t go away. “I’ll let you know, Carmen. I really should get going.” He walked out of his office like he couldn’t get away from me quick enough.

As if someone had punched me in the stomach, I felt winded and sick. I considered myself lucky because I always knew how much parents loved me. My classmates weren’t always so fortunate. My parents loved me no matter what, regardless of the decisions I made in life. That was something invaluable, something I couldn’t put a price on. But now it’d been taken away from me—overnight.

I had no idea what I’d done wrong.

When I stepped off the elevator, I tossed my purse onto the couch and yanked off my boots.

Bosco rose from the couch and watched me, concern in his eyes. “Couldn’t talk to him today either?”

“Nope.” I threw my boot on the ground because I was so annoyed. “He said he had to go to a meeting. When I suggested we have dinner, he said he was too busy for that too. Then I told him to pick a time that was good for him…and he pretty much blew me off. What the hell?” I kicked off my other shoe then placed my hands on my hips. “I love my father and think he’s a great man, but…why is he being such an asshole? It’s not in his character at all. I just don’t understand. I keep thinking I did something to piss him off, but if I did, he would just tell me. He’d always been honest and straight to the point.” I marched toward the bedroom, not caring about the mess I’d just made in his million-dollar penthouse. Clothes dropped on the way, and by the time I made it to the bed, I was in my underwear. It wasn’t even five yet, but I was ready for bed. I was ready for this day to end. I was questioning my relationship with my father entirely, something I’d never done before.

Not once.

Bosco joined me a minute later, getting into bed next to me and spooning me from behind. He wrapped his arm around my waist and pressed his face into the back of my neck. He didn’t try to comfort me with words. He didn’t try to take off the rest of my clothes either. He just lay with me.

Making me feel less alone.