Fine in Lingerie (Lingerie 11)

My brother held my gaze, still slightly swirling his drink.

“He already was the bigger man.” My eyes moved to the table between us. “He proved it a million times over. I’m in debt to him for the rest of my damn life. I don’t even give a shit about my life that much, not compared to my only son.”

“And mine?” he asked in offense.

“You know what I mean,” I spat. “He saved my son. He saved my daughter-in-law. He saved my grandchild. It’s my turn to be the bigger man. It’s my turn to put up with his bullshit until I finally earn his respect.”

Cane leaned back against the leather chair, his drink sitting on his thigh. A sigh erupted from his lips and filled the room.

Button nodded. “Crow is right. We have to keep trying until we make it right.”

“But he doesn’t want anything to do with us,” Cane said. “That’s the part you don’t understand. All he wants is Vanessa. He wants to be left alone. You trying to make this right is only annoying him. If you really want to respect him, just stop bothering him.”

I shook my head. “No. I get that he’s angry at us, particularly me, but this needs to be mended. He’s a strong guy, but he needs more in life. He needs a place where he belongs. I never thought I would try to be a father figure to him…but that’s what he needs. That’s what Vanessa wants me to be for him.”

“A father?” he asked incredulously. “The guy is thirty years old. He doesn’t need a father.”

“My son needs me,” I countered. “When he was taken, I stepped into the open and prepared to die to save his life, just for the slim chance he could get away. When he didn’t know what to do about Sapphire, he came to me for advice. When he raises his kids, he’s going to come me. He needs me as much now as he did when he was a child, just in different ways. Carter and Carmen need you too.”

Cane fell silent and drank his scotch.

“Sometimes I think I make some progress with Griffin, but then we take ten steps back.” When I met him in the bar, it seemed like he was slowly opening up to me. It seemed like his walls were coming down. But then he came over for dinner, and that trigger went off and pushed him away all over again. “I asked Vanessa to ask him to meet me halfway, but she refused. She said she can’t ask any more from him, which I understand. So, I’m on my own.”

Carter stared into his glass, swallowing his annoyance. “I hope I don’t go through anything like this with Carmen. I always make jokes about putting her in a nunnery, but Jesus, I’m serious now.”

My only daughter dating my biggest enemy was the worst heartache I’d ever experienced. There was so much hate in my veins, so much frustration. It would have been so much easier if she’d just settled down with Matteo or Antonio, two fine gentlemen, either of whom would have made her happy. But she chose someone else, a man hard like me. “It’s not so bad, Cane. I know he would do anything for her, and that’s enough for me.”

“If Carmen dated someone like him…” Cane shook his head. “I don’t even want to think about it.”

“As much as I hate to admit, she found someone like me.” Griffin and I looked nothing alike, but we were similar in our hostility and mannerisms. He was fearless, strong, and passionate. With very little to say, he announced his presence in silence. After Button pointed out the similarities, I couldn’t stop seeing them. “Carmen might find someone like you.”

Cane scoffed. “Over my dead body.”

Button looked at him. “As much as we don’t want to admit it, Barsetti blood is tainted with blood and violence. We have a specific palate when it comes to our partners. We don’t want an average person. We need someone like us. Carmen probably wouldn’t be happy with an average man. She’ll likely always want an extraordinary one.”

“That’s why the nunnery is such a good idea.” He downed the contents of his glass before he set it on the table. “Because my daughter is so damn beautiful. She looks like Adelina, but with Barsetti eyes and height.” He shook his head. “I wish she were ugly…”

Button chuckled. “No, you don’t.”

“Yes, he does,” I said. “I’ve been there. But now that I know Vanessa’s going to spend her life with Griffin, I’m not worried about her. She has the perfect man to protect her. I never have to worry about her…and that’s all I wanted.”

Cane shrugged. “I don’t think any man out there will ever be good enough for my daughter.”