After watching Crow go through the most difficult six months of his life, I didn’t want to repeat his mistakes. He pushed Vanessa away when he got rid of Griffin, and that ended up being a horrible error in judgment. Despite Griffin’s past, he was a good man—and worthy of Crow’s daughter.
I didn’t want to do the same thing. I didn’t want to put Carmen through the heartache, nor do it to myself.
Bosco waited patiently for some kind of response.
I was at a loss for words. All of this had been happening for the last three months, and now that so much time had passed, my daughter had fallen in love with the biggest crime lord I’d ever heard of.
Crow stared me for a second, pity in his eyes. He turned back to Bosco. “I think I can speak for my brother when I say he still doesn’t like this. No father wants his daughter to be with a man so close to danger. My son-in-law works at the winery with us, so he’s not associated with that lifestyle anymore. Even if Carmen loves you and you love her…it’s not a good match.”
“With all due respect, that’s not for you to decide,” Bosco said simply. “Carmen can make her own decisions. I’m the only man she’s ever loved. She’s so beautiful that she can have whatever man she wants. She obviously only wants me.” He didn’t put it delicately, but he wasn’t abrasive either. “Despite what you may think of me, I’ve earned her. I’m not afraid to get my hands bloody in her honor. I would lay down my life for hers in a heartbeat. The robber at the bank gave her that black eye. So I stabbed him to death and listened to him scream. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for that woman, no sacrifice too big for me to make. If that doesn’t make me worthy of her…I don’t know what will.”
He reminded me of Griffin in a lot of ways, whether that was good or bad.
Crow spoke again. “She told Griffin she would leave you when this is over. She doesn’t see you being the kind of husband that she wants.”
He didn’t hide the pain that danced across the surface in his eyes. “That’s what she says. But I know she won’t walk away. What we have is too strong. She assumes I can’t be what she needs, but she’s never asked. Maybe if she did…she would get the answer she wants.”
“In our culture, a woman doesn’t introduce a man to her father unless he’s going to be her husband.” When I pictured that day, I always imagined Carmen introducing me to an attractive young man with a small amount of success. He was average but kind, someone safe who would make her happy. I still hoped that would happen. “With that being said, you still have a few weeks left. If she leaves you…my problems are solved. If she stays, then I guess I’ll have to deal with you then.” If my daughter wasn’t sure if this was the man she wanted to marry, then I didn’t need to worry about it now. It was obvious that he was kind to her, that he was protective and loving. He wasn’t the evil and cruel crime lord I assumed he would be. He was very tame in comparison to his reputation.
Bosco finished his glass then gave a nod. “That sounds fair. You made the right decision.”
“Yes,” I said. “I just hope my daughter makes the right decision as well.”
Bosco gave a lopsided grin, but his eyes thudded with pain. “We shall see. Can we keep this between us? So she won’t be influenced either way?”
I didn’t want to tell Carmen I marched down here with the intention of killing this man. She would probably be angry with me for interfering with her personal life. I’d made the same mistakes Crow did. The only difference was Bosco was kind enough to keep it a secret. “Yes. This stays between us.”
4
Bosco
Ronan sat across from me after the Barsettis left. “Nosy, aren’t they?”
I didn’t appreciate the way they showed up on my doorstep, but I respected the way Cane Barsetti loved his daughter. Opposing me was a suicide mission, but he didn’t hesitate because his daughter was more important than him. He knew how powerful I was. He wasn’t so proud as to lie to himself about the strength of his opponent. But clearly, he thought his daughter’s life was far more important than his own.
How could I hate a man so selfless?
Despite how emotional he was, he was rational. He listened to me even when he didn’t want to, reasoned with me to understand the truth of the situation. When I told him I loved and cared for this daughter, he seemed to believe me.