Page 109 of The Boss

“That’s so… sweet.”

“One day, I might commission something to be built here but right now, the beach and surrounding land will remain exactly the way it is. Pristine.”

Willow backed away, spinning around and plopping down on the blanket perpendicular to the way I was sitting. After grabbing her wine, she bent her knees, wrapping her arm around both. “Whatever you create will be magic.”

“I don’t know about that.” Opening up to anyone had been always been difficult for me, which was why doing so withWillow at one of the only locations that had brought me any sense of peace meant a great deal.

“I do.” She took a sip of wine, barely blinking as she studied me. I had to remind myself that she wasn’t the young girl from before any longer, but an intelligent, empathetic woman.

She said nothing, finally resting her head on her knees. While she seemed content, I knew better. Questions were swirling in her mind just as they had fifteen years before.

“Sixteen years ago, I met a beautiful young woman at a nightclub. We hit it off. We danced then left and talked for hours, ending up at an all-night restaurant. We had a strong connection and for the first time, I could see myself in a relationship. We started dating, although we did so in secrecy. She’d insisted on it, telling me at the time her father hadn’t liked a single guy she’d dated.”

“Dads are like that.”

“Yes, they are,” I laughed, but the ache had returned. “Three incredible months passed. My family adored her. She was a ballet dancer, hoping to audition for the Greek National Ballet. It was another activity her father couldn’t stand. He’d started forbidding her to take lessons any longer.”

“So you built her a studio.”

“I had help from two of my brothers. We had no fucking clue what we were doing, but in the time we spent together, we managed to learn some things about construction. She was so happy. I had my pilot’s license and we started spending most of her infrequent visits on the beach or me watching her dance.”

“That sounds wonderful,” Willow whispered as she touched my arm.

“It was. Delphina was a bright ray of sunshine. I even asked her to marry me. That’s when things became difficult. Her face clouded over every time I mentioned it. Finally, she had to tell me the truth. Her father was the Don of the Italian Cosa Nostra. They owned a house in Greece and her mother preferred spending time away from her brutal husband.”

“You had no idea?”

“No. Delphina was a woman, which meant nothing in the world of the Cosa Nostra business. She was never photographed. Her father was very old school. After prodding her for two weeks, she finally told me that her father had made arrangements for her to marry into another Italian family. The combined power and wealth would make them the strongest crime syndicate in Italy. You might not understand our business, but in doing so, they could potentially storm into other countries, taking what didn’t belong to them. Of course, I was an arrogant bastard thinking since I came from a mafia family, I would fix it. I was the powerful one.”

“Oh, no.”

I took another gulp of wine. “Oh, yeah. Against my father’s wishes, I traveled to Italy to have a chat with her father. As you might imagine, the meeting didn’t go over well. The conversation became ugly and he forbid her to see me. Then one day, she showed up at Pops’ house. She told me she would marry me. Like a fool, I was certain my family’s power would keep us both from harm’s way. We went to Corfu to make plans. She was dancing, enjoying the time we had. We had a slight argument one day and she flew out of the studio before me.”

My voice caught in my throat.

“What happened?” Willow pulled herself closer, keeping her hand on my arm for support.

“I heard gunshots. By the time I got downstairs, she was close to death. She died in my arms. I found out two days later her own father had had her killed. She was supposed to be a virgin. I’d soiled her very presence on the earth, making her impossible to use in a contract.”

“My God. How fucking barbaric.”

“Yes,” I told her. “Not something our family would ever do. We’ve evolved, according to my father. However, arranged marriages occur all the time.”

“You didn’t allow her death to go without exacting revenge. Did you?”

“No. I was hotheaded. I made threats and evidently, they were believed. Her former fiancé and his brother found Havros with me at a bar. I have no idea how they tracked us down in Athens. Things got out of hand and the fiancé ended up being placed in intensive care, his younger brother killed. It was the one time our father intervened on our behalf, keeping us both out of jail. And alive. He promised he would never do it again.”

She didn’t say anything at first and I tipped my head toward her. Tears were in her eyes.

“I don’t know what to say. I’m so sorry. You’ve blamed yourself all these years.” Her words were so soft, so loving.

I slipped my finger under her chin, lifting her head. “Yes, but don’t cry, little dove. Not only has your smile brought unexpected joy to my life, but you awakened the dead maninside. You allowed my heart to start beating again. For right or for wrong, I can’t live without you.”

She wrapped her fingers around my shirt, pulling herself closer to me. “I know you think I’m crazy and sometimes I do as well, but I love you. I think I’ve always loved you.”

There was such intensity in her bright eyes that I felt myself letting go of the past. I’d always remember Delphina and the way we’d been together, but I was ready to move on. It was something she would want for me.

As I captured her mouth, we both struggled to place our wines on the sand, also both refusing to break the embrace. I pulled her down onto the blanket, wrapping my arms around her.

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