We sit in silence with our hands locked, listening to the familiar sound of chairs scraping against the hardwood floors.
“Did you do this on purpose?” my father asks Leo.
“No, Mr. Gallo. I’m not that type of man.”
“I heard you were at my son’s wedding. Why were you there?”
“I own the hotel,” Leo says calmly, telling my father something I still can’t believe.
“You do?”
“Yes. When I saw who had booked the ballroom and heard rumors you were being released, I walked into the wedding to see if you’d show up.”
“Why?”
“Because even though I’m not part of my father’s business, my life, along with that of my sisters’, would be in danger from your newfound freedom. I needed to know if I had to beef up security.”
“We’ve never targeted family.”
“But it’s easy for us to get caught in the cross fire, sir. You should know that better than anyone.”
“I do. So, how did you meet my daughter?”
“We bumped into each other at the wedding.”
Leo’s smart enough to leave out the good stuff like how I ended up naked in his bed or left the reception, wanting to fuck his brains out.
“And?” my father says, knowing there has to be more.
“The connection was immediate, sir. The moment I laid eyes on her, I knew I wanted her.” Leo coughs, probably realizing what a stupid fucking thing that is to say to a girl’s father. “I knew I wanted to get to know her better.”
I grimace and look over at my mother, but she’s laughing. Betty can always find the humor in the stickiest situations. I’m sure that’s the only way she’s been able to stay with my father as long as she has.
“Well, you certainly did that.”
“I know you hate my father, but I’m asking you for your blessing. I want to be with your daughter. I want to love her. She’s carrying our baby, and I want to give them the best life possible. Take care of them.”
I roll my eyes, but my mother pats my hand, silently telling me to shut the fuck up.
“She doesn’t need someone to take care of her, Leo. She’s a strong, independent woman. She always has been and always will be. She’s like her mother in that. Fiery and full of life.”
I tear up a little listening to my father speak about me.
“If you think you’re going to tell her what to do and run her life, you’re going to get a rude awakening.”
Leo’s laughter fills the bar. “I’ve learned that about her. It may be the thing I love most about Daphne.”
They’re being too nice to each other. I’m sitting on the edge of the step, waiting for shit to go south. My father is being way too sweet, especially to a Conti.
“She’s already pregnant, so there’s nothing I can do. I can’t forbid you from seeing her. What’s done is done. I’m handing my business over to Johnny Marioni. Any beef I had with your father is in the past. For the sake of my grandchild, I’m willing to make amends and forget whatever bad blood we had in the past.”
“You’re done?” I can hear the shock in Leo’s voice.
“I’ve spent enough time away from my family. I’m too old to go back to prison. It’s a young man’s game, and I don’t have a taste for it anymore.”
“I wish my father thought that way.”
“He needs a Betty. She’ll set his ass straight. I swear, if I would’ve been popped one more time, Betty would’ve skinned me alive.”
