“Stop, Babbo,” she said gently, hating that her father carried such guilt over something he’d done so many years ago. “What you did was wrong, but if Vincent was truly that talented, he would’ve been able to create new visions, new sketches. You are talented, too. You were ambitious. You had what it took to get ahead and create a name for yourself.”
“Don’t let me off the hook, sweetheart. I need to make amends.”
“Barto is dead. It doesn’t matter his reasons, what he did was worse than what you did. He took the coward’s way out.”
He nodded. “But I can’t blame him for his rage. He was trying to avenge his father.”
“This isn’t fifteenth-century Italy. You can’t go around shooting people because they screwed you out of a good idea,” she replied, her head beginning to throb. She closed her eyes briefly, needing a minute, then reopened them. “Babbo, it’s over. Let’s start fresh.”
“How?”
CoCo licked her lips, suddenly parched, and her father quickly handed her a cup of water. She took several swallows before gaining the courage to admit that she’d been sketching. “I want to join the family business. But,” she cut in when he started to babble happily, “I’m not designing men’s shoes. I want to design women’s shoes. I have a few designs I want to show you if you’re willing to bend a little in what you think the Abelli brand is all about.”
She expected a gentle but surefire no because that’s what her father had always done when she’d approached him about designing heels but this time he simply nodded. Maybe her brush with death had made him realize that he’d been hanging on to all the wrong things but CoCo wasn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth.
“I would be honored to start over with you, my daughter. I’ve been stubbornly clinging to my own ways for too long. Perhaps it’s time for a woman’s touch.”
CoCo smiled, exhausted but happy. “Thank you, Babbo. I’m going to work hard not to disappoint you.”
Enzo ran a knuckle lightly across her cheek, his gaze filled with love. “You could never. It is I who will work to not disappoint you with my stubbornness.”
She would’ve laughed but she feared the pain and simply smiled. “I’ve recently had some experience with a stubborn man. I think I can handle you.”
He laughed but didn’t ask who she was referring to and she was grateful. She wasn’t sure what was happening between her and Rian and at the moment, she was too tired to figure it out.
* * *
THE CASE WAS OVER. There was really no reason to hang around anymore. CoCo’s father was here, the FBI were coordinating with the local sheriff to deal with the body of Barto Calvino and since Rian wasn’t in charge of the investigation, his part was finished.
But he couldn’t leave CoCo. Laci and Kane showed up in the waiting room and Laci folded him into a hug. “So what’s the word?” she asked, concerned.
“I don’t know, her dad was in there with her. I wanted to give them some privacy,” he said, feeling lost and useless. He looked to Kane. “I’ll get the report filed—”
“Screw that. Don’t worry about the paperwork. Look, I’m so sorry about how this all went down,” Kane admitted, looking to Laci for reinforcements. She gave him an imperceptible nod and he continued, “I overstepped when I insisted that you break things off with CoCo. I should’ve realized that you’d never put the company in danger. The fact that you were willing to die for her tells me that she’s something special and I was too blind to see it. I’m sorry, man, for being such a dick.” Laci nudged him with her elbow. “And I’m glad your girl didn’t die.”
The old Rian would’ve balked at the implication that he’d fallen head over heels for a woman but he didn’t feel the least bit reluctant to admit it out loud. The reason he couldn’t bring himself to leave was because CoCo had ceased being just another client. Their fates had been sealed from day one even if neither had realized it. “I do love her,” he said simply, feeling a whoosh of relief wash over him. “I can’t explain it. But I love her and I’m not leaving this hospital until she leaves with me.”