Sold To Mr. Milano - Daniella Wright Page 0,59

of being less volatile now.

“The things you admire about her...They are what I always hoped a man would love her for. But I’m afraid I have not raised her to be a good wife. There are not many men who would appreciate such qualities.”

“She is unique. And I think we can both agree that I am as well. This whole situation is.”

He nodded with a grunt and took a big swig of his drink. “But...I do not want to sacrifice my daughter for the sake of my life’s work. Even if she would tell me to do just that. I want her to marry for love. How can you be so sure that she loves you back? Or that she would accept your proposal?”

I sat back and thought about all the times Alicia lashed out at me or told me off. I could see her angry, wrinkled face and her furious little pout. But I could also see a number of other memories that weren’t appropriate to recall as I sat across from her father. I could see hints of tenderness in her eyes. At one time, she had loathed me. But somewhere along the way, that changed at least a little.

“I am not so sure of anything,” I explained to him. “I can’t predict anything Alicia will do from one moment to the next, so I don’t pretend to try. But I can say that if you will grant me my request for your daughter’s hand in marriage, I will spend the rest of my life trying to win her over if that’s what it takes.”

“I wouldn’t take those words lightly if I were you,” he warned with a tip of his glass. “That’s exactly what you may be signing up for.”

I chuckled and agreed. He questioned me a while longer, wanting to be sure that I meant it about changing my ways. I told him the truth. There was a lot I would need to discuss with my brothers, and getting out of some things would be harder than others. But I had plenty of money to see me through the transition, and I wouldn’t stop until I was the kind of man Alicia wanted and deserved.

“I’ll do whatever it takes,” I assured him. I could see that he still didn’t trust me, but he was willing to give me a chance to prove him right or wrong.

He lifted his glass and clinked it to mine. “I never thought I would hear myself saying this, but...you have my permission to go after her. If nothing else, it will be quite entertaining to see her shut you down.”

20

Alicia

I paced the living room of my home, anxiously watching out the window for my father to return home. He had to leave suddenly for an important work meeting but was set to arrive back that evening. I was grateful to have the house to myself for a while to come to terms with my pregnancy, but I knew the time had come for me to tell him everything.

I had never kept many secrets from my father. What really happened during Alberto and I’s time together was the first thing I had ever kept from him really. But now it seemed that I couldn’t even hide that from him. Even if I tried to for a little while, he would have to know the truth sooner or later. There was no point in delaying the inevitable.

I tried to be optimistic. He expressed wanting grandchildren, and I had been doing my best to hold back from expressing just how badly I did not want to become some farmer or police officer’s wife who stayed home, barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen. Maybe now we could both have our way. I could give him a grandchild and keep my independence. That was the best I could hope for.

Alberto would never step up and be a decent father to my baby, and I didn’t want my child raised in his world. So, I decided never to tell him about it. Hopefully, I would never have to see him again. And if my father could not piece together on his own who the father was, I was not going to come right out and say it. If he did have any suspicion after hearing my news, he’d probably be just as happy to pretend he didn’t know Alberto was the father. That is, if he could even bear to ever look at me again.

My legs were