Page 71 of Say It Isn't So

So maybe we weren’t peachy right now, but we would be.

* * *

Knox

I raked a hand through my hair as I watched Bianca walk away.

I wished things were more normal for us. I wanted to be able to sit next to her and not worry about Angelo looking at us or wondering, maybe even getting the wrong idea.

Frankly, he would have been getting the right idea by getting the wrong idea. Oh, whatever, you knew what I was saying. And if you didn’t—I wanted to be with Bianca, end of story. I wanted to be able to hold her hand and kiss her and tell her she took my breath away without fearing the almighty Angelo Morelli might hear.

I was always taught that it was difficult to change someone’s opinion of you once it was formed. Frankly, that was an understatement. It was one of the hardest things in the world, if you asked me.

No matter how much time passed, he still didn’t trust me, and he didn’t want me anywhere near his daughter.

It didn’t matter that I’d made a name for myself. That I had a good, solid job and was earning a nice income or had a decent place in the most expensive city in the States. No, I’d forever be the poor, punk kid who’d accepted his help.

Maybe Bianca hadn’t seen it, but I could tell his blood was practically boiling seeing us together. Especially when he made that snide friend remark.

But Bianca’s dad meant a lot to her, obviously, and I knew family meant everything to her. I would never get in the middle of that. I’d rather walk away from her again than make her choose between me and her father.

I cared about Bianca too much. I wanted her to be happy, whether that was with me or not.

* * *

Bianca

I peered back in my seat as I watched Knox take his a few rows behind us, off to the side. Geez, I hated this. I hated that things had to be this way.

And the more I thought about it, the angrier I got. I was a daddy’s girl—no need to say it, I already knew. So I wanted to make him happy, but in the meantime he was making me unhappy.

Of course, silly thoughts started flooding my head next.

Like what would happen if I did go against what he wanted and I was wrong and he never came around to Knox, but we dated, got engaged and inevitably married?

He wouldn’t walk me down the aisle or give my hand to Knox. Would he even bless the union?

Would he make me feel bad for getting married at the church he and Mom married in? Because that was something I’d always wanted, but it would mean less if he wouldn’t walk me down the aisle.

And what about holidays? Would Knox be able to come over? Would I?

How uncomfortable would he make it? He’d create a divide all because of this ridiculous disdain he had for Knox, and eventually the Morelli family wouldn’t be the same. We wouldn’t be the same.

Everything would change.

And some change was good, but this, not so much.

“What’s got you so perplexed?” Allie asked, placing a hand on my shoulder to get my attention.

I turned around in my seat and cleared my throat, focusing on the stage now. “Nothing,” I lied. “Just forget it.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her turn toward the stage, too. Only she wasn’t letting it go because she still said, “You know, you don’t have to do what Dad says. He doesn’t always know what’s best for us, even though he likes to think he does.” She paused before adding, “Plus, even if you upset him, you know you’ll still be his little girl. He’s always had a soft spot for you.”

I looked over at her with tears in my eyes. I so did not want to get emotional. This was neither the time nor the place, but I couldn’t help it. That was another big fear of mine; I didn’t want to lose my dad. I couldn’t. I already lost my mom and losing him might just break me altogether.

But I also didn’t want to lose Knox. Not again.

Ugh, why couldn’t my biggest fear be something else—anything else in the entire world—but loss? I was pathetic, that was what I was. But I couldn’t change how I felt and every time the topic of loss came up, I broke down.

---