Her father is on the floor, not having gotten up yet although nothing is stopping him from doing exactly that. From his low position he takes in the sight of me holding Luca, his daughter’s words in sync with my actions.
Luca is distraught by what he's seen I guess, on the verge of tears. He’s a kid but kids are intuitive. They know when something’s wrong, and a few seconds ago things clearly weren’t right…which led my little guy to the top of the stairs to see what was the matter, to try and process his old man getting punched, and more than just once or twice.
Giving my boy a hug, Cassandra rushes to me with her arms out, and I don’t know why but I hand him over to her. She says some comforting things to him in a soft voice, rushing him upstairs and away from what’s surely about to unfold down here between her dad and me.
"Everything will be okay Luca,” I comfort him as he disappears in Cassandra’s grasp. Now alone with her father, I can finally talk to her dad and really let him know that I'm not out to be a douchebag. It's got to be easy for him to see me in that light right now, but it’s as far from the truth as possible. I'm not oblivious to the fact of who I am. People just look at me as some mafia guy. And that's a hard image to dispel.
I extend my hand to pull her dad up. After a bit of hesitation, he accepts and lets me help him off the floor. "You screwed up, Tony. That's my daughter. Try to see it from my perspective."
"I do see it from your perspective. You know me. You know how much of a guilty man I am. And you know that I would never do anything to hurt one of the few friends that I have. Because I do consider you a friend. I'm not just saying that because of what you've done for me."
"You're a powerful man. You can't blame me for looking at this as some sort of power move, or maybe even to try and emasculate me. Some F.B.I. agent showed up at my house and told me. The second the words came out of his mouth, it felt like you were just doing it to spite me. To throw your weight around."
Mason Brady.
If there's one other person in the world that I would kill, it's that man. But I'm no longer a murderer.
"So it was him that you heard this from, huh? Listen…I’m trying to make sure that those pricks don’t take Luca from me because that’s exactly what the feds are after. They want to put a case together that makes me look like a terrible father and then take my boy away, which will lead me to…” I look up at the corners of the ceiling and tap on my ear, trying to convey that these walls have ears of their own. “Lead me to just confess to whatever they want to throw at me, even though none of it will be true. But I’ll do it to keep Luca safe.” I pause. “But none of that’s going to happen, because I’m a new man, turning over a new leaf and starting a new chapter in my life. Whatever bad things people might think I’ve done…well, they won’t think that anymore because I’m going to go out of my way to prove I’m a good man, a member of the community, and someone you can trust. And of course the man your daughter can have all the faith in the world in too.”
He raises an eyebrow. "What do you mean you're done?"
"Any business that I have outside of my day job I'm done with it. And your daughter and Luca are the reasons for that. She's really changed me. I mean that with my entire heart. So you can really trust me when I say that I have good intentions when it comes to your daughter. Truly. I would never hurt her and I would never hurt you. And I would never put myself in a position where I could be used to get to her, or you."
Just saying it all out loud makes me feel like a totally different person altogether. Because before Cassandra, I didn't open up. I wasn't someone who could convey to another person, another human being, how I felt. That was unheard of. And now suddenly I'm able to go into the depths of my heart, understand what's going on in there, come right back up to the surface and explain it to another living and breathing human being. If there's anything that I'm most proud of since meeting Cassandra, it's that little tidbit.
"All right, Tony. I understand. But as you know words are one thing and actions are another. I’ve heard your words and now I’ll be watching your actions to see if they’re in line. But for the sake of my daughter, I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt to start. You have my blessing to date my daughter…for now. Just please, please keep your word and don't hurt her. She doesn't deserve pain. Her hands are clean. Her slate is clean. Her reputation is beyond reproach. Don’t go staining it, and her in the process."
Almost as if Cassandra has a sixth sense, she comes down the stairs with Luca, who has one of his toys in his hands. He doesn’t have a care in the world and looking at them both together, neither do I. And this is why I'm going to do what I'm going to do next.
"Is everything good with you both now?" she asks, trying to confirm before she brings Luca into a potentially tense environment.
"Cassandra, everything is good right now," I say to her, "But everything can be a lot better and I want to prove that to you and your father."
I drop down on one knee. Cassandra places Luca’s little feet on the floor and immediately her now free hands rush up to her mouth in shock. I can't even look at her father, I just hope that he's on the same page as me. I hope so because I spent the time leading up to this moment trying my best to convey to him that I really do love his daughter with everything I’ve got.
My chest swells with pride as she stares in awe at the gigantic diamond ring I’ve pulled from my pocket, the stone sparkling even brighter than it did under the lights of the store.
Because here, in our home, it has her eyes to reflect from. The most beautiful vision of hope, a promise, that’s here for both of us. Together.
"Cassandra, I know I'm not perfect and I have a long way to go in becoming a perfect man for you, but I know that I’m going to try my best to be that man because the only man I want to be from now on is yours. The perfect man for you. The impact that you've had on me is something that you can't fully understand because even I can’t quite grasp it yet. But I know how much you've impacted me and what life I want to live from now on, starting right now. You’re an amazing mother to my boy and will continue to be to the children we have together. You’re the perfect daughter for your father. You’re my best friend, my lover, and my everything. You’re just so damn perfect in every way, to everyone you meet. But I don’t want you to belong to everyone. I want you all for myself. Forever. Will you marry me?”
Without hesitation, she nods her head yes. Tears fall down her cheeks and she runs into my arms, the sensation of her father patting me on the back in congratulations is all the approval I need to know this is going to work out for all of us, which means everything…because family is everything. Family first. Family always. And my family starts and ends with her.
With her in my arms, I give her a long kiss, never wanting to let go. She's my everything and will continue to be exactly that. Her warmth, her genuineness, and her love are all I need in this world, and I’ll never let her go. Never.
"I love you, Cassandra."
"I love you more, Tony."
Epilogue
Cassandra
One year later
It's funny how I’d gone my entire life wanting to start a family and dreaming of starting one but in the same vein I always believed that for whatever reason it wouldn't happen. Because starting a family isn't an easy thing. You can't do it with just anyone.
Not everyone wants to start a family, and the odds narrow even more when it comes to starting a family with you, personally. Not everyone has the same goals. And it also takes the ability to look in the mirror and ask yourself whether or not you're a suitable person to give someone a family. Because at the end of the day the other person has to live with you. They have to be okay with having a child with you. And they have to be in love.