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Page 15
Tears stung her eyes as she gazed at this sexy, charming man who had swept her off her feet five years ago, and was still doing the same thing, every single day. She’d never come close to feeling this depth of emotion for anyone, and she couldn’t imagine spending her life without him, either.
A wave of surprised muttering started at the back of the room, then made its way toward the front where Kane stood in front of the band. A man walked onto the dance floor, dressed in a suit and tie, and bearing the formidable carriage of someone who was used to commanding a room and getting his own way.
His hair had more silver in it than Kane’s small streaks at his temples, but his eyes were the exact color of his son’s. This had to be Daniel Bannerman. His timing was beyond lousy. He stood in front of his son, oblivious to the fact that every single one of the Weathermen had risen from their seats and stood glaring at him.
Several burly-looking men walked toward Daniel from wherever they’d been hiding, their eyes full of the urge to throw him out, but Daniel didn’t seem to notice or give a shit that they were there.
“You won’t be spending the rest of your life with her if I have anything to say about it.” Daniel’s voice rang out over the crowd, clear and angry.
A muscle twitched in Kane’s jaw. Julianne knew that look well enough by now. He was trying to hold his emotions in check, but he wouldn’t do so for long.
Ace, Emmett, and Dominic advanced toward Daniel, but the man held up one hand and glared at the three. “Don’t even think about it.”
“How dare you speak to them that way,” said Kane. “Get out of here. You weren’t invited, and you will not ruin this day for Ace and Harper, nor will I allow you to ruin it for me.”
“And I will not allow you to marry that woman!” He turned and pointed toward Julianne. Talk about spoiling the suspense. “How ironic you speak of me ruining this day for Ace, Harper, and you when Julianne tried to ruin you and my company.”
Kane stepped off the elevated portion of the floor and advanced toward his father. “It’s not your company anymore. What happened five years ago is dead and buried. Get out of here now before I throw you out myself.”
Out of the corner of her eye, Julianne saw Blaine talking on his phone. She hoped he was calling the police. Kane reached his father, and she could easily see now how thoroughly pissed off he was. They were practically nose to nose, and Kane showed no trace of fear or intimidation on his face.
“She’s trying to do the same thing, Kane. Mark my words. You marry her and this company will go down in flames.”
“You’re nothing but a bully. You’ve always been a bully.”
“I’m a realist, and you think with your cock. You always have.”
Kane pushed his father. Not hard, but enough that the man’s eyes widened and he stumbled back a step or two. The crowd reacted, and nearly everyone was on their feet now. Each of the other Weathermen, plus the security team, now stood in a circle around the pair, no further away than a few steps from both men.
Julianne’s pulse raced, and tears ran down her cheeks as she watched Kane. He was fighting for her, finally standing up to the one man he’d never really faced down before. If that wasn’t true love, she had no fucking clue what was.
Kane pushed him again, and she heard Ace tell him to take it easy. “Get out of here.” Kane’s voice held a dangerous quality she’d never heard before.
“How dare you touch me?” Daniel’s voice came out in a hiss, but his words were clear enough. “I own you. Without me, you wouldn’t have that company. You wouldn’t have shit!”
“You don’t own me. You may still sit on the Board, but I have the controlling shares. I’ve been running the company on my own for over ten years and it’s grown by leaps and bounds. What was that you always said? Numbers don’t lie?”
Kane pushed him again, and Daniel’s determined gaze faltered a bit. He took several steps backwards, but Kane moved so they were mere inches apart again. “Isn’t that right, Father? Numbers don’t lie. Here are a few numbers for you. Seven, the age I’m not anymore. Three, the number of children who lied to you that day, and whom you believed over the word of your own son!”
Ace moved closer to Kane and placed a hand on his shoulder, but Julianne wasn’t sure Kane even noticed.
“Forty-seven percent, the amount of growth Bannerman Investments has experienced in the past three years. Twenty-eight, the number of new accounts I brought in, during the past year alone. Zero, the amount of control you have over my personal life, and one, the number of women I love and want to spend to the rest of my life with.”
He and his father glared at each other, hands balled into fists at their sides. Julianne held her breath, and she was quite certain every person in the room did, too. She became aware of several uniformed officers circling the perimeter, and it was then that Daniel finally saw them, too.
Daniel glanced around, eyeing the police and the crowd. Then he gazed at each of the Weathermen in turn, and finally turned his attention toward her. She wiped her face and held his gaze. She would not show this man fear.
“I will never accept you as my daughter-in-law.”
“I don’t need your acceptance.”
A small smattering of applause started. Julianne cut her gaze toward Kane, who now advanced toward her with nothing short of adoration on his face. She blinked away fresh tears as the emotion of what had just happened overwhelmed her. When Kane reached her, he pulled her into his arms and held her, stroking her hair and back.
The applause around them rose now, but she didn’t want to look at any of them. She only wanted Kane to tell her it would be all right. Ace was next to them now, grinning from ear to ear. He had a wireless microphone in his hand, and passed it to Kane with a nod.
Kane smiled at her. “I’m so proud of you right now.”
The mic wasn’t on yet, for which she was grateful, but it also meant everyone now pressed closer to them, trying to hear. Ace and the other Weathermen asked everyone to give them some room.
Julianne spotted Daniel on the fringes, flanked by the security team and the police now, looking like someone who had just had the wind knocked out of him. She knew this was far from over, but it didn’t matter. They’d deal with him another time, and this time they’d do it together.
“I’m proud of you, too,” she said. “You stood up to him, and you fought for me.”
“I will always fight for you. I love you. You gave me the courage to face him. I’ve never done that, Julianne. Not really. But I know now that I can.” Kane turned on the microphone and fished a small velvet box out of his jacket pocket. He handed the mic to Ace long enough to open the box, and then he got down on one knee and took the microphone back.
Julianne stared at the ring, tears streaming down her face. It was the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen. A silver band with a big ass diamond, surrounded by tiny green and blue stones. She adored it.
Kane gazed up at her with so much love in his beautiful eyes that her heart nearly burst from joy. “Julianne, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”
“Yes. Absolutely I will be your wife.”
Kane handed Ace the mic again and placed the ring on her finger. She wasn’t surprised at all to find that it fit perfectly. None of the Weathermen did anything half-assed.
“In case you didn’t hear,” said Ace, “she said yes!”
The crowd erupted into thunderous applause, but Julianne was barely aware of it. She was too busy kissing the man she loved. He twirled her around a few times until she asked him to stop because she was dizzy, and then they laughed and gazed at each other as if no one else was around.
Emmett tapped Kane on the shoulder, and Julianne followed his gaze to the edges of the room in time to see Daniel escorted away by a contingent of burly men. It didn’t matter to her what Daniel did now. Kane was a grown man, and together they would find a way to deal with this. They had the rest of their lives to do so.
The ban
d began to play music again, and Kane led her onto the dance floor as other couples made their way out there as well. He held her close and nuzzled her neck. “Are you happy?”
“I am. More than I can put into words. I love you so much.”
He kissed her. “I love you, too. I will love you for the rest of my life.”
Julianne melted into her fiancé’s arms as they danced, happier than she’d ever been. This was what she’d waited for, and now she had the rest of her life to enjoy this man who had turned her world upside down. He would love her with his entire heart and soul, and she would make sure that every single day he knew how very much she loved him.
The End
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