Still, I have to show my face here. It’s part of running the company, after all.
Dahlia is looking around with wide eyes. “Wait,” she says. “You didn’t tell me this was a party for the company.”
I shrug. “They wanted to celebrate the takeover. It’s something I do whenever I acquire a new business in my portfolio. It allows the new staff to get used to me, to see that there can be plenty of benefits to the new regime. Takes away some of the resistance.”
“Well, still,” Dahlia says nervously, tugging at my arm as if she wants to hide away at the side of the room. “It’s just…”
I don’t get to find out what the end of that sentence was, because the next thing I know, a man is rushing over to stand in front of us, waving his hand.
“What are you doing with my daughter?” he demands, his face red and angry. He waves a hand towards Dahlia, and I realize that his other holds a glass of champagne. He might have had a few already. “Get your hands off her, for Christ’s sake. Do you think you own this whole building and everyone in it, too?”
“Carlisle,” I attempt, recognizing him as the man I was supposed to meet with, but didn’t. Carlisle Harvey. In other words, Dahlia’s father.
“This is disgusting,” he goes on. He’s yelling so loud that the whole party has stopped, everyone turning around and falling silent to watch. “You don’t have any right. You’re just some sort of playboy, right, swaggering around in here and thinking you can take our daughters along with our jobs and our pride?”
“Daddy,” Dahlia says, her voice pained and tight. “Stop.”
Carlisle stares at her with a stupefied expression, and I can’t tell if she’s made it better or worse.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Dahlia
This is the one moment I haven’t been looking forward to. All the while I’d known that Dad was furious with Nick. I suppose I was hoping that he would cool down before he realized I was seeing him. I wanted to warm him up to the idea over time, to tell him about my wonderful new boyfriend who treats me like a queen, before revealing who he actually is.
But now the moment of confrontation is here, and it looks like there’s no escaping it this time. Dad’s drunk, or at least tipsy, but he isn’t going to forget. Things have to come to a head and I guess it has to be now. I just wish it wasn’t so public.
“What?” Dad manages, looking at me and gasping like a fish out of water. “Honey, get away from him. What…?”
“No,” I say, sadly but with finality. I have to stay strong here. This is my chance to show Dad that I’m serious about Nick, and that it’s not just a silly fling or a moment of weakness. I know he still wants to treat me like a kid, but I’m not anymore. I’m a woman. Nick’s woman.
“What is going on?” Dad demands. Another member of the staff approaches him and attempts to catch his arm, saying his name quietly, trying to get him to stand down, but Dad throws his arm off. “No, I won’t go outside. I’m not leaving her with him. Dahlia, come here.”
“I’m sorry, Daddy,” I say. I tighten my grip on Nick’s arm. “I won’t. I’m here with Nick because we’re together.”
“Together?” Dad splutters. “He’s been in town for days. How could you possibly know him well enough to say that you’re together?”
“I just do,” I sigh. I knew he wouldn’t understand. I don’t know how to show him, how to make him see that this is real. “I want to be with Nick. He makes me happy. Please understand, Dad. I know you had a bad first impression, but he’s a wonderful man.”
“I’m not going to give up on Dahlia without a fight,” Nick says warningly. “I mean it. Your daughter is special to me. She’s mine, and I’m not going to back down from that.”
“A fight?” Dad repeats, his face screwing up. “You want to fight me? Come on, then. Come on. I’ll fight you for my daughter.”
“Dad!” I gasp, throwing a look at Nick as well. He didn’t need to make the situation worse by riling him up. “No one is fighting anyone. I’m not some stupid little girl who doesn’t know what she wants. I’ve already chosen Nick, and I’m not going to change my mind.”
“You will,” Dad says savagely. “You will. Who is he? This businessman? All he does is travel around, buying up companies and then leaving them to make money for him. He doesn’t settle. This isn’t his home just because he’s bought our business. He’s not going to drag you around the country after him, he’ll leave you here and get on with his life.”
“That’s not true,” Nick says. When I squeeze his arm, his voice goes lower, more respectful. At least I know one of them is listening to me. “Sir, I have no intentions of leaving your daughter here. And I do have a home. But I’m willing to relocate here, if that’s what Dahlia wants.”
I haven’t heard that from him before, we’ve never even discussed the idea of what will happen when it’s time for him to move on. But I’m pleased to hear that he’s thought about it. That he would do whatever I wanted. Somehow, it’s exactly what I expected from him.
“Just words,” Dad dismisses him scornfully. “Dahlia, I’m not going to stand for this. The man is rude, arrogant, and an outsider here. He’s not worthy of you. You knew how I felt about him, after he stood me up for our first meeting. He’s just the type to swoop in and buy up all the hard work of a man’s life and put his own men in place to swallow it all up. He’s a black hole, honey. You need to get away from him.”
This has gone on long enough. I know that there’s not much I can say or do to convince him that this is right, but I do still have one card left to play. I hope it will be enough. If I know my Dad as well as I think I do, then this will at least give him some pause and make him offer Nick some respect, however begrudging. He has to. After all, we’re all going to be family, even if he managed to chain me up in a room and stop me from seeing Nick ever again, we still would be. We’ll be bound, now, by blood.
I take a deep breath. “I did one of those new instant tests when you were out,” I tell Nick, before turning back to face Dad. “There’s no way you’re going to convince me to leave him, Dad. I won’t. That wouldn’t be fair on our unborn child. I’m pregnant, Daddy.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Nick
Silence echoes across the hall for a moment. Somewhere in the back of the room there is a faint clinking noise as someone refreshes their champagne glass. Everyone is staring at us, listening closely. They’ve had their fill of drama now, they must have. I don’t want this to be a public spectacle anymore. This should have been a private moment, and Carlisle has forced it out in the open.
Still, I’m happy. I feel it flood my body, infusing my very being. She’s pregnant, and I’m going to be a father. Could there be anything more perfect?
“Dahlia,” Carlisle breathes. “Is this true?”
Dahlia nods resolutely, her hand still gripping tight onto my arm. “Yes. I’m pregnant. I confirmed it this afternoon.”
That seals it. I can’t stand here and let this go on. I look between the two of them, Dahlia’s face tense, caught between joy and sadness; Carlisle, mouth hanging open in shock, unable to believe what he’s hearing. They aren’t getting anywhere, and I need a moment of my own. I need to be away from all of the watching eyes that are turned on us.
I place my hand on top of Dahlia’s where it rests on my arm, to let her know that we’re about to move, and then I begin to walk towards the exit. Outside of this room I remember a marble-lined foyer, an entrance where our names were checked off the list. Behind the desk stairs stretching upwards, and it’s there where I head now.
Dahlia follows me readily, her hand still on my arm as she keeps pace despite not knowing where we’re headed. Her heels clack on the marble floor rapidly as we head out of a room still so quiet I could hear a pin drop. As the doors begin to close behind us I hear an outbreak of noise, the gossip flooding back to life. I ignore it, just as I ignore the fact that they opened just a little wider before they finally closed. Someone is f
ollowing us, and it doesn’t take a genius to figure out who it is.
I can’t give Carlisle any more of my attention right now. He’s not the one who matters. Even if his acceptance is integral to Dahlia’s happiness, it is something that we can work on later, over time. We have the rest of our lives together to sort these things out. Right now, I need to have her to myself, her and our baby, already growing inside her, even if it is smaller than a pea at the present moment.
We climb the stairs together, and I’m glad at least that I don’t immediately hear any footsteps following us. Carlisle must be hesitating down in the lobby, unsure of whether to follow us or not. Maybe the champagne and the shock have gotten the best of him. Either way, I take full advantage of the lull. I hurry Dahlia up the stairs, careful to support her so that she doesn’t slip in her heels, until we reach a broad open balcony that looks out over the main floor.
There are gauzy curtains hanging down from above the railing which at least partially obscure us, and unless someone looked up, they wouldn't notice us at all. This is about as private as it will get for us so long as we’re at this party, someone has started the music playing again and people are talking amongst themselves, and no one will hear us up here.
I turn back to face Dahlia, seeing how pale she looks, how worried. I reach out and touch her face, cupping her cheek in my hand. “Do you regret this?” I ask, my voice tight. I don’t know what I will do if she says yes.
“No,” she replies, to my relief. “Not at all. I love you, Nick. I’m yours. Dad will come around, even if it takes time. He’ll have to. It’s the only way he can stay involved in my life. I won’t give you up.”
I lean down and kiss her full on the mouth, though this time there is no lust in it, only adoration, pure worship, letting her know just how strongly I feel about her.
I’m glad that was her answer. It means I can do the other thing I intended tonight. Or, at least, this week. I was thinking that we could go for dinner somewhere nice first, have a special night, a night like the day we already shared. This isn’t as romantic as I had hoped. But, the pregnancy, her father, this situation – it will have to do.
Fixing her eyes with mine, I take a step back and drop down to one knee, reaching into the inner pocket of my jacket for the box hidden there. “Dahlia Harvey,” I say, swallowing to keep my throat clear. “It’s been only a short time since we met, but I already know I love you. You will be the mother of my child, of all my children. You will be mine for as long as we both live. I told you when we met that I was looking for the right woman to be my wife. You are that woman. Dahlia, will you marry me?”
And I wait, my heart thudding painfully in my chest as she considers the question that could transform both of our lives forever.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Dahlia
I can’t believe this is happening.
It’s like I’ve had a dream for my whole life, without even realizing it, and then one day it appeared to me ready-made. I wished for it just a couple of days ago and now here it is, just like that. How can this be possible?
I’m so stunned that for a moment I don’t even answer. Then I realize that Nick is still down on one knee, still holding out a delicate ring box with the most exquisite diamond ring I have ever seen, still waiting for an answer. This is really happening. I almost have to pinch myself before I can get the words to come out.
“Yes!” I gasp, a grin spreading across my face, tears gathering in my eyes. Tears of happiness. Everything is coming together, I never even dreamed it could be this perfect. “Oh, my god, Nick, yes!”
He slides the ring onto my finger as I laugh, a half-wet sound coupled with the tears streaming down my face. He stands and pulls me into a deep embrace, his hand holding my face as he leans down to kiss me over and over again.
“Where did you even get this?” I ask, wiping at my face. I’ll have ruined my makeup now, I think, but it doesn’t matter. Not when it’s for something as wonderful as this.
“I got it when I was out today,” Nick says. A sheepish look on his face. “I may have had to cancel a couple of meetings in order to have the time to go shopping. That’s probably just one more reason why your father is pretty mad at me.”
I feel a flicker of sadness at the mention of my Dad, but I push it away. Right now, I’m happier than I’ve ever been in my life, and I know this is everything I’ve always wanted. I belong to him and it’s all I want. I don’t need a single other thing than this, Nick, our baby, and this ring on my finger.
“I love you so much, Nick,” I tell him. Tears stream down my cheeks and I wipe them away, laughing. This has been such a rollercoaster of a day. I cried with happiness when the test came up positive, too. There’s only one thing left that could make it perfect.
But I guess we’re not going to get that, because the sound of footsteps outside draws our attention at the same time. Someone is coming up the stairs in a hurry, and they aren’t being quiet about it, even with the music drifting up from below, we can tell they’re stomping up to us. There’s only one person I would bet on being angry enough to make an entrance like that.
“Dad,” I gasp, as he emerges onto the balcony with us, his face red with fury.
“I won’t let you humiliate me like this,” he says. “First at work, and now here with my own daughter. I’m not going to stand for it, Nick Hatheway. You get away from my daughter.”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Nick
I look up to see Carlisle storming in, shaking with anger. His words are not unexpected, although I don’t know that they’re fair. It’s not like that. Nothing I have done has been personally aimed at him, but maybe he does really know that, and that’s what makes him more angry than anything.
“Carlisle,” I say, taking a deep breath. My instinct is just to hit him until he stops getting in the way of things, but I know that’s not the right answer. Not for Dahlia. She needs her father, and that means that I need to work on getting his support. It’s important to her, so I have to make it important for me as well. “Just listen to us for a moment. You don’t understand the full story. Just wait and let us explain.”
“Are you going to try and talk your way out of this, you weasel? The way you’ve clearly talked my daughter into bed? Do you think you can make us believe that you’re a decent guy?”
“Dad,” Dahlia says, her voice tight and hurt. Carlisle looks at her, and I think he actually regrets saying it. A cloud comes over his face, something like doubt.
“I am a decent guy,” I say. I do feel confident enough in saying that. I’ve always tried to do the right thing whenever I can, to be a good person. When it comes to Dahlia, I know I’ll do everything in my power to make her happy. I think that qualifies me as a decent guy. “I don’t know why you think you know what my intentions are, but you’re wrong. I love Dahlia, and I’m not just leading her on. This is real.”
“And how are we supposed to believe that?” Carlisle blusters. He keeps using the royal ‘we’, as if he thinks that Dahlia is included in his doubts, even though she clearly isn’t. “Where’s your proof?”
“It’s right here, Dad,” Dahlia speaks up, lifting her hand into the air. She turns it towards him so he can see the ring on her finger, catching the light from below to throw off a sparkle. “This is the proof. Nick proposed to me just a moment ago.”
Carlisle tilts his face towards her, taking in the ring. There’s doubt creeping into his tone when he replies. “Then why were you crying? He didn’t hurt you?”
“No, he didn’t hurt me,” Dahlia says, shaking her head and reaching up to brush away the tears on her face. “I’m crying because I’m happy, Dad. This is everything I want. Nick makes me happy.”
Carlisle seems to be faltering. He doesn’t say a word in reply. Instead he just stares at Dahlia, then at me, his expression changing. It’s like he’s looking at me, actually looking at me, for the first time, instead of seeing the man he was angry with.
“I d
on’t know if you took it in when Dahlia said it out there,” I say, quietly. “But she’s also pregnant. We’re going to get married, and she’s having my baby. This isn’t just a fling for me. This is serious.”
Carlisle’s mouth opens and closes a few times, his lips pursing together in between. “This pregnancy was an accident,” he says at last. It’s phrased like a question but said like a statement, falling somewhere between the two. “You didn’t really mean to get her pregnant.”
I shrug. “I wanted it,” I say. “I don’t think we could possibly have predicted that it would happen, but it did. And I know in my bones that this is real. And I’m happy. I want to spend my life with Dahlia. I’ve spent a long time looking for the right woman, and now that I’ve found her, I’m not willing to let her go.”
“What if she wants to go?” Carlisle demands, raising his head.
“Dad, stop it,” Dahlia tells him. “I don’t want to go. I want this, too. This is everything to me. I’m going to be Nick’s wife. I’m going to be a mother. Don’t you understand? We’re a family.”
Carlisle looks between us again, from her to me and from me to her. He looks like he’s trying to think of another objection to come up with.
“It’s very fast,” he says at last.
“That doesn’t mean it isn’t right,” I tell him. “I’ve been around longer than Dahlia, yes. And that means I’ve lived a life, grown to know myself. To know my own feelings. I also know that if something is good, there’s no point in waiting around because you’re scared it might not work. Every moment we waste is one we can’t get back ever again. If I didn’t allow myself to be with Dahlia, just because it was fast, I would miss out on moments I could never get again. I won’t do that.”
Falling For Her Dad's Boss: An Instalove Possessive Alpha Romance (A Man Who Knows What He Wants Book 181) Page 6
