Chapter 30
CHAPTER THIRTY
The summer rain came down in sheets, blanketing the large windows of the conference room. People down below ducked their heads as they ran along the sidewalks to get to their destinations and out of the rain.
All of them, save one.
“Still there, huh?” June’s voice shattered the quiet room and Kat glanced over her shoulder as her father’s secretary crossed the space to come stand beside her.
Kat’s eyes found Leo again and nodded. “I don’t get it.”
“Don’t you?” June snickered. “Sweetheart, that man is completely smitten. He’s trying to prove a point—ridiculous as it may seem.”
“Which is?”
June gave her a pointed look. “You and I both know you’re not that daft.”
Kat bit back a smile but the instinct to grin faded. “He should just cut his losses and go home.”
“Like you did?”
Kat refused to respond to such a statement. She hadn’t cut her losses. She’d done what was expected of her—what she’d been raised to do. Leo wasn’t doing any of that. He’d chased her across the country. And for what? She couldn’t walk away from this—from her future.
Could she?
Folding her arms around herself, she sighed. “I don’t know what to do.”
“I think you do. You’re just scared of taking that leap.” June squeezed her arm and gave Kat a small nod. “But I’ve known you for a long time. Eventually, you always figure things out. You’ll find the strength to do what must be done even if you haven’t yet.”
Kat wanted to laugh in June’s face. It had been a couple weeks. She’d been contacted by both Jane and Noah regarding Leo’s behavior. They’d apologized. They’d asked for her help. In the end they were all at a loss for how to get Leo to admit defeat.
Was it terrible that she wanted him to stay?
Yes, of course it was.
He needed to go home.
And yet the thought of showing up at work and not seeing his stubborn face had that familiar twinge of pain rocking through her bones. She didn’t want him to leave. Not really.
She had to be honest with herself. Neither one of them was happy right now. They both wanted something they couldn’t have.
The worst part was that Kat was finally coming to a realization.
Her inability to do what Leo had pleaded for the night of the charity event had less to do with following her dreams.
Kat realized something she’d never thought possible.
She couldn’t leave without her father’s blessing.
There was only one reason that could logically explain those feelings.
Her father was all she had. With her mother gone, she couldn’t walk away from the only family she had left. Spending time in Rocky Ridge had taught her just how important family was even when said familial relationships were strained.
Kat could live with a broken heart. But she couldn’t live with herself if she left her father and he had no one.
“Ms. Jerris?”
She jumped, her eyes flying to the open doorway.
“Your father wants to know if you’re still planning on dinner this evening.”
Kat nodded, slowly turning her eyes back to Leo. “Yes. Thanks, June.”
Her father looked older than his years. Kat didn’t know when that had happened. She’d always thought the man before her was nothing but formidable. But as she settled into her seat, she couldn’t drag her eyes from the man she loved and respected.
He offered her a small smile. In his hand was a glass filled with his favorite red. He swirled the liquid, his expression thoughtful.
“Sorry I’m late.”
“The roads are bad.”
Kat nodded. She didn’t dare tell him that she was actually late because she’d nearly crossed the street to speak to Leo—to plead with him to leave again. She’d been so conflicted that she’d ended up leaving ten minutes later than she’d planned.
She swallowed hard, ignoring the twist in her heart. Leo would give up eventually.
“He’s still waiting?”
Kat didn’t have to ask to know exactly who her father was asking about. She gave a curt nod as she opened the menu.
Her father grunted before taking a sip of his wine. “Determined young man, isn’t he?”
She refused to meet his eyes. “Stubborn more like.”
He chuckled. “Sounds like someone else I know.”
Her gaze flicked up to meet his with question, then she sighed and flipped the menu’s page. “I’d have thought that was a trait you could respect.
“To a degree, yes.” He was quiet for several seconds. When he spoke again, her heart stopped. “I brought your mother here—on our first date.”
Kat’s eyes burned with emotion. Her father rarely spoke of her mother. It was too painful. At least that was what she told herself. She kept her focus glued to the menu, but her vision blurred and she couldn’t read it.
“From the moment I saw her, I knew she was going to be mine.” He chuckled. “She took some convincing, though.” He waved a hand to the restaurant. “Your mother wasn’t impressed with money or status. She thought I was arrogant and that I worked too much.”
Kat snorted. She wasn’t surprised. “But you did it. You won her over.”
Her father glanced at her over the rim of his glass. “Not without a great deal of effort.” He placed the glass on the table then steepled his fingers. “That young man of yours—he reminds me a lot of myself back then.”
Her eyes widened. There was so much to unpack with that statement. “What?”
He smiled again. “I was persistent. Sent her flowers every day. Waited for her outside her apartment to ask her out. Took a while, but yes, I wore her down.”
“You seem very proud of yourself.”
Her father chuckled again. “I am. Your mother was the love of my life. I made sure she wanted for nothing. She was my… everything. And all I wanted for her was her happiness.”
Kat frowned. “But she gave up her dreams—”
Confusion marred his wistful expression.
“Your mother gave up nothing. She wanted to be home with you, to care for you, raise you to be the strong woman you are today. When she found out she was expecting, we had a long conversation about what our lives would look like. I couldn’t step down from my position.
And we knew we didn’t want you raised by a revolving door of nannies. ”
Blood rushed through Kat’s ears. She felt dizzy all of a sudden. Her mother had walked away from her dreams not because her husband asked her to, but because she wanted to give her daughter everything she had.
Tears stung the back of Kat’s eyes.
“Your mother loved you so much, Kat. More than you will ever realize. Her sacrifices were all for you. And she was happy to make them. That’s all I wanted for her.
And you. Happiness. Joy. I thought that was what I could give you here.
To have you work by my side. To find a man who could support your dreams and not cast you in shadow.
Chaz is a good man. He would have stood by your side and the two of you could have made a legacy for yourselves.
” He frowned and his brows pulled down. “But you don’t love him. ”
Kat sucked in a sharp breath. “Dad—”
“Don’t lie to me, sweetheart. I saw the way you looked at Leo—the way he looked at you.” He gave her a sad smile. “Take it from an old man. You are his everything just like your mother was mine. Just like you are mine.” He blew out a slow breath. “But I think it’s time for me to finally let go.”
“Daddy—” Her voice broke and she shook her head.
He leaned forward and reached for her hand. “I want you to be happy. No regrets. No holding back.” He released her and settled back in his chair, his smile a little more at peace. “I think it would be wise to revisit the idea of opening a location in Montana.”
She gasped. “Really?”
“Really.”
Kat jumped up from her seat and darted around the table before throwing her arms around her father’s neck.
Sobs wracked her body. She didn’t care if people stared.
Right here, right now, she was the happiest she’d ever been.
Her father had opened a door to a future she’d thought about more than was probably healthy.
“About your engagement to Chaz.”
She stiffened and pulled back, studying him.
“I’ve already told him plans have changed. You don’t need to worry about speaking to him regarding your arrangement. I’ll be training him to take over the New York offices while you’ll be responsible for the offices in Montana. Do you have a city in mind?”
Kat bit her lower lip to fight her grin. “I have some ideas.”
“I thought you might.” His eyes shifted behind her.
“I forgot to tell you, I’ve invited someone to join us.
Or rather, to join you.” There was something in his gaze that had the hairs on the back of her neck standing on end.
Slowly, she turned her head, her eyes remaining locked on her father until the last moment.
“Leo,” she rasped.
“Hey, Princess.”