29. Sterling
29
STERLING
“Warm enough?” I pull the blanket higher over Hallie’s legs as she snuggles into her seat beside me, my arm looped around her shoulders.
“Uh-huh.” She lets out a small yawn, covering her mouth with the cuff of her sweater.
I bought her a bigger size when I got the Statue of Liberty sweater. I wanted her to be cozy. And if I’m honest, I also like the way it’s big on her. She looks cute. So damn beautiful and cute.
And mine.
I press a kiss to her forehead. “Why don’t you get some sleep in the bedroom? We’ve got a few hours until we land.”
“Are you going to work, or are you going to join me?”
I chuckle. “How am I supposed to resist that invitation?”
“You’re supposed to tell me you have too much work to do.” She teases, looking at my laptop on the seat opposite, and the stack of paperwork I brought to catch up on.
“I do have too much work to do. But it can wait.” I lift her chin so I can kiss her pouty lips. “How about I come and tuck you in and then I’ll leave you to rest?”
Her eyes sparkle. “You’ll come straight out here?” She lifts a brow.
“Yes.”
“Promise?”
I chuckle.
“Is it going to be like when you said I needed new luggage for this trip and I insisted I didn’t, and you said you wouldn’t get me any when I asked you not to waste your money?”
“You did need new luggage. Your suitcase was scratched.”
“It was barely noticeable.” She rolls her eyes.
“I never promised anything,” I say, smiling as she pokes me in my side.
“I do like it, though. It’s really pretty.”
Her eyes track to the matching carry-on on the floor beside her seat. It’s dark blue with a sterling silver ‘HB’ embossed on it.
“Thank you.” She presses a kiss to my jaw.
I groan and unfasten my seatbelt. “Come on, Miss Burton. It’s time you went to bed.”
The flight attendant just took the pilots a coffee, so no one sees me as I lift her into my arms bridal style, causing her to giggle as I stride off to the rear of the aircraft where there’s a private bedroom.
I open the door and maneuver us inside.
“Lock the door,” I instruct.
Hallie blinks at me and then reaches out and slides the lock over, keeping her eyes on mine.
“Are you going to put me to bed now? Make me rest?”
“That’s exactly what I’m going to do.”
I walk to the bed and place her on it. A small huff of disappointment passes her lips and I smile internally. She’s been up for everything since I moved her into my place yesterday. She wanted to have sex in every room before we left for London. She said I should think of it as a cleansing ritual.
I live in a one hundred and seventy-five-million-dollar penthouse on 57 th Street, aptly named ‘Billionaire’s Row’.
With two floors and seventeen rooms.
If she didn’t bring me to life with her energy, then I’d feel every day of my fifty years today. Seventeen times in less than twenty-four hours and she’s still reaching for my belt as she bites her lower lip and gives me that look.
“Baby girl,” I murmur.
“I’ll rest after,” she breathes. “Besides, you want it, don’t you?” She squeezes my already rock-hard dick as if to prove a point.
I inhale slowly and let out a slow groan as she unfastens my belt and slides my zipper down. She bends to press a kiss to the head of my dick through my underwear.
“We can be quick,” she says, pulling the waistband of my boxers down and freeing my cock. She swipes up the bead of precum leaking from my slit with her tongue and moans as she swallows it down.
“Jesus Christ.”
All decorum leaves me as I’m overtaken by red-hot desire. I rip my pants out of the way, kicking them off my feet, then grab a handful of her hair and hold her face in front of my crotch. She looks at me, eyes glittering.
“You want your mouth fucked, Baby girl? Is that it?”
“Mm-hm.” She bites her lower lip as I rub my thumb over it.
“Say it,” I urge.
“I want you to fuck my mouth,” she whispers, pressing a kiss to the head of my weeping dick. “Even harder than the last time.”
Her next breath is turned into a gurgling sound as I ram my cock so far down her throat that she gags.
She loves this. I love this.
We’ve been together so many times in so many ways now that I know without a doubt she trusts me to do whatever I want to her. She knows I’ll only bring her pleasure and that I’d never hurt her. And that trust makes everything between us electric. More powerful than anything else I’ve ever experienced.
My ass clenches tight as I fuck her mouth with deep strokes. She swallows every inch of me happily, moaning as she gazes up at me.
“Baby girl,” I utter, stroking the side of her face. “I love you so damn much.”
She smiles around my dick, one hand stroking my balls and tugging them gently.
“You ready?”
She nods, her eyes lighting up as my abs tense, and I let out a rough curse.
“Here it comes then.”
She whimpers, hollowing her cheeks and sucking hard, as I shoot pulse after pulse of hot cum down her throat.
She swallows some before I tut.
“You know what I want to see, Baby girl. Get that pretty mouth open.”
I pull her off my cock and hold the base of it, aiming the thick spurts onto her outstretched tongue.
“God, yes,” I groan, coating her tongue and spilling over her lips and chin.
I squeeze up the length of my dick, jerking the end of it to empty out every drop.
“Baby girl,” I groan, smearing the final glistening bead over her lower lip.
She blinks at me, her mouth full of un-swallowed cum.
“You’re so goddamn perfect. Sitting there and begging to be given my cum like this.”
She rises and grabs the back of my neck, bringing my face to hers.
“Give it to me,” I husk.
Her eyes spark and she parts her lips as I tilt my head back, opening my mouth so she can let my cum drip into my mouth.
Then she swallows and kisses me, swirling her tongue over mine. I growl, tasting myself on her and deepen our kiss.
“Let me make you feel good.” I slide my hand to the apex of her thighs in her yoga pants.
She holds my wrist, stilling my hand. “I do feel good. I wanted to taste you, and I did. Now I need to rest.”
A rumbled huff vibrates from my throat, and she smiles against my mouth. “Sometimes all I want is to take care of you. And you need to let me.”
She presses a gentle kiss to my lips and runs her fingertips along my jaw.
“Go and get some work done. I know it’s been on your mind. I’ll stop distracting you and stay here for a bit.”
“Knowing you’re back here, in this bed, will be a distraction.”
She presses another kiss to my lips and pats my chest lightly with her palm. “Go.”
Pulling my clothes off the floor and getting dressed, I arch a brow at her with a grumble.
“I’d rather be making love to you than working.”
She bites her lip with a smile, and I grab her face between my hands, pressing a lingering kiss to her mouth.
“I love you, Hallie.”
“I love you too,” she hums happily. “Now go do some work, and if you’re done before we land…” She kisses me again.
“If I’m done?” I counter.
“If you’re done,” she murmurs, “then wake me up any way you like.”
If that isn’t an incentive to get my work done as fast as I can, then I don’t know what is.
“You know my favorite way to wake you up is with my head between these gorgeous thighs?” I say, sliding my hand up one and squeezing a handful of soft flesh.
“I know,” she teases, nipping my lower lip. “So go get your work done.”
“And you get yourself to sleep, Baby girl. And leave your panties off for me.”
Her eyes light up, and I chuckle as I tear myself away.
Hallie’s palm twitches inside mine as we stand on the doorstep of her parents’ house. The front garden is immaculate. It’s a quiet area. We’ve only seen a couple of dog walkers and a mom pushing a stroller since we arrived. I imagine Hallie here growing up, coming in and out through the front door that’s got a stained-glass window of a sunrise on it.
“They love this house,” she says. “They’re always saying how many memories are here.”
“I’m sure.” I give her a reassuring smile as she chews on her lower lip.
“Don’t be concerned about meeting them. They’re lovely, and they’ll like you, I know they will. Just… don’t be surprised if they are bothered by the age thing to start with. They’re ten years older than you, and they’re bound to ask your age. I know them. And my dad, he says what he’s thinking. It’s if he gets quiet that you need to worry.”
“Okay.”
She reaches for the doorbell, then stops.
“I’ll tell them about us first. Then Vegas. Otherwise they’ll be wondering why you’re here with me. They still think you’re my client.”
She lifts her hand toward the doorbell again.
And stops.
“Now I know that Rory was responsible, I…” She shakes her head. “It doesn’t make this easier. They’ll be more upset that I didn’t tell them than how it happened.”
She looks at me with worried eyes and my chest tightens. When I told her that Denver found footage from that night and that Rory had been spiking her drinks, she sat on the couch with her head in her hands for the longest time. I held her as relief flowed through her body. She’s finally starting to see that it wasn’t her fault. She didn’t let Jenny down. And she doesn’t need to carry around the guilt with her anymore.
But the tension is back in her stiff shoulders now.
“They’re your parents, Hallie. They’ll forgive you.”
She nods, then takes a deep breath and lifts her hand to the doorbell again.
And pauses. Again.
“And maybe let me?—”
I pull her into my arms and kiss her.
“It’ll be okay,” I soothe, holding her face in my hands.
“It’ll be okay,” she repeats. Her eyes soften. “I love you so much.”
“I love y?—”
She cuts me off, kissing me again just as the front door opens.
“Halliday?” The man’s eyes widen behind his glasses as Hallie shoots back from me.
“Dad!” She pulls him into a hug before he can react. He sinks into it, patting her back.
“I thought I heard someone at the door. Your flight got in early?”
“We had a tailwind,” she replies just as a woman with short silvery-blonde hair joins her father at the door.
“Sweetheart!”
The woman pulls Hallie into an embrace, and I hang back, watching as they fuss over her and tell her how much they’ve missed her.
“Mum, Dad, I want you to meet Sterling.” She moves back to my side and wraps her hands around my bicep. “Sterling, this is my mum and dad, Julie and Garth.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you Mr. and Mrs. Burton.” I extend a hand which they both shake as they look between the two of us, their eyes full of questions.
“You’re her client from New York?”
“He was, Mum,” Hallie answers. “I’ve got a lot to tell you.”
Her father stares at me in silence as her mother masks her shock more effectively.
“Of course you do. And we can’t wait to hear it all, right, Garth?”
Her father says nothing.
“Now, come in.” Her mother opens the door wide.
I nod politely at her father. But his gaze is firmly planted on Hallie’s hand that she’s wrapped inside mine, tugging me over the threshold.
“Garth!” her mother snaps.
He finally moves, shutting the door behind us with a deep thud.
Fifteen minutes later, we’re sitting in the front room with a tray of tea and biscuits on a small coffee table in front of us. Garth gave me a tour of the garden, showing me his new chainsaw that he said can cut through bone like it’s butter, while Hallie helped her mom get the tea ready.
Everyone has been too polite to talk about why we’re really here.
“So, you live in New York?” Garth asks me, his eyes narrowed in suspicion.
“I do. It’s where I was born. My family’s from there.”
He nods and takes in my suit.
“What do you do?”
“My family runs a jewelry firm. We’re known for our diamonds. I’ve taken a step back from the day-to-day running now though. I own a chain of piano lounges.”
“They’re amazing,” Hallie gushes. “People go there to relax. It’s like another world stepping inside.”
I smile as her face glows. She understands Seasons and why it’s so important to me. Hearing her talk about it with such passion only makes me love her more.
“And you hired our daughter to find you a partner?” Garth asks.
“No, Sterling’s daughter, Sinclair, hired me,” Hallie tells him.
“And now you’re here.” His eyes move from Hallie and back to me. “And you’re kissing my daughter on my front doorstep.”
“Dad!” Hallie scoffs, pressing a hand to her forehead. “You weren’t meant to see that until I’d had a chance to talk to you.”
“Well, I did see,” he grumbles.
Garth’s eyes remain fixed on me as Hallie speaks. As much as I’m ready to jump in and aid her, she doesn’t need me to. She wanted to be the one to tell them. I’m only here to support her.
“Yes, Sterling was my client. And neither of us expected this. But it happened and here we are.”
“Here we are,” Julie says, her brow furrowing. “Forgive me, but, how old are you?”
“I’m fifty, Mrs. Burton.”
Garth snorts, and Julie jabs her elbow into his thigh.
“How well does your business do?” he asks, setting a penetrating look on me like a spotlight in an interrogation room.
“It does well.”
“My daughter is a very successful woman. She was employed by a royal family only last year.”
His gaze drops over my suit again, and he narrows his eyes at my Italian handmade shoes.
“I’m aware. She’s an incredible businesswoman, and I can see you’re very proud of her.”
“Dad,” Hallie interjects. “Sterling has his own money. He’s not interested in mine.”
“That true?” Garth hitches a brow, his gaze suspicious.
“It is,” I reply simply.
“What are we talking?”
“Dad!” Hallie says, exasperated, as Julie knocks his thigh again.
“My businesses do well, Mr. Burton. My interest in your daughter is not for financial gain, I can assure you.”
Her father snorts. “Your idea of well and mine might differ.”
“Dad, please.” Hallie sighs. “I appreciate your concern, but?—”
“I’m your father, I have to protect?—”
“Sterling ranks twenty-first on Forbes’s rich list. He’s a billionaire. We flew here on a private jet,” Hallie announces.
I wince internally at how pompous that makes me sound, but I keep my eyes on her father’s. He’s looking out for his daughter, and I commend him for it. I’d do the exact same thing with Sinclair if she were to meet someone.
Garth nods. “Number twenty-one, huh?”
“I got pushed out of the top twenty by the family who owns Walmart.”
“More people need affordable food than they do diamond jewelry,” Garth clips.
“I agree. The carats we sell don’t really bake so well.”
A tiny hint of a chuckle graces Garth’s throat before he clears it and rearranges his expression back to a serious one.
“And you have a daughter?” Julie asks.
“I do. Sinclair’s twenty-three. And I also have a son, Sullivan. He’s twenty-nine. I had another son, but we lost him two years ago.”
Julie sucks in a breath and grips Garth’s thigh. “I’m so sorry to hear that.”
“Thank you. And you have my sincerest condolences over Jenny. Hallie talks of her often.”
Julie’s eyes slide to the mantelpiece above the woodburning stove. It’s lined with various framed photographs of their family. Jenny is in each one, her radiant smile shining.
“Hallie?” Garth frowns as he looks away from me for the first time and pins his eyes on his daughter.
“I know, Dad,” her voice wavers.
He looks at me with shining eyes. “You call her Hallie?”
“I do.”
“I asked him to,” Hallie says softly.
Garth nods before lifting his tea and taking a sip like he needs something to do.
“I’m a parent too, Mr. Burton. Our children’s happiness comes before all else. And I promise you that Hallie’s comes before my own as well. I know I’m older than her, but I don’t see a number when we’re together. I just see her. And I will only ever do what will make her happy. She will always have a choice. For as long as I am her choice, then I’ll look after her. And even if I no longer am, then I’ll do whatever I can to ensure she’s okay. That, I promise you.”
Her parents stare at me until Garth puts his mug back down and exhales heavily.
“The mother of your children?” he asks.
“She also passed away two years ago.”
Julie presses her fingers to her lips. “I’m so sorry.”
Hallie slides her hand onto my thigh and squeezes softly.
“My daughter can’t replace her if that’s what this is.”
“Dad,” Hallie murmurs. “It’s not like that.”
“No, she can’t. And I would never want her to. Your daughter is unique and passionate. And everything about her has enchanted me since the moment I met her. I could never compare her to anyone because there is no one like her. I’ve never felt like this before in my life about anyone. But if for a moment I didn’t think I could make Hallie happy, then I would walk away. I swear on my life. But I believe I can make her happy. She’s brought light into my life, and I’ll do everything in my power to show her how grateful I am for her every day.”
“Sterling,” Hallie whispers, emotion brimming in her eyes as she grabs my hand and interlocks our fingers.
“He lives in New York,” Julie says, her eyes on Hallie.
“I know, Mum.”
Understanding fills her mother’s eyes, and she presses her lips together and looks away.
“There’s something else I need to tell you.” Hallie exhales, and I stroke her knuckles with my thumb.
“There’s more?” her father chokes, shaking his head and looking to the ceiling. “Bloody hell.”
“Something happened a few years ago and I kept it a secret because I was scared of hurting you. And because I was ashamed. And I’ve regretted it every day since. It’s concerning Rory.”
“I saw his mother yesterday. She said he had a fall down the stairs. Black and blue, he is,” Julie says.
Hallie stiffens and her eyes dart to me. I clench my jaw as I hold her gaze, conveying all she needs to know.
“I’m sure he wasn’t being careful,” she says carefully, turning back to her parents. “But this is… this is hard for me to say, so I’m just going to come out with it.”
“You’re pregnant?” Julie gasps.
Garth’s eyes snap to mine in accusation.
“No!” Hallie says. “It’s… Rory and I did something stupid when I went to Vegas that time. We got drunk and ended up getting married in one of those walk-in chapels. I didn’t even know what had happened until the next day. We had it annulled immediately.”
Her shoulders drop instantly, and she breathes out a sigh of relief. It’s like the secret has finally shed the weight it’s been putting on her.
“You did what?” Garth splutters.
“It wasn’t Hallie’s fault. He got her drunk and took advantage of her. And he’s been blackmailing her ever since.”
I fix her father with a stern look. I might be in his house sitting next to his daughter, but if he blames her for this, if he upsets her…
“I’ve never trusted that boy,” Julie says. “He used to shoot at the neighborhood cats with that little potato gun. Do you remember?” She looks at Hallie’s father who’s still staring at Hallie in shock.
“Garth!” Julie nudges him and he focuses.
“Yes, he did. Odd kid. And no better as an adult. Always showing off his latest car or bragging about something.”
“I thought you both liked him?” Hallie shuffles to the edge of the couch as she gapes at her parents. “You’d invite him and his parents around all the time.”
“We thought you two were friends. And his parents are good neighbors. Rory isn’t like either of them. I think he gets it from his grandfather. He was a nasty old bastard,” Garth mutters.
“He’s been blackmailing you?” Julie’s face crumples with concern. “With what? I don’t understand.”
“He’s said he’ll ruin my business. That people won’t trust me if they know I got married when I was drunk. But I’m not going to let him do it anymore. I was scared losing my clients would mean losing the ability to donate to Jenny’s charity. But I’ll find another way. I’ll get past it. I’m not letting Rory take another thing from me,” Hallie says, sounding determined.
I turn and rake over her profile with admiration. I’m so damn proud of her. She was so worried about coming here and telling her parents. But this strong, vibrant woman reminds me of the first day I met her.
My girl is back in fighting form.
“You’ve been donating to the charity?”
Hallie nods at her mother as her father clears his throat.
“How much, Love?” he asks.
Her grip on my hand tightens, and I squeeze her fingers in reassurance.
“Almost everything I make,” she confesses in a quiet voice.
The room falls silent for a long time until Julie straightens.
“We… this is a lot…” She presses her hands to her cheeks. “We need to talk. Will you both be staying? I’ve made up the guest room, and I can make up the couch, or?” She looks at me in uncertainty.
“Yes, please.” Hallie nods. “Our flight back isn’t until tomorrow.”
I clear my throat. “Actually, I’ve booked myself a room at The Kingsbridge hotel.”
Hallie blinks at me, her forehead furrowing.
“The tea’s cold. I’ll make a fresh pot,” her mom announces, standing.
“You need some time with your parents,” I tell Hallie quietly. “And I’m not about to invite myself to stay in their house when they’ve only just met me.”
She swallows, giving my hand a squeeze before she slides hers free and stands.
“I’ll help Mum.”
The bar of The Kingsbridge hotel is quiet. Only a few people, who look like business travelers are dotted around its intimate seating area. I’ve been nursing the same cognac for an hour, hoping that Hallie’s okay.
She was reluctant to let me leave. But she needs time with her parents. Me being there might hold them back from saying what they really think. And I need her to have their honesty. They’re her parents and she needs them. If I have to step back and give them time to discuss the past together and decide how they heal and move forward, then that’s what I’ll do.
And if after speaking with them she decides she can’t come home with me, then I’ll accept it. It’ll obliterate me, but I’ll accept it if it’s what she truly wants. I told her we’d find a way together. But that’s only if she wants it too. It has to be her choice.
I take a sip of my drink and tip my head back with a long sigh. I haven’t been able to concentrate on anything since I checked into my hotel suite. It feels too empty without her. I wear her absence like a bullet through my heart. Even hearing Sinclair’s voice and chatting to Molly on video call didn’t ease the aching in my chest.
“ Courvoisier ?”
I drop my head and look straight into a set of weary eyes behind thin-framed glasses. He indicates to the seat opposite mine at the small table.
I nod and hold out a hand in invitation.
“ Louis XIII .”
Hallie’s father inclines his chin in approval, so I signal the bartender. “Two more please.”
Neither of us speaks until the drinks are brought.
Garth inhales before he takes a sip, letting out an appreciative sigh. “Good stuff.”
“It is.”
I sit back in my chair and wait for him to lead. He’s come all this way to speak to me. It’s only right that I listen, regardless of whether I’ll like what he’s going to say.
He has the power to destroy me should he choose. I can see how much Hallie cares about her parents and not hurting them. If they beg her to come home to England, then she will. I’ll make sure she does. Because if she stayed in New York with me, I know the guilt would eat away at her. And I can’t see her in pain. Even if it means losing her.
“We came for dinner here when Jenny turned eighteen,” Garth says finally, looking at the deep amber liquid in his glass as he rolls it between his fingers.
“I wasn’t aware.”
“The restaurant here makes the best chocolate fudge cake in the whole entire world. Jenny’s words.” He smiles sadly before looking me in the eye. “We’ve already lost one daughter, Mr. Beaufort. I can’t see my wife go through that again.”
The breath leaves my lungs, burning on its way out. I fight to maintain composure, pushing my thumb and finger into my eye sockets as I swallow around the steel ball that’s wedged itself in my throat.
I nod, unable to speak.
If they’ve asked Hallie to stay, I can’t let her choose me. Her relationship with her parents will be severed. And it will be my fault. I would never do that to her. She won’t be happy.
“Do you know what they were doing when I left?”
I drag my hand down my face and look at him through bleary eyes.
“Tell me.”
I ask, because as much as it’ll pain me to hear, when it comes to Hallie I want to know everything. For as long as I still get to have a part of her, I need to hear every tiny detail.
“They were watching a romance film.” He shakes his head, smiling. “Something Julie’s wanted to watch since it came out.”
“Hm.” I smile at the image of Hallie watching a romance with her Mom. A romance just like she’s told me Jenny loved.
“It’s going to take them hours to watch it. They keep pausing it to talk.”
I blink away the grit that’s stinging my eyes.
“They keep talking about you.”
I lift my gaze to his.
“She hasn’t stopped talking about you since you left. I think I know every bloody thing there is to know.” He huffs out a small grunt. “Do you know what else I learned?”
“No,” I answer, taking every ounce of my strength to form that one syllable.
He smiles, but it’s bittersweet.
“I learned what my daughter sounds like when she’s happy. It’s been a long time since I saw that look in her eyes. And even longer since I heard it in her voice. She’s in love with you.”
I rub a hand over my jaw to distract myself from the deep drag of despair pulling at my gut.
“And I’m in love with her.”
He leans back in his chair, swirling the brandy in his glass.
“So now I have to do what a parent has to do.”
He meets my eyes, the same glassiness in his that I’m sure is reflected in mine.
“I have to let my little girl live her life. Because seeing her today I realize how lost she’s been. Jenny died. But Halliday…” His face screws up with emotion. “Halliday… she stopped living . We didn’t just lose one daughter that day. We lost them both.”
I give up trying to hold back the tears that are misting my eyes. Instead, I swipe one away as it breaks free. Hallie said she thinks she was really the one who needed me all along. Hearing the same from her father is almost too much to handle. Because I know she’s changed my life since she came into it.
And he’s telling me I’ve changed hers too. For the better.
The universe knew each of us needed the other.
“She loved Jenny. She’s been the driving force that’s motivated her to create what she has,” I say. “They’re both an incredible testament to you and Julie.”
“No.” Garth shakes his head. “They’re an incredible testament to themselves. Both of them. When you have kids, all you can do is prepare them the best you can. But after that you have to?—”
“Let them go,” I say.
Garth sighs. “Precisely.”
I can barely breathe. My chest is on fire. My heart is on fire. My soul is on damn fire. The sound of it all raging inside, tearing through me fills my ears.
He’s leaving the choice with Hallie.
He’s letting her choose.
She has their support. Not receiving it was what she feared the most. It’s what I feared most. Not Rory. Not what could happen to her business.
It’s what her parents would say about us.
Because they held the key to whether she would find it impossible to live in another country, away from them. They could have made the decision for her, made it impossible for her to choose any other way. I know Hallie. She wouldn’t have been happy without their blessing. The pressure it would have put on their relationship would have broken her eventually. She wouldn’t have been happy, no matter how hard I loved her every day.
I signal the bartender. “Can you bring the bottle, please.”
I take another mouthful of cognac as I look her father dead in the eye and level with him.
“I’ll give her everything. I’ll love her with all I have every second of every day, I promise you.”
The bartender places the bottle down onto the table and Garth pours himself a generous serving.
“But this is her choice. It will always be her choice,” I add.
“I know.”
He sips his drink, his face weary. He looks like a man who knows that he’s about to sacrifice a part of his own happiness for the love of his family.
He looks like a father.
And in this moment, the respect I have for him couldn’t be greater.
“There’s something else you should know.”
“Go on,” he sighs, like he’s already processing exactly what his self-sacrifice will cost him.
“If Hallie chooses to come back to New York with me, I want to ask her to marry me. I want her to be my wife. And I’m asking for your permission to give her that choice too.”
Garth looks at me until the back of my neck heats. But I never break his gaze, and when he finally blinks, I know that he understands.
I will do absolutely anything to ensure her happiness.
He nods at the half empty bottle. “We’re going to need another. I’ve got a long list of things my daughter deserves. And you’re going to sit and listen to every single one.”
I hold his eyes. “Damn right I will.”