Page 6 of Late Nights

“Puppies are cute, but closets are much more practical.”

He grinned and motioned to the floor covered in my belongings. “Because you’re all about practicality.”

I shook my head at him but smiled. “Would you just help me get these into your room?”

His grin grew wider before he reached out and took the heaviest of the suitcases to his room.

I hadn’t realized how personal it would feel to be in Cannon’s room until we were both standing next to each other in the somewhat small space, his queen-size bed taking up most of the room. Instead of looking at him, I moved past him so I could focus on organizing my clothes and shoes in his closet, a great distraction from the good-smelling muscled hunk of a man I would be living in close quarters with.

Cannon sat on his bed, resting his back against the pillows as he watched me, the epitome of relaxed, like being alone in his bedroom with me was no big deal. I mean, it wasn’t a big deal, but it was. Kind of. Well, it shouldn’t have been a big deal, but for some reason I was struggling to know how to act. It helped to keep my hands busy with lining up my shoes.

“You mentioned your dad was upset,” Cannon started hesitantly. “But how did your mom take the news?”

I didn’t know much about Cannon’s childhood, but I did know that my parents were the parents he’d never had. So it didn’t surprise me that he was concerned about how my mom was handling the situation.

I let out a weary sigh. “About as good as you would expect. She was crying when I left and furious with my dad. If I didn’t know my parents were madly in love, I’d be worried this would be cause for divorce.”

His brows rose. “That’s not comforting.”

“Me dropping out of grad school and walking away from the family business was a shock to both of them.” I set down my Jimmy Choos, making sure they were lined up straight. “I guess it’s a shock to everyone.”

He nodded. “Yeah, but if your heart wasn’t in joining Vanderhall Capital, you would have eventually walked away at some point.”

He was probably right. It would have only been a matter of time before I followed the pull to do something I loved, something I was passionate about, something that didn’t have to do with being a venture capitalist.

“You make a good point. One day I would have eventually broken my dad’s heart, crushing his lifelong dream. What’s wrong with making that day today?” My voice was dry, devoid of emotion.

“Your dad will get over it,” he said, as sure as if he was telling someone that the sky was blue.

I arched one brow. “I wouldn’t be so sure of that. You weren’t there when I told him I was flushing his money and dreams down the toilet.”

“No, I wasn’t there, but I know your dad. He’s going to be upset for a while, but one day he’ll accept your decision. He loves you.” He leaned back, putting his arms behind his head, a slight smile on his face. “That doesn’t mean he isn’t going to make offhand comments during family dinners about it, but he loves you.”

I let out a small chuckle. He was right again, but it sure didn’t feel like everything was going to work out. As hard as it had been for me to gain the courage to tell my parents the truth, watching my dad blow up over my decision hadn’t been easy. I’d never disappointed my parents before.

Except for my two-year gap. Although I had eventually gotten my dad on board after explaining I needed to see the world and experience different cultures to help in dealing with future clients. He’d begrudgingly accepted my decision, but he hadn’t been happy about it.

“Now that, I definitely believe.” I smiled, placing the last pair of shoes in his closet.

I stood and went to the next suitcase, opening it up to reveal more shoes. Okay, so maybe I had overpacked.

“So what’s your plan now?” Cannon asked. “Or are you still figuring out what you want to do?”

I knew exactly what I wanted to do, I just hadn’t ever told anyone before. In my head it sounded like a great idea, but saying it out loud made me feel vulnerable. Would he laugh at me? Would he think I was foolish to give up a safe, lucrative career for a job that required a lot of hard work and wasn’t guaranteed to be profitable? Would he think I was naive to think I could do something like this on my own?

I bit my lip, debating what to say. Cannon had never given me any reason to think he would be anything but nice, but I still struggled to find the words.

I took a deep breath. “I want to go to school to become a hairdresser, and then one day open up my own salon.”

His eyes widened slightly at my confession. He moved his arms back down and gave me a look that was a mix of pride and relief. “Demi, that’s great. That will be perfect for you.”

Finally letting out the huge breath I had taken, I managed a smile. “Thanks. I know my dad will think it’s beneath me, but I’ve been dreaming of this since I was a little girl.”

His brow furrowed. “How is doing what you’re passionate about and owning your own business beneath being a Vanderhall? You’ll definitely be able to put your business degree to use, so it’s not like he wasted all his money.”

I played with the strap on one of my shoes. “Yeah, maybe.”

He sat up straighter on the bed, seeming to genuinely be excited for me. “Have you looked into what school you want to go to?”

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