Page 82 of Drunk on You

“I know,” he says, his eyes glassy. “You wanted the same thing as your mother, and I thought that was what I was doing. I had been raised in a poor family. We barely had enough food some days to eat three meals. My parents worked so hard to provide, but it was never enough. They were always fighting over money … or lack thereof.

“When I left my family home and came to Texas, I thought money would equal happiness. I went to school and majored in business and put all my efforts into my schooling. And then I met your mother. She had been raised in a wealthy family, and when I asked her father for his permission to marry her our sophomore year in college, he said, ‘I’ll give it to you when you can provide for her like a husband should.’”

“I didn’t know that,” I admit.

“Nobody knew,” he confesses. “I left his house that day, even more motivated to make something of myself. And when I graduated, I presented my business idea to her father. He owned the bank in town, and I needed a loan. He told me I’d never make a living selling liquor and that I was being reckless.”

He chuckles softly and shakes his head, as if he’s remembering it.

“I didn’t marry your mom until I was confident the business would be successful,” he continues. “It’s why we didn’t have you until we were in our early thirties. By then, I was so absorbed with the company, with proving everyone wrong, that I didn’t know any other way.

“I bought us a big house and expensive cars. I made sure neither of you ever wanted for anything, but I refused to give you both what you wanted the most …”

“You,” I whisper. “We just wanted you.”

“The day she died, when we were at lunch, she asked me not to hire you,” he says, tears filling his lids.

“What? Why?”

That makes no sense. She knows how hard I worked to turn my life around so I could prove to my dad that I wasn’t a disappointment.

“She didn’t want to lose you the way she lost me,” he says softly. “I told her that it was time to cut the umbilical cord, and she got upset and left. That’s the real reason why we were fighting,” he admits, shocking the hell out of me. “That’s why she ran out, upset. She was afraid you would become me.”

“That’s why you didn’t ask me to come work for you,” I say, the pieces finally fitting together. “You were abiding by her last wishes.”

“I was,” he says, “but it wasn’t the right thing to do because all this time, you thought I didn’t think you were capable, didn’t believe you were worthy of working for Kingston or me. I never thought you were a disappointment, Anastasia. I just didn’t want what happened to me to happen to you.”

“So, you chose Julian as the new CEO.”

“No,” Julian says. “What you overheard had nothing to do with work. I was asking for your dad’s permission to marry you … the right way.”

“What?” I gasp. “I don’t understand.”

“You said you wanted a real wedding. The white dress, beautiful venue, your dad walking you down the aisle. And I want to give that to you.”

He smiles softly, and my heart pounds against my rib cage. Just when I thought I couldn’t love this man any more than I already do, he does something like this.

“Thank you!” I throw my arms around him as tears spill over my lids and slide down my cheeks.

“I know our engagement started off fake, but I love you, Ana, and I want to give you the world.” He reaches down and presses his hand to my belly. “Both you and our baby.”

I’m so caught up in the moment that it takes me a second to take in what he just said in front of my dad. When I do, I glance at him, and he’s smiling.

“You didn’t really think I believed your sudden engagement was real, did you?” Dad says with a laugh. “I run a successful multibillion-dollar company. I can sniff out bullshit from a mile away. I’ve known the entire time.”

“Why didn’t you say anything?” I ask, stunned at his admission.

I mean, it makes sense, but he had so many opportunities to call us out, and he didn’t.

“For one, it meant having you back in my life,” Dad says with a watery smile. “When I found out you were home, I didn’t care how you had gotten here. But the fact that it was Julian who’d brought you home … well, maybe I’m just an old man who’s in love, but that sounded a whole lot like fate to me. The man who I consider a son bringing my daughter home after six years? I couldn’t have asked for anything more.”

He clears his throat and smiles at both of us. “I was struggling with how to handle the CEO position. But then I got to watch the two of you fall in love, and you guys made it easy.”

“What?” I ask. “How?”

“There’s something you need to know, Anastasia,” my dad says, his smile fading. “I don’t want you to get worked up over this. Especially since you’re pregnant. But I’m sick. Lung cancer. Thankfully, they caught it quickly. I already planned on retiring before I found out, but it solidifies my decision to step down. I need to focus on beating this thing, and then I want to travel and spend time with my family.”

“Dad,” I whisper through a choked sob.

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