Page 82 of Christmas with the Denton Billionaires

Mitch waved and smiled for what felt like the hundredth time since his father’s big announcement.

It had happened. He was Denton Hotel’s newest CEO.

But his smile strained at the edges, and his stomach sank lower with each passing second that Jules was out of reach. He couldn’t bolt from the stage quite yet. But soon. Mitchell Senior slung his arm around his shoulders, turning toward another set of cameras.

“This is a dream come true,” Mitch said into the microphone once the applause had died down slightly. He’d already given a short speech, and the Christmas Gala still had plenty on the agenda. But Mitch only had one thing on his new, edited agenda: hunt down Jules.

A jazz quartet sprang to life, signaling the end of the announcement. His heart raced, and he turned to his father. “Thanks, Dad. I have to step away now.”

“Now? Just when the party’s getting started?”

Mitch’s brother Josh jogged up to the stage area, his fiancée Amelia in tow followed by their cousin Chris. They must have arrived during the announcement. Josh came up the small staircase and wrapped his brother in a hug.

“Good to see you, bro. I’m proud of you.”

“Same here, Mitch,” Chris said, reaching out to shake his hand.

Mitch grinned, but it faded fast. He clapped his brother on the back and waved at Amelia. “Thanks. I’m on my way out right now. How long will you be here?”

“You’re leaving?” Josh asked.

“Dude, we just got here,” Chris said.

“I have something I need to take care of.” Every passing second reminded him that he needed to make things rightimmediately.It already felt too late. “I’ll be back. I want to catch up. You three look great.” He was heading down the stairs now, pointing at his brother and Amelia as he tried to combine pleasantries with getting the fuck out of there. “We need to get lunch soon. And I want to hear about the renovations upstate. Bye, guys.”

His father stepped into his path, grabbing his shoulder. “What is this about? That event planner? Come on. You need to enjoy yourself. This isyour night.”

“Yeah. A night that wouldn’t have happened without her.”

His father scoffed. “Event planners are a dime a dozen.Youare the real star tonight. You’ve been working your whole life for this.”

“Yeah, and what do I do that’s so special? Believe me, I love my job. I love our business. But I’m sick of pretending I’ve got something special up my sleeve that nobody else has. Jules is the best woman I’ve ever met. She’s selfless and dedicated and the firstpartnerI’ve ever had. And you’d have me throw that away because she’s an event planner?”

His father’s nostrils flared. “So you’d throw all this away? Your future with the company? For her?”

Mitch froze as he stared his father down. Looked like tonight was the night for uncomfortable conversations. “What do you mean, exactly?”

Mitchell Senior huffed out a breath, crossing his arms. “I would think that would be obvious. You either want to be the head of Denton Hotels or you don’t.” At least his father had the good sense to have this conversation at his normal volume, but that didn’t stop the cold fury from rolling through Mitch.

“For the record, Father, I’m happier than I’ve ever been and it’s all thanks to her. I refuse to lose her.”

“So that’s it? You’d walk away from everything for a woman who —”

“Has come to mean more to me than Denton Hotels? Yes, absolutely.” The words flowed more freely, now that he’d had a chance to grapple with the idea of losing her. “Jules is the first person I feel like I can reallyshare my lifewith and I’ve fallen in love with her. If you can’t accept that, then I decline the position and I submit my resignation, effective immediately.”

“What? You can’t do that!” His father’s voice rose. “You need to think carefully about what you’re saying, son. This isn’t something you can come back from.”

“I mean it. While heading up Denton Hotels has been a dream for me, it pales compared to having Jules in my life. Excuse me.”

Mitch didn’t wait for his father’s reply and raced up to the penthouse. He didn’t expect her to be there, but he had to be sure. The place was empty. Noelle’s empty crib stung the worst, and his chest tightened as he fished out his phone to call for his driver. He wasn’t getting a response, so he found a backup. He was in the car within five minutes and pulling up to Jules’s building within fifteen.

His heart hammered between his ears as his gaze washed over the brick building. His breath came out in white puffs as he hurried toward the front doors and buzzed her apartment number.

After a few moments, there was no response. So he buzzed again.

Still nothing.

He swore, pulling out his cell phone and calling. It rang, rang, rang before switching to voicemail. Was it possible she wasn’t even here? Fear coiled inside him. She had to be here. Had to. Because he wasn’t going to let today end without his little, unlikely family being reunited.

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