“You’re welcome, Tyler,” Erin returned and settled on the opposite chair in the fancy dining room. “And you don’t have to keep on thanking me profusely.”
Tyler blushed. Given the circumstance, it was the least he could do. Erin had shown that she was a very understanding woman. When he had told his colleague that he was planning a surprise event for his girlfriend, the man had suggested his sister handling it. Tyler had felt it would be awkward since Erin had wanted them to date. His colleague had told him his sister wasn’t like that. Besides, she had moved on, and there was another man on the horizon. That convinced him to call her about the surprise party he wanted for Kaiya.
“Things don’t have to be awkward between us, Tyler. This is business. Although things didn’t work out between us, I understood that Lili needed her mom as a permanent figure in her life,” she had informed him even before they began. And with a twinkle in her eyes, she had said, “Besides, I noticed how sparks flew between you and Kaiya.” Sighing, she added, “I didn’t want to interrupt such a perfect relationship.”
Tyler had marveled at how considerate she was and had thanked her for being very understanding. And so, he hired her for the surprise party and catering the dinner for Kaiya’s engagement party.
“Everything is set for tonight, Tyler. You don’t have to worry about anything. Everything that might have been a source of concern to you has all been sorted out. All you have to do is bring your queen to the venue and make sure she doesn’t have an inkling of what’s going on.”
“Believe me, she has no idea. Everyone has been sworn to secrecy.”
Erin nodded as a bright smile spanned across her face. “Oh, I do so love surprise parties.”
Tyler grinned. The hotel where the surprise engagement party was to take place wasn’t too far from his workplace, and because his event was such short notice, he had Finn call in some favors for him. He needed tonight to be perfect.
He relayed the message to the event planner. “I really need tonight to be perfect.”
“Don’t worry, it will be,” she promised solemnly. Opening the portfolio she brought along with her, she said, “Let’s go through the details again to set your mind at ease.”
Chapter 17
Kaiya had never been so bored. She couldn’t understand what was happening to her. This was a career she loved so much, nothing else mattered. But now, as she walked about listlessly in the dancing hall, she couldn’t wait to see Tyler and her daughter again.
Even though they had all been together that morning, having a long breakfast at Tyler’s place, she missed them terribly. She knew they had their own lives to live, but it didn’t stop her from yearning to be with them every minute of the day.
Then she remembered that in a few hours, they would all be together again. Tyler had suggested that they should eat out at a fancy restaurant that night, and she had obliged.
“What did I do with my life before they came into it?” she giggled as she asked herself.
Since she was in such a good mood because her business was thriving, her second studio was coming together thanks to Tyler’s help, and now, she was reunited with the man she loved and the child she thought she had lost forever. Kaiya burst into a dance.
Extremely excited to start her life anew again with everyone she loved in it, she continued dancing. There wasn’t any music playing in the background, but a melodious tune she loved so much rang in her head, and she danced to it for some minutes.
On the home front, her parents had also reconciled, and they had been asking if they could spend some time with Lili. Kaiya was hesitant since she’d decided to distance herself from them.
“You have to forgive them and take them back,” Tyler had told her. “They’re genuinely sorry for their actions.”
He would know because they had astonishingly reached out to him first. Her dad had called him out of the blue and wished to see him. Kaiya had begged him not to go because it might be a trap. Tyler had laughed and told her to stop reading mystery novels.
The man she loved had gone for the meeting and returned smiling. According to him, her father had apologized for what he did years ago andaskedfor peace to reign between them.
“You told him to go to hell, didn’t you?’ Kaiya had questioned him with her hands akimbo.
Tyler had laughed and drawn her resistant body into his arms.
“I wanted to, but I didn’t. I did tell him that his place in our lives depended on you. If you are not okay with him being in our daughter’s life, then I’ll respect your decision. It’s up to you, babe. You and Lili were the ones hurt the most from his decisions.”
“You trust my decision on this?”
“Yes, I do, babe, whatever you decide. We can even move to another Province if you want to.”
She had laughed at that. “We don’t have to move, but I’m not ready to forgive them. Taking my child from me was going too far. I may forgive them one day, but for now...”
He had kissed her then to silence her, and the kiss sent shock waves throughout her body, and her mind forgot everything else.
Smiling at what a wonderful person Tyler was, she stopped dancing. He could have insisted thatshe cut her parents off and have nothing to do with them, but instead, he was giving her the choice. She really didn’t want to hold a grudge against her parents forever. She had held a grudge against Tyler, and it brought her nothing but pain and anger.
Thinking of what a great man Tyler is, she decided to surprise him at workduring lunch break. It was almost lunchtime, and he would be delighted to see her.
