My gaze remains fixated on him as he walks up and grabs me, pulling me into a hug. I close my eyes and relish in the moment that I’ve needed for a while now. The smell of his minty aftershave fills my nose, and it feels like home.
“Dad, I’m sorry,” I whisper into his chest as my eyes fill with tears. He pulls away and shakes his head.
“No,” he corrects. “If anyone needs to be sorry, it’s me. I’m your father and I acted like a child. How was this your fault? You were just wrapped up in it, unwillingly. I needed someone to be mad at, and it wasn’t right that the receiving person was you.”
He leans in and kisses my forehead. “I love you, and thank you for fixing this.”
With a smile, I wipe my tears. “Actually, it was all Jon.”
My father nods at Jon and extends his hand for a firm shake. “Well then, thank you, Jon. My family will forever be in your debt.”
It’s a nice sight, as it feels as though my father is accepting Jon into our family as my boyfriend. However, we will see if he has the same energy when we finally announce the news of my pregnancy.
But it’s not the right time. My father walks back over to Karl, who is now hugging Ethan, thanking him for the opportunity, and ultimately accepts. I haven’t seen Karl get choked up over anything in his life, so this is really a gem of a moment.
Karl turns and hugs my father tightly as I take my seat again, watching them go over how they want to tell the other employees. I’ve only seen Dad this happy when his team wins the Super Bowl, which hasn’t been often.
Jon clears his throat before taking his seat beside me. “Well, now that things are established with who is getting the company, let’s go over the more serious part of the deal.” Ethan nods and sits, pointing to the two empty seats beside him, and my family joins the meeting.
“Elizabeth has already typed up the contracts for you and me,” Jon continues, speaking to Ethan. “But all I’ll need to do is have her change a few things, and we can get them printed off and sent to you both. They will need to be signed with a notary, and then you can consult with Ethan’s lawyers on the next steps.”
Karl is still reeling as he accepts, as does Ethan, and when Jon ends the meeting, my father and Ethan walk out of the room, but Karl stays behind until it is just Jon, him, and I.
“I just wanted to apologize for my outburst today and last week,” Karl starts. “I’m passionate about the things I love, and I guess I just lost my temper. I pointed it toward you, and that was wrong.” He looks at me sincerely and I hug him tightly.
We’ve only really hugged maybe two other times in our lives, and my mother made us when we were fighting to get us to stop. This time, it’s wanted on both accounts.
“It’s okay,” I reply. “You had every right to be upset. But look at you now. You are a big-time business owner. I’m so proud of you.”
Jon shakes his hand, agreeing with me, and Karl gives him a knowing look, as if they are talking with only their minds. Men are strange in that way. A million words can be said without a single one spoken.
Karl smiles and joins Ethan and Dad in the lobby, leaving only Jon and me in the room.
Turning, I surprise him by jumping into his arms, wrapping mine tightly around the back of his neck. The tears rise once more as everything hits me all at once.
“Thank you so much for whatever you did or said to Ethan to get him to go this route. You saved their jobs and my relationship with them.”
He sets me back down on the ground and kisses me. Pulling away, I look at the open doors and the people standing in the open area of the office.
“I don’t care anymore,” he admits. “We are together, we are happy, and we are having a child together…the worry of someone seeing us together is the last thing I care about. Let them see and let them form their own opinions.”
In this moment, Jon has never looked more attractive to me. His confidence, hisI don’t give a damnattitude…everything about him right now is causing my hormones to rage out of control.
I watch as my family and Ethan walk out the front door, and I kiss Jon again. This entire day has been overwhelming to me, and mixed with how this pregnancy is changing my body, I amready to pounce on him in the middle of this office. I wouldn’t care who stuck around to watch.
“Everything okay?” he asks, watching my rapid eyes and feeling my grip tightening on his biceps.
“No, actually,” I reply in a soft tone. “We should leave early…”
My eyes melt into his and he smiles, grabbing my hand before pulling me out of the conference room. “Grab your things,” he orders as he disappears into his personal office and returns seconds later with his car keys and briefcase in his hands.
I’m glad that he knows what I want even before I say it. “Ready?” he asks and grabs my hand. Some of the ladies look our way, but to my surprise, they don’t react the way I assumed.
In movies, this would cause the office to erupt in whispers and pointing. But my life isn’t some cheesy love story, it’s real and it’s what we make of it. I plan on making the best out of the time Jon and I have together.
Chase calls out to us as Jon pulls me toward the front doors. “Don’t worry, I’ll close up for you.”
Jon chuckles as we whiz past Sherry at the front desk and enter the parking garage. I fully expected a comment from her, even after our agreement, but I heard nothing but silence.
