My announcement had left him slack-jawed with a lot of questions. Questions he hadn’t gotten to ask because my phone rang with an important call. At least, I’d claimed it was important. It could have been a serial killer asking me to sign upfor a special pickup in a candy van, and I still would’ve answered like my life depended on it.
After making promises to talk to him all about it later, I knew it was only a matter of time until I found him in my office, looking like a concerned father unwilling to be deterred. Despite the worry lines pulling at his eyes, I remained calm and collected with my answer, infusing myself with a confidence that would carry me through admitting the dilemma with the auction,as well asall the other questions I was sure to come.
“Jade Hart just called to inform me she would no longer be able to fulfill her donation.”
“You’d think I’d be more used to the flighty whims of celebrities—especially the younger ones—yet they still manage to surprise me.” He sighed and shook his head. “Did she offer a replacement donation?”
“She did, as a matter of fact. A signed photo of her at the Oscars on the red carpet,” I deadpanned.
He whistled. “What’s the plan?”
“As of right now? I have no idea. But considering her donation sparked an increase in ticket sales for the event, I know I’ll need to come up with something equally as extravagant to replace it.”
“Let me know if you need help. We can always ask other employees to reach out to their contacts.”
“Thanks. I’ll be sure to keep you updated.”
With that assurance, the business side of our conversation faded, leaving nothing but the real reason he came to see me.
And here we go…
“We didn’t get a chance to finish our conversation on Monday.” He huffed a laugh. “Or, really, not even have a conversation about it.”
“Yeah,” I said, dragging the word out.
“So…Lucian?”
I nodded, unable to speak around the ball of nerves crawling up my throat.
“I assumed you two had too much animosity for each other ever to guess you’d become a couple—let alone engaged.”
A high-pitched laugh bubbled over before I could stop it. I dropped my gaze and brushed my hair behind my ear, hoping he took the laugh as one of excitement rather than panic—time to put on the act of my life as a woman in love. If anyone would see past my lie, it would be my dad.
Swallowing past the knot, I held my smile and met his gaze head-on. “It started that way, but we realized our bickering came from having similar, passionate personalities. Over time of working closely together, we discovered how much we had in common. It didn’t take long for us to grow close.”
His brow furrowed. “But you’ve only known each other for a few months. How can you be ready to get married?”
“You only knew Mom for a few months before you married her,” I accused.
“That was different,” he said with a wave of his hand. “Your mother’s family wanted her to move back to Puerto Rico.”
“And she already planned to stay because of a job after college.”
“We didn’t want to take the risk. Marriage was easier.”
I raised a brow over my sardonic stare. We both knew they married for love, and nothing would’ve made them wait. They’d shared how quickly and deeply they fell in love all my life. Their love was one for the ages—one I could only dream of.
One I would never get.
At least not for the next five years.
“Fine. You’re right,” he conceded, throwing his hands up. “Nothing would have made me wait a second longer to marry your mother. Trust me, Aspen, I understand passion and falling in love quickly. I also understand how rare it is. I understandhow passion fools people into thinking it’s love when in reality it’s a fleeting illusion that can lead to fast decisions and long consequences.”
“Dad, it’s not like that.I’mnot like that.”
Lies filled our conversation, but that statement was true. I had no illusions of believing my arrangement with Lucian had anything to do with love. Passion ignited between us, but never love.
“I know I haven’t been around for the interviews much, but I watch you two bicker at meetings. I know a lot of that comes from your anger at how I allowed Lucian to invest in the company. I also knowyou.” He took a deep breath and leveled his deep green eyes at me across the desk. The depths swirled with a combination of my dad and the businessman who built this company. The mixture dug deep and prodded for a crack in my lies. “You’re my daughter—with the same stubbornness as me. Add in your mother’s determination and fiery, fighting spirit, and it makes me wonder if maybe this is some wild plan you’ve concocted that you think will allow you to work around the stipulations in the contract.”
