She did, and Dad tossed his arms around her. “I’m sorry I can’t afford to buy you that luxury, sweetheart. But perhaps if you really had the choice, you’d find you wanted to give him a second chance after all.”
Kat breathed in the familiar scent of her father’s cologne and sighed as a memory of Zander came to mind. The heavenly smell of his aftershave. The way he, on their last day at the beach house, winked at her after patting it onto his neck and cheeks. She couldn’t exactly agree with her dad, but there was no denying that she missed Zander. Terribly.
“Maybe,” she finally said. “But I guess we’ll never know.”
* * *
Ten feet. That’s what separated Zander from Kat and her father. That, and the heavy curtain that divided the long stretch of dressing rooms.
Less than four hours prior, Zander had learned about tonight’s live show. And now, just seconds ago, he’d heard something that made him want to surrender.
Kat was right—this wasn’t fair for her at all. The show should let her out of her contract completely. Heck, Marsha said herself that she’d been onto him the day of the wedding. Yet she’d let him take Duke’s place just the same. That had to mean something.
The sound of a closing door planted an idea in Zander’s head. Quickly, he darted toward his own exit, tugged it open, and peeked his head down the hall to see Kat’s dad.
“Psst,” he hissed through his teeth.
The man stopped, seeming to test his ears for a bit before taking another step.
Zander tried again. “Mr. Morgan,” he whispered.
This time he spun to look over his shoulder. “Zander?” he asked, scurrying back down the hallway.
“Yes,” he said. “Can I speak with you for a minute?” he motioned to a hidden foyer across the hall. An array of fresh fruit, granola bars, and bottled juice rested on a counter along the wall. Zander pointed to a far corner before leading the way.
“I overheard you speaking to Kat,” he admitted. “Just parts, and I wanted to make you an offer.”
The man’s dark brows knitted together. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, Kat should be able to fight the contract if she wants to. And if money’s the only thing keeping her from doing that…I’ll pay her attorney fees. Anonymously, of course.”
The man’s eyes widened. His lips parted, but no words came.
Zander ignored the ache that ripped through him. This could cost him the chance to make things right with her. Heck, she might skip the live production entirely. But if Kat wasn’t willing to listen, perhaps she wasn’t in love with him after all.
“Just tell her that…I don’t know, you got an offer from an anonymous donor. And that if she wants out, she can get out without facing the backlash.” It felt as if his chest might collapse after he’d said it, the fear of losing her like a body-sized vice.
A hint of moisture welled in her dad’s eyes as he stared at a spot on the floor. At last he nodded and met eyes with Zander once more.
“You’re really in love with her?”
He nodded. “Deeply.”
“Yet you’re willing to let her go?”
Zander gave him the subtle nod of his head. “If that’s what she wants.”
The man scratched his jaw. “Well, I’ll be…” He reached out then, slapped a hand to Zander’s back, and pulled him in for a mighty grizzly-style hug. “That a boy.”
New emotions stirred within him. Zander had lost his own father years ago, but he’d be danged if this man’s warm embrace didn’t reach into that inner child of his, and he couldn’t help but bask in his approval.
“Kat’s a lucky woman,” her dad said, giving him one last pat. “I’ll do what you said. And I hope she makes the right choice.” He pulled back then, smeared his sleeve over his face, and headed back toward the hallway. But two steps into it he stopped short.
“You know what her middle name means?” he asked without looking back.
The image popped into Zander’s mind in a blink. Aponi—butterfly. “Yes, sir.”
He nodded, then sniffed. “Thank you, for loving her enough to give her wings. Now let’s see how she’s going to use them.”
