“Oh, Daniel,” her mother said, grabbing her father’s arm.
Zoey still blinked, knowing she should say something, do something, but only managed to gawk.
Her father laughed at whatever crossed Zoey’s face. “By the way she looks right now, I’d say you’ve done something right so far, son. But this choice is, and always will be, Zoey’s.”
Time slowed as Rhys moved in front of her and bent down on one knee in the foyer of the police station, not seeming to care that a crowd had gathered. “There are far more romantic ways of doing this, but you know, and I know, all that matters is the happiness we’ve found in each other. You left once. I’m damn determined to never let that happen again.” He opened a box, revealing a princess-cut diamond ring. “Zoey, I have fallen wildly in love with you. Nothing makes sense without you. Everything is right when you’re close. We deserve a win in life. Will you marry me?”
Zoey stared into Rhys’ smoky eyes and said the easiest thing she’d ever said in her life, “Yes.” Because when the bad had happened, the good seemed so far away. Now he was right there, offering her a lifetime of happiness, and she knew she’d fallen for him too. She threw her arms around him, hearing her mother crying beside her. “I love you, Rhys,” she said in his ear.
He caught her in his arms and kissed the ticklish spot on her neck. “I love you, Zoey.”
Chapter 16
Later that night, sitting behind his desk in his office in Phoenix, Rhys was unsurprised when both his parents demanded to talk through Zoom. He wanted to give Zoey some time to process the engagement before she had to face his parents, but as was his life, his family wouldn’t wait. While they were decent people, they were also spoiled, entitled, and most times, a lot to handle. For now, Zoey stood off to the side of his desk, biting her thumb, her worried eyes never leaving Rhys. He wasn’t nearly as worried and found her concern endearing. She didn’t want to disappoint, but how could she? She’d bewitched him from day one. Rhys had no doubt his parents would eventually fall under her spell too, once they got past the fact he was marrying a woman below his social status.
“We’ve got a lot to discuss, son,” Warren Harrington said, sitting at a desk with an abstract art piece behind him. Rhys had always looked like his father. The gray eyes were a Harrington trait. Same body structure, same height, the only differences between them were his father had salt and pepper hair and a rounder jaw than Rhys’.
Sitting next to him, on a wing-back chair, Alice barely contained herself. “Sorry, did you just say you’re engaged?” His mother’s light-blue eyes were huge, her face barely moving from the Botox that kept her looking like she was in her forties.
“You heard me right,” Rhys confirmed. He didn’t need to explain anything to his family. He only owed explanations to his chosen family, but he wanted this to go smoothly for Zoey. Only for her, did he indulge this conversation at all. “Her name is Zoey Parker. She lives in Brooklyn. We’ve been seeing each other for the last month.”
“A month.” Alice gasped, glancing between Rhys and Warren. “Rhys, isn’t that a bit quick?”
“Certainly is,” he agreed.
“And you’re sure about her?” Alice asked.
“Quite sure,” was Rhys’ reply.
Warren scrubbed at his smooth face, his eyes lifting to the ceiling. “Parker, hmm.” His steely gaze returned to Rhys. “That’s not a name I recognize. You said she’s from Brooklyn. What does her family do?”
Rhys smiled. “You don’t know the name because, I suspect, you’ve never met anyone like her.”
“Rhys.” His father frowned. “You know how we do things. We’ve got close connections in New York City to some predominant families.”
At his father’s ludicrous statement, Zoey shifted nervously on her feet and bowed her head. Yeah, that wasn’t going to happen. Rhys had Zoey in his arms in a second flat. She fought him every step of the way until he had her in his lap, facing the monitor.
Both his parents looked mortified that she heard what they’d said. Rhys didn’t plan on sugarcoating anything. To be with him, Zoey had to see what she was up against. Yes, he’d protect her from their entitlement, showing they were a solid front and Rhys was his own man, but she was in his life now. And his parents needed to get on board.
At the heavy silence, Zoey lifted her hand and waved. “Hi, I’m Zoey. It’s great to meet you.”
Silence.
Rhys chuckled and tucked her hair behind her ear. “Zoey is a dog groomer.”
His mother made a noise.
His father arched a brow. “A dog groomer?”
“One of the best in Brooklyn,” Rhys said.
Zoey laughed nervously, looking about ready to jump out of her skin. “Well, I was a dog groomer. I really loved it too. Great job. I met so many amazing people. But I actually applied for vet school this morning. I won’t hear back for a month or so, but I was accepted once. Hopefully, I’ll be accepted again.”
Rhys placed a finger under her chin and turned her head, garnering her attention. “You applied to vet school?”
She gave him a smile that broke his world apart. “Well, you see, that money I got from that investment, instead of buying a house with it, I decided the absolute best way to spend it was to go to vet school.”
“Zoey,” Rhys said, bursting with pride he’d never felt before. “That’s amazing.”