Hotel O

She nods again. “All this time, I’ve been trying to protect my only girl, only to be the one to cause her pain.”

“No, it’s not like that,” I say, almost unable to keep the tears at bay myself.

“Yes, it is. You’re our only one. Our miracle baby. I was so hung up on that, I forgot you have your own needs … your own voice.” She places a hand on my cheek. “I love you, honey.”

“I love you too, Mom,” I say, smiling as a tear manages to escape my eyes.

“And if you want to be with this man, then I will support you all the way.”

I rub my lips together. “I do … but …” I gaze at my dad.

“You’re really hung up on him, aren’t you?” Dad responds.

I nod. “A lot. And it isn’t just … physically.”

“All right, all right, I don’t want to know,” he says, holding up a hand. “Just tell me … does he treat you right?”

“Yes,” I reply, trying my best not to sound obnoxious. “He’s what I want right now. What I need. Please understand. This is who I am.”

He rubs his lips together. “If it makes you happy …”

“A lot,” I say, smiling. “And not just me … he is amazing when it comes to organizing the events, so you have to keep him. He’s so devoted he even opposed dating me because he feared I would expose the hotel.”

“Really?” Dad raises his brows. “Well, that would be a concern, considering what you do for a living.”

“Dad …” I make a face.

“I know, I know. You’re my daughter.”

“And I’d never do that to you,” I say. “Now that I know you run that hotel …”

I’ll just have to rework all the words I’ve already written for the magazine so it doesn’t expose anything about the location.

“Please tell me you’ll rehire Declan,” I say. “Take him back. He’s a good organizer. He knows his business. He doesn’t deserve this.”

Dad sucks in a breath and gazes down at his feet.

“Please?” I place a hand on his arm. “He will do his utmost best, I promise. And it would make me very happy if I wasn’t the cause of all his problems.”

Dad bursts out into laughter. “You? The cause of all his problems? Why doesn’t that surprise me?”

Mom pokes him gently. “Fred!”

“What? You know she never listened to any of your rules. Why do you think I wanted you to let her breathe for a while? You know, let her get her bearings in life.”

“Don’t start arguing again, please,” I say, rolling my eyes. “At least you’re honest with each other now. That’s a good start.”

“Well,” Mom mumbles, “it does explain why you were always so busy with work all the time.”

“I’m sorry, honey,” Dad says. “I’ll do my best to be home more.”

“See? Communication.” I wink. “Works wonders.”

And then we all laugh.

Like a normal family would.

Chapter 31

Declan

I’m in the middle of unpacking all the things I brought home from the office when someone rings my doorbell.

“Door’s open,” I say, lackluster.

However, the moment her face appears, I immediately light up. It’s really her. I can’t believe it. After what happened in the office, I thought I’d never see her again.

A smile forms on my lips. “Kat. You’re here,” I say, almost unable to believe what my eyes are telling me.

“I am,” she says. “Surprised?”

I nod, still unsure of how to react. “What are you doing here?”

I hope it’s not to say goodbye. Anything but that.

The door softly closes behind her. “I wanted to see you.”

She bites the bottom of her lip so seductively it makes my head spin already, but I have to stop focusing on that. This will probably be the last time I’ll ever see her. Fuck.

“You can stop unpacking now.”

Her words tug at my heart.

I frown, letting go of the box I was holding. “Why?”

She can’t stop the smile from forming on her face. “I begged Dad to keep you on, and it worked.”

I stare at her for a few seconds before actual words manage to get out of my mouth. “What?” I’m stunned. “Really?”

“Yup,” she says, adding a cute giggle that makes my heart pounce.

“But he caught us. Isn’t he pissed as hell I kept bringing you here?” I ask.

“Yeah, but we had a good talk, and we finally came to an understanding.”

“Huh.” That strict man … having a good talk with his daughter? She continues to surprise me.

“I just wanted to apologize for putting you in that position,” she says, tiptoeing around and fiddling with her fingers. “I never wanted you to lose the one job you care about so much.”

Even after all this going down with her dad, all the secrets and lies, she still cares more about my feelings than hers? She keeps amazing me.

“You don’t have to apologize,” I say, smiling briefly as I approach her. “It wasn’t your fault.”