Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 78304 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 392(@200wpm)___ 313(@250wpm)___ 261(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78304 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 392(@200wpm)___ 313(@250wpm)___ 261(@300wpm)
I must’ve fallen asleep on the couch because when I awake, it’s dark outside, and Julian is standing over me with a look of concern etched on his features.
“I’ve been calling and texting you all afternoon,” he says. “You couldn’t let me know you were going home early?”
“Sorry,” I mutter, sitting up on the couch. “I overheard you and my dad talking in your office today,” I admit. “I guess congratulations are in order.”
Julian’s eyes widen, telling me he knows exactly what I heard.
“It’s for the best. I have news of my own.” I reach over to my purse and pull out the ultrasound picture. “Surprise, I’m pregnant.”
I hand him the black-and-white image, and he stares at it in shock. I don’t blame him since it was a shock to me as well.
“My IUD fell out,” I explain. “I’m due in May.”
His eyes ascend to meet mine.
“So, it’s for the best that my dad picked you to be the CEO since I’ll be busy having a baby.” I shrug. “I can’t do both. Not that it matters since he doesn’t think I’m the best fit for the job anyway.”
I laugh humorlessly. “Looks like he got what he wanted after all. His daughter barefoot and pregnant at home while my husband runs the business.”
Julian opens his mouth to speak, but I’m on a roll so I keep going. “Sorry you got more than what you bargained for. You wanted a fake engagement, and instead, you got a wife and a baby.”
Another laugh bubbles out of me, along with a sob. “All I wanted was for my dad to love me, to see that I’m capable of running Kingston. For him to be proud of me. And instead—”
“You did exactly that,” my dad says, making me jump in my spot.
I look over, and he’s standing in the foyer.
“Dad, what are you doing here?”
“I was outside on the phone,” he says.
“When I couldn’t get ahold of you, I got worried,” Julian adds. “Your dad tried calling and texting, and when you didn’t answer, he came with me to look for you. You’ve been off lately, and we were worried.”
“Well, now, you know,” I tell them both. “Nothing’s wrong. I’m just pregnant, and you’re the new CEO of Kingston.”
“I think it’s time you and I have a conversation,” Dad says, coming over to sit next to me on the couch. He pats my leg and smiles sadly at me. “The truth is, I could run Kingston with my eyes closed, but I had no idea what to do with a daughter who wanted my attention.”
“I just wanted you to love me,” I whisper, emotions clogging my throat.
“I know,” he says, his eyes glassy. “You wanted the same thing as your mother, and I thought that was what I was doing. I had been raised in a poor family. We barely had enough food some days to eat three meals. My parents worked so hard to provide, but it was never enough. They were always fighting over money … or lack thereof.
“When I left my family home and came to Texas, I thought money would equal happiness. I went to school and majored in business and put all my efforts into my schooling. And then I met your mother. She had been raised in a wealthy family, and when I asked her father for his permission to marry her our sophomore year in college, he said, ‘I’ll give it to you when you can provide for her like a husband should.’”
“I didn’t know that,” I admit.
“Nobody knew,” he confesses. “I left his house that day, even more motivated to make something of myself. And when I graduated, I presented my business idea to her father. He owned the bank in town, and I needed a loan. He told me I’d never make a living selling liquor and that I was being reckless.”
He chuckles softly and shakes his head, as if he’s remembering it.
“I didn’t marry your mom until I was confident the business would be successful,” he continues. “It’s why we didn’t have you until we were in our early thirties. By then, I was so absorbed with the company, with proving everyone wrong, that I didn’t know any other way.
“I bought us a big house and expensive cars. I made sure neither of you ever wanted for anything, but I refused to give you both what you wanted the most …”
“You,” I whisper. “We just wanted you.”
“The day she died, when we were at lunch, she asked me not to hire you,” he says, tears filling his lids.
“What? Why?”
That makes no sense. She knows how hard I worked to turn my life around so I could prove to my dad that I wasn’t a disappointment.
“She didn’t want to lose you the way she lost me,” he says softly. “I told her that it was time to cut the umbilical cord, and she got upset and left. That’s the real reason why we were fighting,” he admits, shocking the hell out of me. “That’s why she ran out, upset. She was afraid you would become me.”