“She what?” I’m shocked.
“She said I either needed to be a father and help her with you kids, or I could go be married to my empire. And you know, she was right. Scared the shit out of me, though.”
“Which was probably her goal,” I mutter, utterly shocked that my parents had issues that I didn’t know about.
“We’re all human, darlin’. We make mistakes. I guess you have to decide if what your Simon did was so bad that you can’t forgive him.”
“I can forgive him. He explained why it happened, and I believe him. But what if it happens again? And again? I don’t think I could survive it, Daddy.”
“Seems to me, Simon might be the kind of man who learns lessons after the first time. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have fallen in love with him.”
I blink at him and nod slowly. “He’s a good man.”
“And he loves you back.”
“He says he does.”
“Do you trust that too?”
I think about the look in his eyes when he told me he was in love with me, and when he apologized for hurting me. He looked tortured inside.
“I do.”
“Well, then I don’t see where the problem is. It’s important to forgive, darlin’. Doesn’t mean you have to forget. If you forget, you didn’t learn anything.”
“I’ve missed you so much,” I say and climb over the seat to settle next to my dad and lay my head on his shoulder. “I’ve needed this with you.”
“I’ve missed you too, baby girl. I’m so proud of you and what you’ve done with your business.”
“You can see it?” I smile up at him, so happy that he knows about Head Over Heels.
“I can see everything y’all are doing. Expanding is a good idea, and I’m glad you finally realized that I left that money for you to use rather than resent.”
“I don’t resent it, Daddy. I just… I want to do this on my own.”
“And you are. But it’s okay to let your old man help you now and again.”
“Will I see you again?” I ask, afraid that he’ll say no.
“If you need me,” he says. “I’m always right here, for all of you. But you’re going to be just fine, baby girl. I’m proud of you.”
I smile and kiss his cheek. “He’s going to be good for me.”
“You’re good for each other. There will be more good than bad; you just have to adjust your sails and ride through the rough waters to get to the smooth ones.”
“We’ve all been adjusting our sails since you’ve been gone.”
“Me too, baby girl. Me too.”
“I don’t want to go yet.”
“I’m always right here.”
***
It’s four in the morning and I don’t care. I need to see him right now.
The woman at the front desk didn’t love the thought of letting me up, but I assured her that he’d want to see me.
And she seemed like a bit of a romantic, and finally agreed to let me up, as long as I was quiet and didn’t wake the other customers.
I knock on Simon’s door and wait. He’s usually a light sleeper, but what if he doesn’t hear me? I should have called. I should have waited until morning rather than rushing over here like a crazy woman.
I turn to slink away and hear the door open behind me.
“Charlotte?”
I bite my lip and spin around and stare at his sleepy, messy haired hotness.
“Hi.”
“Come in.” He backs up and I get a good look at him in the glow from the lamp beside the bed. He pulled on shorts, but he’s shirtless. He’s tousled and sexy and his blue eyes are bright, not sleepy at all. “Are you okay?”
“Yes,” I reply, surprised that it’s the truth. “I know it’s late, or early, but I didn’t want to wait—”
“You’re fine. I told you to come anytime. Let’s sit.”
“Okay.” I nod and follow him into the suite and sit where he gestures on the sofa. He sits across from me on the coffee table and takes my hands in his.
“You’re cold.” He rubs my hands vigorously.
“I’m nervous,” I say with a chuckle.
“Why?”
“Because this is a big deal.” His gaze whips up to mine.
“Go on.”
“I love you, Simon. I think I fell in love with you in Montana, and then when you were here, well, I just… I felt things I never had before. And it scared me. It still scares me.”
“We’re in agreement there,” he says with a soft smile. His eyes are full of hope and love.
“I think I had some misguided notions about love,” I continue, thinking of my dream about my dad. “And I think I expected a lot.”
“You should expect a lot,” he says and squeezes my hand. “When you love someone you should expect everything.”
“But I can’t expect you to be a mind reader, or to be perfect. Because none of us are perfect.”
“I’m far from it,” he says. “I’m just a man, Charly. I’m a man who loves you fiercely, and I’m going to fuck up. I can’t promise that I won’t.”
“But we’ll learn from it when we do,” I interject and revel at the feel of his stubble on my palm as I cup his cheek. “There’s a learning curve involved here.”
“Are you saying that you’re willing to give this a try?”
“No,” I reply and lean closer when he frowns. “I’m saying that I want to commit myself to you. I’m not a tryer, I’m a doer. We can’t pick it up where we left off, Simon, but we can grow from it and move forward.”