I didn’t even have to think.
I climbed into his lap and smothered him with kisses. Storm gathered me up in his arms and gave my ass a squeeze for good measure.
I giggled. “It’s still there. Still fat and in charge.”
“Still perfect.”
I draped my arms behind his neck and sat in his lap. “What does this mean for you? For the board? Aren’t you going to be in trouble? Are you sure we shouldn’t wait a couple more days or a few weeks before we let the world know we’re seeing each other? It seems fast, and I don’t want you to be in hot water at work.”
He lifted my hand to his lips and kissed my knuckles. “I love how you worry about me, but you don’t have to. I took care of everything.”
“What does that mean?”
“I fired Garrett.”
“Really?”
Storm nodded. “Yes, it was a long time coming. He was holding us back. I’m not catering to anyone who doesn’t want to see progress for Thornton Enterprises. I have big dreams for the future of my company, and people like Garrett don’t belong in those dreams. He was only ever in it for himself. I want my employees to know that my loyalty lies with them, not the bullies on the board.”
“Is it that easy?”
He chuckled. “I doubt it. Garrett might raise a stink, but I’m well within my bounds to let him go legally.”
“I’ll be with you through the whole thing.”
Storm ran his thumb along my jaw. “I couldn’t ask for more.”
CHAPTER 37
STORM
Walking into the after party with Laila Hunt on my arm was a whole new kind of high I’d never felt before.
All eyes fell on us. Heads turned as if on swivels. Lips moved as whispered voices traded gossip.
Are they an item?
Is Laila Hunt really dating Storm Thornton?
She looks so happy.
Doesn’t she know he’ll never settle down?
They look good together.
How long have they been hiding this?
Is it going to last?
People pulled out their phones and snapped pictures as we entered. Laila didn’t even bat an eye. She had one intention and that was to find her family and Lexi, who we found near the bar, talking loudly over the music while sipping martinis with Bill, who looked damned pleased to be there.
He clapped my back when we approached. “Thank you for making this happen, Storm! What a night it’s been. If only my wife could have been here to see Laila in all her glory. She’d have been so proud. And you?” He chuckled. “Well, she’d have a lot to say about you, I suspect.”
“Play nice, Dad,” Laila warned. “All Mom would say is that he’s charming.”
“And hot,” Casey said.
Laila shot her sister a look. “Casey.”
Casey finished her martini with a careless shrug. “What? It’s true. Mom was never one to mince her words, and if you brought a boy like him home? She’d be going on and on about how beautiful your babies would be.”
My cheeks felt suddenly hot.
Casey pumped her eyebrows at me. “Can’t take the heat, playboy?”
Laila rolled her eyes. “Ignore her.”
Casey called for the bartender’s attention and ordered another round of drinks. “He can try to ignore me, but let’s be real, it’s impossible.”
“Nothing is impossible,” Laila retorted.
Lexi chimed in for the first time. “The two of you being in one room without arguing is impossible.”
“Good one, Lexi,” Bill said.
They tapped their martini glasses together so forcefully I thought they would both shatter.
Casey and Laila leaned on the bar, muttering amongst themselves about how that wasn’t true at all and they were perfectly capable of getting along, especially at an event like this one. Lexi dared them to prove it. Casey wagered the next round of drinks. Laila agreed. Lexi smirked.
Four minutes later, Casey pointed out how she thought Laila’s walk could be better next time.
Laila scoffed. “And what experience do you have walking a runway?”
“None,” Casey said brazenly, “but I walk every day, so I think that makes me a good authority on the matter.”
Laila looked like she wanted to drown herself in her martini. “Lord give me strength.”
“Don’t be so dramatic,” Casey said.
“Dramatic? You’re the one making a comparison between walking down the street and walking the runway like they’re the same thing when they’re obviously not.”
“Says who?”
“Everyone!” Laila cried.
Lexi smacked her lips and set her empty glass down. “Perfect timing. You lost the bet right when I finished my drink.”
From there, the night only got better. While the women enjoyed their drinks and laughs, Bill pulled me aside without Laila noticing. With an arm over my shoulder, we moved outside onto a balcony to get some fresh air.
Bill’s eyes, dark brown and so unlike his daughter’s, caught the reflection of the city lights as he leaned on the balcony railing. “My girls like to bicker, but for the first time in a long time, it feels like they’re making their way back to each other. I think that’s in part because of you, somehow.”
I shook my head and leaned on the railing beside him. “They want to be close, but their personalities just work against them. Like oil and water.”
“Oil and water.” Bill smiled up at the night sky. “That about sums it up, doesn’t it?”
Chuckling, I turned my back on the city to rest against the railing the opposite way. Standing like this, I could see Laila through the open doors, glowing amongst all the other people surrounding her.
“I think I’m in love with your daughter, Bill.”
Bill stared at me.
“I don’t know why I just told you that, but there it is.” I dragged a hand down my face, a little embarrassed by my own vulnerability. “I suppose I should have told her first, huh?”
Bill turned to watch Laila and Casey, too. “Your secret is safe with me, son. That girl of mine? She deserves the kind of love people write books about. I think you just might be that man for her.”
In the short amount of time I’d known Bill, he somehow had more faith in me than my father ever did.
“I will do what’s right by her, always,” I said.
Bill held out his hand. I shook it. Neither of us said a word, but several unspoken things passed between us. Trust, first and foremost, and understanding. He knew I knew how lucky I was to have a shot with his daughter, and I knew how precious she was to him, and hurting her would hurt him, too.
“Come to dinner at my place this Sunday with Laila,” Bill said abruptly. “I’m making lasagna. Casey is going to be there for once. It’ll be the four of us.”
As Bill smiled at me, it struck me that he’d been waiting a long time for someone to come along and make his family a little bit bigger. I knew the feeling all too well. It had been too long since my family left me.
“What can I bring?” I asked.
Bill grinned and we began walking back inside. “Cigars should do the trick.”