“You treat everyone like they only exist to do your bidding and this is what you get.”
His father’s nostrils flared. “This is not what I get. I want the damn hotel.” He pounded both fists on the desk. The sound reverberated through the room, but Noah stood firm. He didn’t let it faze him.
Noah planted both hands on his father’s desk and looked him square in the eye. His pulse pounded in his ears. Rage coursed through his veins. “You don’t get the damn hotel. Great-Grandfather saw you for what you are. You never cared about it. You cared about appearances. Your own flesh and blood cut you out of the will and you can’t stand the way it made you look.” Now that he was on a roll, he couldn’t stop. Noah reached into his pants pocket. He fished out the printed page he’d brought from the office, placing it on his father’s desk. “We know about Dan Lewis and what he did to Lily’s computer.”
His dad hardly glanced at the picture. “I’m impressed. Dan’s one of the best in the business.”
“I don’t really care what he is. The reality is that you tried to sabotage our company and we have the evidence. We’ll bring charges of corporate espionage against you, but I’m hoping it won’t get that far. I’m hoping you can finally learn to let your children live their lives.” It felt so good to get that off his chest. Avoiding a brass-tacks talk with his dad had left a huge weight on his shoulders.
“Fine. I’ll just give Lyle Hannafort a call after you leave. We have a lot of catching up to do.”
“Tell Lyle whatever you want. I called him from the car a half hour ago and explained everything.”
As that bit of news settled in the room, his dad’s eyes reflected the defeat Noah had come for, but didn’t relish. He didn’t want things to be like this. But his dad had insisted on stirring the pot. Hopefully this could be the end. “So you told him the engagement was fake?”
“Was, as in past tense. Today, I ask Lily to marry me for real.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Even from across the street, Noah could see that Lily’s favorite bookstore, Petticoats and Proposals, was packed. A steady stream of people was filing inside. More were out chatting on the sidewalk in front of it. This was not what he’d expected. Lily had always said she liked Fridays because the store was especially quiet and she could sit in the back corner and read in peace. Would she even be there? There was only one way to find out. Even when turning up at a busy romance bookstore with a bouquet of roses and a ring in your pocket was a sure way to look like you were trying too hard.
The signal turned green and Noah marched across the street, his heart pulsing at a rate he wasn’t sure he’d ever reached when running. He spotted the sign on the door as soon as he got closer. An author was doing a reading and signing tonight. Judging by the crowd inside and out, this author was extremely popular. Noah really hoped Lily was a fan.
Noah pulled the door open. A bell jingled against the glass. A gray-muzzled beagle sauntered past him, winding between the people gathered, not noticing Noah at all, exactly as Lily had once described him. The bookstore had that familiar aroma of paper and coffee and ink. Lily loved it here. She’d talked about it many times. The stories contained on these pages represented the part of her that refused to believe anything other than love conquers all. Even when real life had shown her that loving someone only hurts, she still clung to the notion that it simply wasn’t the right love. She’d taught him that. And now it was time to show her that their love was the right one, the one they’d both been waiting for.
He walked past the front counter, where the clerk was busy ringing out a customer. Noah walked down the center aisle between the bookshelves. This was the moment when everything would either come together or fall apart. He had spent a lifetime avoiding scenarios like this, never pushing things to their limit to test how strong they were. Whether he’d realized he was doing that or not didn’t matter. He couldn’t allow it to happen anymore.
He reached the back of the store and looked left, seeing only more books and customers. He turned right, and down at the end of the aisle was exactly the picture Lily had painted for him—a comfortable red chair and a reading lamp next to it. Noah’s heart sank. The chair was empty.
A young woman approached him. “Can I help you find a book? Or did you get lost on the way to a photo shoot for a romance novel cover?” She nodded at the bouquet in his hands.
Noah felt foolish, but he was determined. “I’m hoping you can help me find one of your customers. Her name is Lily and she comes here almost every Friday night. She reads in this chair. She told me all about it.”