“I don’t give a shit about my business dealings with his family!” Dad’s outburst shocked me. Apparently, swearing was now tolerated at Vanessa’s parties. “You are my daughter—my only child—and you will always be more important to me than any client.”
A second later, Dad wrapped his arms around my shoulders and pulled me against his chest. I couldn’t stop the sobs as I held onto him, and he kept saying everything would be all right.
“I’m so sorry,” Dad said. “I never would have contacted him if I had known. I’m so, so sorry, Ash.”
“I know, Dad. I should have told you before. I should have told everyone.”
“Yes, you should have.” Vanessa joined our embrace for a moment, then held me at arm’s length and brushed the tears from my face. “We are going to talk about all of this at another time, but we have caused enough of a spectacle for one day. Do you need to wash your face, my darling?”
“I’m all right,” I told her. I looked over my shoulder at Ethan. “Can he stay now?”
“Of course.” Vanessa reached over and touched his arm gently. “It sounds like we owe him our thanks. Besides, it’s time to serve lunch, and we can hardly throw him out on an empty stomach!”
And with that, my socialite stepmother resumed her perfect posture, smiled at the onlookers, and shooed them all toward the buffet table like nothing had happened.
“Mr. Dragonov?” Ethan took a deep breath as he addressed my father. “I know I was in a bad place that day I was in your office after my parents died. I’m sorry I acted the way I did, and I hope you understand I’m much better now. I’m far from perfect, but I’ve learned a lot since then. One thing is for certain—I would never, ever lay a hand on Ashlyn.”
Dad just stared at him.
“She is very special to me, sir,” Ethan said. “I know what you think of me, but you’ve only seen part of me. I’d like a chance to show you who I really am.”
My father stood perfectly still for a long moment. His moustache twitched as he looked from me to Ethan. He inhaled deeply before letting the air out in a long, audible huff.
“Come into my office tomorrow,” Dad said, staring directly at Ethan.
“Your office?”
“If you are going to date my daughter, we’re going to have a little man-to-man talk.”
“Okay.” Ethan nodded. “I mean…yes, sir!”
“Looks like Vanessa’s got the food out already,” Dad said, pointing toward the buffet table. “Better not keep her waiting.”
“Thank you, Dad.” I reached up and hugged him.
“Don’t thank me just yet,” he said. “I’m going to have to have a long talk with that boy.”
We ate lunch and devoured the delicious cake. Throughout the rest of the afternoon, the guests continued to stare at Ethan and whisper. Apparently, just enough had been overheard for people to determine that he had saved me from some ruffian, and now they all appeared to be in awe of him. Ethan smiled at everyone all the way to the end.
“That actually went pretty well,” Ethan said as we climbed back into my car. “I mean, it was a little sketchy there for a minute, but I think the outcome was a good one.”
“Are you going to go see my father tomorrow?”
“Yes. I know he’s worried about what I’m doing with my parents’ money, but I’m going to give him my plan for the area where my friends live.”
“You have a plan?”
“Yes, I do.” Ethan smiled. “Josh and I have been working on it. He’s taking night classes in civil engineering. Buying that apartment building was just the first step. I want to buy all the buildings in that area—everything from that apartment all the way to Gibbs Park. We want to rebuild that neighborhood as a whole planned community, complete with affordable housing and shopping—clean it up, and make it a place where people want to come and live—create some job opportunities where people can make enough to actually feed themselves and maybe even save a little money for the future.”
“That’s a great idea, Ethan!” I reached over and took his hand. “And real estate is never a bad investment. My father certainly understands that.”
“I hope so.” Ethan sighed. “If he sees what I’m doing and that I do have some ambitions, maybe he’ll decide I’m okay for you after all.”
“He will now,” I said brightly. “Now he knows you’re my hero.”
Chapter 27—Meaning
My life had been reduced to a huge pile of boxes in Ethan’s entryway. Every outfit I owned, the textbooks I decided to keep, my favorite knickknacks, and my smoothie maker were all packed away in cardboard. My furniture ended up in storage.