"Dad!" I groan, faceplanting into his chest. "You can't just sneak out and fly across the country!" Only he would think that was a reasonable thing to do.
"Don't worry. I've got Cash's jet. I'm goin' back. I just had to come have a quick chat with your man."
I groan again, not in the least bit surprised. "Please tell me that you at leastaskedto borrow Uncle Cash's jet."
Dad just shrugs, which makes Kingston chuckle.
"Mom could have warned me that you stole the jet and were on the way," I grumble.
"She tried." Dad grimaces. "I believe you were otherwise engaged."
So…I guess that's why Everly has been calling all morning. I groan, burying my face in my hands. "We can't talk about this. It never happened."
"Agreed," he growls, dropping a kiss to my forehead. "Some things, I don't need to know, Evie Jolene. I might have a fuckin' heart attack."
I smile despite myself. "Your heart is fine, Dad."
"Won't be if I see much more of that," he mutters before turning his gaze on Kingston. "You're lucky she likes you, Monroe. If she didn't, this conversation would be goin' a lot different right now."
"Believe me, sir, I'm aware," Kingston says, his voice somber. "I'm the luckiest motherfucker on the planet."
"Yeah?" Dad arches a brow. "You really believe that or are you just sayin' what you think I want to hear?"
"Dad," I whisper.
"It's okay, princess," Kingston murmurs, taking a step forward. "He's got a right to ask. In his shoes, I'd be asking, too. Hell, in his shoes, I'd probably be hitting me right now."
"Thought about it," my dad mumbles. "But that'd piss her off. And if I piss her off, I piss off my wife. She's already mad as hell. I'm tryin' not to rock the boat too much."
Kingston smiles before he grows somber again, more serious than I've ever seen him look. "I knew your daughter was special the moment I set eyes on her, sir. My goddamn heart tried to climb out of my chest. I've never felt anything like that, and I'm not in the habit of ignoring when my heart tries to tell me something. I've made a nuisance of myself, trying to convince her to give me a chance. Still don't know why the fuck she did because I'm just an asshole who knows how to skate. I'll never be good enough for her, but I'll be damned if I don't try.
"I'm willing to sign anything you want me to sign to protect her," he continues. "I don't want her money. I've got enough of my own. I don't want her fame—yours either, for that matter. I've never had much use for the fame I've got. I just want her." He pauses, his eyes locking with mine. "And I want her happy. I'm willing to do whatever I need to do to ensure she is."
Dad is silent for a moment, watching us, and then he mutters a curse. "You're wrong about one thing, Monroe."
Kingston's brows furrow in confusion.
"If she chose you, it's because you are good enough for her. She sees it in you. You need to see it in yourself, too. Otherwise, you're settin' yourself up for a lifetime of wondering if the press and the fans are right every goddamn time they stick their noseswhere they don't belong and start askin' why you. And believe me, they will ask. The brighter her star burns, the more they'll ask. Don't leave them room to do it. Match her, every goddamn day. That's the man she deserves. Can you be that man for her?"
"Yes." Kingston clears his throat. "Hell, yes."
Dad stares at him for a moment and then nods. "Then I guess I got what I needed here. You two have my blessin'." His eyes narrow, as if he just considered something. "But if you're thinkin' about getting her pregnant right now, you and I are going to have problems, Monroe. You need to give her time to enjoy what she's built before you plant your kid in her. She didn't work this hard just for you to replace her dreams with your own desires. And you need to have a goddamn ring on her finger before you get her pregnant."
I see the weight fall from Kingston's shoulders. I hear his sharp intake of breath, like he can't believe his luck. I'm not entirely sure I believe it either. My dad just commandeered my uncle's jet, flew across the country, walked in on us half naked…and is still giving this his blessing? Who is this man, and what did he do with the overprotective, crazy person I grew up with?
"I can do that, sir," Kingston vows.
Dad just nods, wearing this expression I've never seen on him—like he's proud, resigned, and emotional all at the same time. That look on his face squeezes my heart in a vise.
I throw my arms around him in a fierce hug. "Thank you," I whisper, my voice choked. "Thank you for loving me enough to give him a chance."
"Loving you is the easy part, baby girl," he murmurs, patting me on the back. "It's realizing that you're all grown up that's hard as hell."
I choke on a sob, clinging to him.
He holds me for a minute before gently nudging me into Kingston's arms. They wrap around me, pulling me up againstthe hard wall of his chest. I cling to him, listening to his heart hammer beneath my ear, my heart so full I think it might burst.
"This is my dream," I whisper, just for him.