Page 151 of The Daddy’s Girl

Matis: I took the long way home.

Suddenly, my heart starts pounding erratically in my chest. My skin grows hot, and there’s a surging tremble in my hands.

“Melly, you, okay?” my mom asks.

I burst out of the chair and stand. “I have to go.”

“What? Why?” she asks in a panic.

“I think…Matis is here.”

“Where?”

“I have to go,” I say again as I grab my purse and bolt for the stairs.

“Have Lucien drive you!” my mom shouts behind me.

“I will!” I reply. “Thanks for dinner, Frey!”

When I get to the street in front of the restaurant, I see our family’s car parked down the way, and I sprint toward it. Hopping into the back seat, I give Lucien the destination, breathless and excited.

“Yes, Ms. Kade,” he replies as he takes off down the street.

On the drive, I read and reread the message on the screen, and I try to bite back my smile of elation because what if I’m wrong? What if he’s not waiting for me at the end of this? What if I’m getting ahead of myself and I’m hoping for some grand gesture that’s not there?

The drive feels long and torturous, but when the car eventually pulls up at the end of the street that leads to the platform, I leap out of the car frantically.

It’s still early so there are people scattered around, some eating dinner at the surrounding restaurants and some taking photos and videos of the tower. So I have to meander through the sparse crowd, and it’s not long before I worry he’s not here.

Maybe the photo was just a photo and nothing else.

But then, as I reach the edge of the plaza, I see him. He’s standing alone. His hands are buried casually in his pockets, and he’s staring up at the tower as if it’s speaking to him.

And just for a moment, I’m viscerally reminded why I fell in love with him. The man who makes life easier and brighter. The cool, confident air about him that steals my breath without effort. The way the world falls away when he’s near.

Slowly, he turns, and without even having to search the crowd, his eyes find me. A gentle warmth tugs at his lips, and I can’t stop my feet from carrying me to him as fast as I possibly can.

Emotion clogs my throat, and tears sting my eyes as I leap into his arms, crashing against him. It’s only been two days, but it was enough to make everything crystal clear.

“What are you doing here?” I cry into his shoulder. He’s holding me off the ground, tight against his body so my feet dangle.

Setting me down, he stares into my eyes and tucks my hair out of my face. “I turned down the club.”

My jaw drops. “You did? Why?”

“Because I realized that I don’t need it. Wherever we go in this life and whatever we do, I want to do it together.”

Tears spring to my eyes, and I don’t bother to blink them away.

“I don’t need a new club, Trouble. I don’t need the nightlife or the attention or the work. That night we took the long way home made me realize that I’m tired of missing out on the parts of this city that I love so much. I miss the magic, and you, mon trésor, you are the magic.”

“I am?” A tear slips over my smiling lips.

“Yes. Besides, I need to be here for you. In case fate does decide to change our lives, I want to be here to support your career. I’m ready for a new dream, and that dream is us.”

His hand softly touches my stomach, and if I wasn’t smiling ear to ear, I’d be sobbing.

The grin on his face matches mine, but then it slowly fades away.