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Was she getting through to him? This was a deal breaker. She needed him to understand.
* * *
His frustration building,Nik paced the small gazebo. He didn’t understand why Jules was so upset. He had everything under control, so why was she worried?
“You’re being unreasonable. You told me a playhouse would make a good birthday gift for Ava, so that’s what I got her. When I knew it would upset your plans for her party, I found a solution so that you wouldn’t have to worry about it.” Nik was proud of how fast he’d been able to pull together both the gift for Ava and her party, but the minute the words left his mouth, he realized he’d made a mistake.
“I’m beingunreasonable?!” Jules’s voice rose, and a couple of the contractors turned in response. Nik scowled, and they went back to work. “I told you a playhouse would be a good gift, but I sent you links to ones that would have been appropriate. I wasnotexpecting this.” Jules pointed at the growing castle.
“I know this is a little bigger than the ones you suggested, but the minute I saw it, I knew it would be perfect for Ava. It’s unique and allows her to use her imagination in all kinds of ways. I can afford it, and I thought it would make her happy.” Nik couldn’t keep the bewilderment out of his voice. What had he done that was so wrong, except give his daughter the best present he could think of?
Jules’s shoulders slumped, and some of the anger left her voice. “I should have been more specific about my expectations for the playhouse. But hiring a party planner? Planning Ava’s party is important to me, no matter how busy I am. I don’t want to hire someone to take care of it.”
Understanding was dawning about why Jules was so angry. He’d be pissed, too, if he’d been expecting one thing and come home to something else entirely. And his attempt to fix the problem he’d created had only resulted in a bigger one. He’d done everything he could to make things easier for her, but she didn’t see it that way. “Considering I’m the reason the party has to move, I thought me taking care of arrangements would make you happy. I was wrong.” Nik paced the gazebo, unhappy they were fighting and unsure how to resolve it.
“You were wrong,” Jules agreed vehemently. “I told you, I need you to treat me as an equal, consult me on decisions that affect all our lives. Michael tried to control everything I did, and I will not live like that again.” Jules shuddered as she spoke, her cheeks pink with emotion.
Her raw pain and honesty tore into him. Nik paused, formulating a response. The truth was the best option, even if it was painful and embarrassing. Jules had told him what she needed, and why. He needed to do the same. His words came slowly. “Vanessa always wanted me to take care of everything for her. As long as she had money to spend, she was happy. I know you’re not Vanessa, and I shouldn’t have treated you that way. In my business, I make all the decisions. I should have consulted you about the playhouse, and about the party. It won’t happen again.”
As his words sank in, some of her anger dissipated, and her features softened slightly. “Thank you for recognizing I’m not Vanessa. You need to involve me in all the decisions that affect Ava, and us.”
With a long exhale, Nik nodded. He could see that Jules was still upset, but at least they were talking. “Agreed. What can we do to make this situation better?”
“We can plan the party together. Because it’s only a few days away, I accept that the planner will be helpful. Butweare going to decide what we want for Ava.”
The exhaustion in her voice crushed him, especially since he’d contributed to it. If planning the party together would make Jules happy, then that was what they would do. “We can get started tonight.”
Jules nodded wordlessly and headed towards the house.
Later that evening, after tucking Ava into bed, Nik brought his laptop into the kitchen. He pulled up the email he’d received from the party planner that afternoon. “I thought we could start by looking at some of the planner’s suggestions.”
Jules leaned over to read the document, her hair falling so that it hid her face. The lingering scent of baby shampoo hung in the air, reminding Nik how happy Ava had been that afternoon. Her reaction to her birthday present was everything he had hoped for. Too bad Jules hadn’t been quite so pleased.
“A carnival?” Jules looked up from the screen with wide eyes. “You want to rent rides, games, food booths? That’s a little over the top for a four-year-old.”
Colour stained her cheeks, but she was obviously trying to listen to his input rather than shut him down immediately. “I thought it would be fun and give the parents something to do too. We can have a Ferris wheel, a carousel, you name it. Plus, we can get a petting zoo and pony rides. Ava loves animals ...” Nik trailed off, his enthusiasm draining away when Jules didn’t respond.
“It’s too much,” she said. “I could understand renting a bouncy castle; some of her friends have done that for parties. Maybe a magician or something similar. But all these activities and expenses for a kid’s birthday party? It’s excessive, Nik.” She was frowning at him, a disappointed look on her face.
Her response was far from what he’d been hoping for, even if Jules wasn’t rejecting the idea yet. He wanted to convince her he wasn’t being unreasonable. “I know it’s a lot, but it’s my first birthday with her. I wanted to go big, make sure it’s a party she and her friends will remember forever.”
Jules bit her lip, and Nik had to stop himself from running his thumb along the full curve. He hated that he’d caused this tension between them, that his birthday gift and party idea had gone so wrong.
“It just seems like such a waste, spending all that money for only twenty kids.”
Sensing her resistance weakening, Nik searched for an idea that would make them both happy. He really wanted to make Ava’s party special. “What if it wasn’t only for Ava and her friends? What if we turned it into a charity event after the party ended?”
Jules gave him a curious look. “A charity event? What did you have in mind?”
He was thinking on the fly, but it wasn’t anything he hadn’t done hundreds of times before. “When we flew out to Toronto, Sergei mentioned the Orcas had a foundation to help low-income kids play hockey. Maybe we could work with him and pull something together by Saturday?”
Nik’s hopes rose as a slow smile spread across Jules’s face, and she nodded. “I know the foundation. They’re always looking for fundraising opportunities. I could reach out to Chip, see if we could get some of the Orcas to make an appearance and take over the carnival. We could open it up to the community, with all proceeds going to the foundation. We could invite some of the kids they support, too, to have some fun. What do you think?”
Nik wrapped his arm around Jules’s shoulder and squeezed. “I think you’re amazing, and when we put our heads together, we can achieve anything.” He leaned over and pressed his lips against her cheek. Her skin was soft and warm, and her hair smelled like jasmine and honey.
Jules laughed and turned into his kiss, her lips grazing his. “I think you’ve found a way to talk me into letting Ava have the party you wanted. Your negotiating skills are on point. I’m going to have to watch out for you,” she teased.
Relief washed over Nik. Yes, he was happy that the party would proceed, but more importantly, Jules had forgiven him. “I promise, from now on you will be involved in every decision.”
