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Emma turned from her father and confronted Nathan. Everything inside her cried out to stop fighting him and let him take care of her. He held her heart in his hands. And now, with his child inside her body, she’d gone way past the point of trying to forget him and move on.
“We’ll talk about that later.”
“Putting me off isn’t going to change my mind. I’m not letting you go. We belong together.” He caught her by the arms. “Marry me,” he whispered urgently. “Not because of the baby or a business deal, but because I can’t live without you.”
Joy seared her, sharp and unexpected, stealing her breath. She blinked away tears. Those words might be as close to a declaration of love as she would ever get from Nathan.
And it was enough. Nathan couldn’t live without her. And she couldn’t live without him. She’d been a stubborn fool to believe otherwise.
She cradled Nathan’s cheek in her palm. “That’s definitely something I want to discuss with you later. But first I need to settle things with my father.”
Turmoil swirled in his gray eyes at her request. He wasn’t the sort of man who backed down when he set his mind to something. But she was equally determined.
“But let me help you with this,” he murmured.
It was a precarious tightrope that stretched between accepting help and standing on her own two feet. Could she trust herself and Nathan enough to achieve the right balance?
With her heart pounding dangerously fast, she wavered. She’d been fighting to stand on her own for so long that it was hard to stop. But for all her assertion that she could take care of herself, she liked having him to rely on.
Emma put her hand against Nathan’s cheek as her sleepless night took its toll. Let him take care of you, her mind whispered. And at last she was ready.
“You can help,” she said. “But just this once.”
Teeth flashing in a mischievous grin, Nathan turned to her father. “She had the money on the fourteenth. I can attest to that. She refused to marry me because of it. And if you don’t give her what she deserves for all her hard work, she will continue to refuse me out of a sheer stubborn need to prove that she doesn’t need anyone to take care of her. Which, by the way, she’s been doing really well for a long time, only none of us have given her credit for it.”
Strengthened by Nathan’s support, she confronted her father. “I want my money signed over to me as soon as possible. I have a nursery to decorate.”
“And a wedding to plan,” Nathan prompted, demonstrating that he wasn’t kidding about persisting until she agreed to marry him.
“And if I don’t?” Her father hadn’t made his billions by being a poor negotiator.
“Then it will always be between us. I need you to look at me and see that I am a grown woman, capable of supporting herself. I deserve your respect because I earned it through hard work and determination.”
Her father scowled, but Emma stood her ground until grudging approval transformed her father’s expression.
“I only want the best for you,” he said at last, his tone gruff, but gentle.
“I know you do.” Emma gave him a weak smile. “And what’s best for me is to know that you believe in me and in my ability to take care of myself.”
“Very well. I’ll give you your trust fund back. You did earn it, after all.”
Emma mastered her shock before it showed on her face. Her knees weakened with relief. She pulled her spine straight. “And no more interfering,” she continued, capitalizing on her victory. “Meddling in my love life is wrong in so many ways.” She pinned her father with a fierce scowl and waited until he nodded. Then, she turned to Nathan. “Daddy is going to visit his new grandson. I don’t think he’ll mind if we use his study while he’s gone. You and I have a couple things to sort out.”
Her father looked nonplussed at being ejected from his domain, but went without protest. As he passed Nathan, he paused and stuck out his hand. “Welcome to the family. I always liked you.”
“Daddy!”
Once her father had exited the room and closed the door, Emma leaned against his desk and regarded Nathan.
“I’m sorry about the way I handled things earlier,” he said. “I never should have let you walk away from me like that.”
“I overreacted, too.”
“You had cause. I’ve been acting like a stubborn fool.”
“At last we agree on something.” She took the sting out of her words with a smile and pushed off the desk. “Thank you for helping me out with my father.”
He stood in place, his features like granite, but his eyes alive and wary as she advanced toward him one slow step at a time. “I’ll always be there for you.”
