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My father moved toward me again and placed his hands on my shoulders. His features softened as he took in my solemn expression. “If there’s one thing in this world I’ve always wanted, it’s knowing my family is taken care of and feels loved. That’s especially true when it comes to my daughter. I want nothing more than to know that you’ll always be taken care of.”
“I do okay on my own, Dad,” I noted, a single tear escaping.
The corners of his mouth tipped up in a smile. “I know you do. But I’m not talking about your ability to provide for yourself. I’m talking about you being taken care of in a different way—the way I take care of your mom, or the way your grandfather takes care of your grandmother. I want to know you’ve got someone who’s going to look after your heart, your feelings. If I was given the opportunity to handcraft a man to be able to do that for you, I don’t think I would have come up with Wyatt.”
I swallowed hard, hating everything about his last statement.
Seemingly content to ignore the distress I was in, my dad continued, “I wouldn’t have come up with Wyatt, because I don’t think I realized it was possible for a man like him to exist. Wyatt loves you in a way I didn’t even think was possible. I went to him, ready to make the deal because I could see how much he cared about you, and I didn’t want this situation hanging over either one of your heads. If I’m honest, I had a feeling it was already weighing on your mind.”
He knew me too well. It was the reason I’d been hoping to figure out how to help them come up with a solution.
“You’ve got the best heart, Rhea, but it’s a stubborn one,” my dad remarked with a bit of a laugh. “As your father, I felt it was my job to save you from the emotional turmoil you were facing. But Wyatt wouldn’t have any of it. He told me that he would not jeopardize what he had with you for this project, even though I learned it was going to cost his family’s company millions of dollars.”
Something squeezed at the center of my chest, and I turned to look at Wyatt. He offered a small smile in return, and I hated myself for thinking the worst of him.
“He loves you, Rhea. He loves you so much he was willing to cost his family significant time and money,” my dad shared, forcing me to return my attention back to him. “A man who is willing to do that is a man who isn’t going anywhere, any time soon. I get the feeling Wyatt intends to stick around for the long haul, and the last thing I wanted was for the two of you to not come together on something like this. So, I did it for you. I went to the one person I knew who’d be able to understand. I went to Wyatt’s father, and the two of us sat down as parents, as fathers, who wanted the absolute best for our children, and we worked out the deal ourselves.”
I could no longer hold back the tears. “You didn’t have to sell the land. Our family’s memories were made on this land.”
“And we still have over two hundred acres of it to make more,” he reasoned. “Rhea, sweetheart, imagine the memories you’ll make with your family. Imagine the legacy you can leave for your children. What will they say when they realize that piece of land is what brought their parents together?”
My eyes nearly fell out of my head. I nervously glanced at Wyatt, and he didn’t seem the least bit bothered by what my father had said. Even still, I felt compelled to clarify things. “Dad, Wyatt and I have just started dating. I think you’re getting a little bit ahead of yourself.”
“I don’t,” he returned without a shred of doubt. “Wyatt came here immediately after he learned the truth to share it with you. He was that worried about how you would react to learning what I had done. Rightfully so, I might add. He put millions of dollars on the line because of the love he feels for you. I don’t think there’s a chance in the world he’s going anywhere.”
Weeks ago, I’d been terrified my family would assume the worst about Wyatt, and now I was here listening to my father sing his praises. It all seemed so surreal.
“What about Grandpa?”
“What about him?”
“He’s going to forget. It’s our job to remember for him,” I pointed out.
My dad framed my face with his hands. He swiped his thumbs along my cheeks and brushed away my tears. “There are plenty of ways to honor your grandfather’s memory. As a father who hopes to one day be a grandfather, I would never want you or my grandchildren to think it was their responsibility to forsake their own peace for memories I made. The people who need to remember will always remember, and that’s all that matters. This shouldn’t have ever been your battle to fight, Rhea. You did it once, and it took a toll on you. I never should have allowed it a second time. The decision has been made, and it’s one I’m more than comfortable with.”
I nodded my understanding, because there wasn’t much I could do at this point to change it.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“Yeah.”
“Do you think I could give you a hug and leave you here to set things right with Wyatt, because now that we’re going to be the exclusive supplier of cream for Westwood’s chocolate, I’ve got a lot of work I need to get done with my crew.”
“What?”
He smiled at me. “It was part of the deal we worked out. I’ll go over the specifics with you later. For now, I think you and Wyatt need to talk, and I really do need to get to work.”
I nodded as best I could with his hands framing my face. “Okay.”
He pulled his hands from my cheeks, wrapped his arms around me, and hugged me tightly. “I love you, sweetheart.”
“I love you, too, Dad,” I replied, hugging him back.
He eventually released me, and after I said goodbye to both him and my mom, they left.
The minute they walked out the door, I turned my attention to Wyatt. I didn’t give him a chance to speak before I immediately apologized. “I’m sorry. God, Wyatt, I’m so sorry for assuming the worst.”
He stood, moved toward me, and engulfed me in his arms. The second my cheek collided with his chest, I burst into tears.
