“He didn’t shy away from one fan who approached him.” He ignored my verbal attachment to the man completely.

I nodded.

“It shocked me. Honestly, when he showed up I was glad for the PR but was terrified he’d cause a scene. The kind of world he lives in…the attention he garners with his short fuse—”

“Father.” I huffed. I knew his stance on me dating anyone who drew any kind of unwanted attention. I’d known the rules since I was twelve. Maybe that is why I enjoyed breaking them so much.

“I apologize. It’s a habit. I know you’re a grown woman, Paige. One I couldn’t be more proud of, but you’ll always be my baby girl. And I want your future to soar, not get raked through the muck by tabloid reporters who are begging for you to make a mistake.”

“Like they do you? That won’t change when I become C.E.O. They’ll watch my every move just as they have yours our whole lives. Who I date shouldn’t matter.” Was I really defending a contracted relationship that was only to benefit each party in different ways? Why did I care so much if my father approved of Rory or not?

Because he’s a good man and no one gave him near enough credit. The truth rang clear in my mind, and damn it, my heart.

“You’re right,” he continued. “But pairing yourself with someone who has the same heat on them—more so because of his celebrity-athlete status and a reputation for trouble finding him wherever he goes—you’ll only increase your odds of slipping.”

“You have so little faith in me?”

“I have the utmost confidence in you, darling. It’s the greasy paparazzi who take an innocent image and tarnish it into something wretched, and even if the story isn’t true, it only takes the hint of immorality to bring everything we’ve worked for crashing down.”

“You don’t have to keep lecturing me. I’m not a teenager.” I’d heard the speech too many times, and the thoughts plagued me on a daily basis—I didn’t need it thrown in my face, too.

“You’re old enough and smart enough to do what you want. I only want you to be crystal clear on the stakes at risk if you decide to bring that kind of heat on yourself.”

My head spun in all different directions, my father’s words giving me whiplash. As a dad, he supported my right to choose to do what I pleased. As a C.E.O. he warned me off anything that would come close to putting the company at risk.

I knew damn well my father could say I had a choice all he wanted, but it was the choice he’d make that he’d approve of.

“It’s not just your image or even the company’s at risk,” he continued when I hadn’t responded. I slit my eyes, catching the tone he often used in the boardroom right before he slammed an ultimatum on the table that no one would dare argue with or try to negotiate out of. He stepped closer to me, placing a hand on my shoulder. “I want you to think very carefully about this before you get in too deep with him.”

“Father,” I said, matching his tone in a don’t push me threat.

“Like I said you’re your own woman. And who you choose to date is up to you, but know this,” he dropped his hand. “If that young man has one slip while you are in his presence—one more brawl off the ice, one more incident where he is carted off to jail—I’ll cut funding to your pet project. There are consequences when you make foolish choices, Paige.”

I gasped, stepping away from him as if he’d stung me. Anger boiled my blood, but I kept my spine straight and my breath even. “The company and its funding will be mine in three months.”

Father sighed, tilting his head. “As long as I still think you’re capable of running it seamlessly. You take up with this celebrity party-boy and let him sully your reputation this close to the transition? I won’t retire. And there will be no more bank for the shelter you’re building.”

The sting deepened in the center of my chest. I’d seen him use an incredibly stern hand in too many mergers to count, but I’d never expected him to be so strict with me. Not now. Not after everything I’d worked for and proven to him. He’d just taken my arrangement with Rory and upped the ante surrounding it. I never thought the project of my heart would be at risk. For a few fleeting seconds the prospect of ending it before it’d really even began filtered through my mind.

Then, after a few deep breaths, I realized I believed in Rory far too much for that. Plus, there was no denying our connection—contract or not. I wouldn’t give up on him so easily, no matter what my father threatened. I wouldn’t be the business woman I was today if I fled at the drop of a few harsh words from an older man.

“We should continue if we want to make the rounds on all ten production floors today.” I decided to ignore his threat altogether and pressed on to the next think-tank room, effectively ending the conversation. Knots twisted in my shoulders and the tension created an ache at the base of my neck. Father didn’t have a clue what had happened between Rory and I—not truly—and I shuddered, thinking of what he’d say if he knew the exact circumstances surrounding our attachment.

Or how close I was to saying screw the rules and the risks and the constant looking over my shoulder, and simply dive the fuck in.

We ended the day on the tasting floor, sampling several new batches of our all organic baby food line. It amazed me, the talent we held within the walls of our building, and their abilities to constantly surprise and impress me. The successful approach of combining the freshest, most vibrant ingredients and convenient packaging—all while making sure the food wasn’t the slightest bit bland—lifted my spirits considerably.

The conversation with my father still weighed on my mind. I had teams of unbelievable people counting on me, and that wasn’t something to stress over. It wasn’t a burden. It was a privilege, an honor. And I knew I’d do my best to accommodate all the wishes of my heart as best as I possibly could—taking care of my employees, giving life to my shelter development, and, hopefully, my commitments to Rory as well.

 

Friday came at the end of a particularly long week—one because of my father’s need to prep and grill me on connections and obligations of the company which I’d known for years, and two, because I’d been completely unsuccessful at drowning out my cravings.