“Yes, sir.” Tyson quickly replies.
“So, it was love at first sight?” Tyson nods, but my dad looks skeptical. “And if I were to offer to lift the blackball on Remington Vaughn, that wouldn’t make any difference, right? Because you’re only interested in my daughter for her and not what she can do for you?”
Tyson’s whole body tenses, and his hand clenches at my waist. “That’s fucking insulting. To her and me. Colette is the most amazing—”
My dad raises his hand, palm out in a gesture for Tyson to stop talking. “I don’t need you to tell me how incredible my daughter is. I already know. What I need is for you to convince me that you do too.”
“He definitely knows.” Thinking about all of the ways Tyson has proven exactly how into me he is, I blush to the roots of my hair. “If he didn’t, I wouldn’t be with him.”
“Good.” My dad nods in approval. “One of the reasons I kept you out of the Hollywood scene for so long is because of how fake some of the people in this town can be. There are too many people in my world who wouldn’t hesitate to use you to get to me. And now that you’re in a position of power, you’ll have to be even more careful.”
The implication that Tyson is one of those people my dad thinks I need to be wary of is obvious. “Tyson’s not like that, Daddy. We might’ve met because of Grier Studios, but our personal relationship has nothing to do with business.”
“I would never try to use Colette. She comes first for me. Period. I’d burn TAG Management to the ground before I’d ever do anything that might hurt her.”
Tyson’s voice rings with sincerity, and his over-the-top vow—which I have a feeling he truly means—seems to strike a chord with my dad. His arms drop to his sides, and his stance relaxes a bit. “You have a reputation for never giving up on your clients, putting in one hundred and ten percent regardless of where they are in their careers. That bodes well for how loyal you’ll be to the woman in your life. But I’ve still got to ask; can you live with the fact that being with my daughter means Grier Studios will never lift the blackball on Remington Vaughn? Because I’m never going to run the risk that even a small part of you is influenced by your desire to help your client.”
“I don’t need your help for Remington. I already got him a sweet gig on a blockbuster action flick that’ll let him show he’s got what it takes to nail some of the most difficult stunts in the business. It’ll get him in the door with all of the other studios. Once he’s built his reputation back up, I’m willing to bet you’ll come knocking on my door asking me to let you sign him.” Tyson grins and shrugs his broad shoulders. “And if that doesn’t work, there’s always the hope that maybe you’ll lighten your stance on Remington after Colette and I give you a couple of grandbabies.”
“Grandbabies?” my dad echoes, his gaze dropping to where Tyson’s hand moves to cover my belly. His mouth opens and closes a few times before he’s able to speak again. “You’re already thinking about having babies?”
Tyson’s fingers stroke my belly. “I don’t see any need for us to wait to get on with our lives together. Like I said, sir. I knew the moment I laid eyes on Colette that she was meant to be mine.”
“Well then.” My dad’s lips curve up in a smile as he holds his hand out to Tyson. “I guess you should call me Carson if you’re going to be part of the family.”
I sag in relief as the two most important people in my life shake hands. But the reaction is short-lived because they quickly move to conspiring against me when Tyson adds, “Thanks, Carson. Now if you don’t mind, I’d like to get Colette home. We had a little misunderstanding about our plans for the evening, and I had to hunt her down here.”
My back straightens at the reminder of how Tyson had managed to find me, but then my dad blows my mind with his cheerful send-off. He kisses me on the cheek and gestures to my left hand as he almost shoves us out the door. “I expect to see something sparkly on her ring finger soon.”
Chapter 10
Colette
“I don’t understand what just happened,” I mumble for about the hundredth time. Tyson has barely said anything on the drive from my dad’s house to his—ours. He got me settled into the car, kissed the heck out of me, and drove for about ten minutes before telling me to calm down since we’d passed the hurdle with my dad. Other than that, he’s focused on driving while I continue to freak out. “My dad has always done everything he could to keep me away from boys, but he just sent me off with you to make babies”—my voice rises to the point of near hysteria—“and basically told you to put a ring on it!”