His mouth slanted over mine. I didn’t care that he was messing up the makeup it had taken an hour to apply. Didn’t give a damn that any of the wedding guests might walk by and see me making out with the hot best man. All I cared about was the way he made me feel adored, seen, even loved.
“We’d better put in an appearance.” I finally broke away long enough to speak.
“I guess you’re right.” He reluctantly got out of the truck and walked around to open my door. While he did, I tried to fix my makeup in the mirror on the visor. Satisfied there wasn’t too much damage, I let him escort me into the reception.
“I need to check in with my dad. Do you want to come with me?” If we were going to stay together, he’d have to meet my father, eventually.
“I’d like that.”
“Okay, let me find him.” I took a deep breath and located my dad sitting at a table off to the side. He had a drink in his hand and his lips turned down at the edges. I led Zander over and stopped at the chair next to him. “Hey, Dad. I want you to meet someone.”
He turned on the smile he saved for charming his business associates. “Hi, sweetheart. You look lovely tonight, though that’s quite a bit of skin.”
I felt Zander bristle next to me, but I was used to my dad’s backhanded compliments. “This is Zander, Dirk’s best man.”
My father stretched out a hand and Zander shook it. “It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Berry.”
“Nice to meet you, too. Was there anything else, Holly? I probably ought to go pass out the envelopes. This wedding is costing me a fortune.”
For the first time, I saw my dad through someone else’s eyes. I’d known he could be a snob, but the way he brushed off Zander made my skin crawl. If I wanted to pursue my own dreams, I needed to know if he’d be there to support me. Now wasn’t the time or place for me to press him for an answer, but there never would be the perfect setting. “Did you look over my proposal for niching down into some boutique hotels? I think it would be a great way to build another revenue stream, and—”
“Sweetheart, I’ve taken that into consideration and am going to pass that little project along to my VP of New Markets.” He stood and patted me on the shoulder. “I didn’t want to talk business at a family event, but since you keep insisting, now’s probably as good a time as any to tell you I want to relocate you to another division.”
“What? I’ve been working on that plan for the past two years. You can’t just hand it over to someone else. It was my idea.”
“Let’s not make a scene.” He took a step closer. “The decisions I make are in the best interest of the company. It’s nothing personal, Holly.”
Zander’s grip on my hand tightened. I glanced up to see his nostrils flare. “With all due respect, sir, I think Holly is—”
“Is going to strike out on her own,” I finished for him.
His eyes widened, then softened at the edges. “In upstate New York?” He asked.
“I can’t think of a better place to set the first Holiday Hotel.” Or a better person to work with on the concept than the man standing next to me.
“You don’t have the resources or the expertise to break off on your own. Besides, you signed an ironclad non-compete when you joined the company.” My dad dismissed the idea with a quick wave, like he could erase my dreams and aspirations with a flick of his wrist.
“My brother’s an attorney. I’m pretty sure he’d be willing to look that over for you,” Zander offered.
“Good luck.” Dad shook his head and gave me a barely there smile.
“I don’t need luck.” My false bravado didn’t waver as I stared at the man whose love and admiration I’d been struggling to earn for the past three decades. “I’ve finally found someone who believes in me.”
Zander slipped an arm behind my back and steered me away from my father. “You were amazing back there, Holly.”
“I couldn’t have told him off without you by my side.” I stopped when we reached the side of the room.
“Did you mean what you said? About starting a hotel chain on your own?” Hope mingled with the love I’d been looking for all of my life.
“Is it too soon to start talking about forever?” I was opening myself up, hoping he wouldn’t reject me. I’d walked away from my career, my family, and everything I’d ever known to take a chance on doing things my way, to take a chance on him.
“Forever is exactly what I’ve had in mind since the moment I set eyes on you on that plane.” He stepped in front of me and faced me. Then slid his arms around my waist and lowered his head. “It might seem like too soon, but I love you, Holly Berry.”
“Everything’s telling me it’s way too soon. Everything but my heart. I love you, too.”
The band started to play, and Zander tugged me close. “That’s all we need.”
Then he dipped his head and caught my lips with his.