Her mother frowned and opened her mouth.
But Hadley’s father spoke first. “You’re Bennett Knightley.”
“What?” Hadley’s mother frowned. “The billionaire?”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you both,” Bennett said. “Hadley’s very important to me.”
“Hadley…” Her mother’s voice changed. “You snagged a billionaire.”
Hadley felt a sour feeling invade her belly. “He’s not a fish, Mother.”
“It’sverygood to see you finally making a good decision, Hadley,” her father said. “Knightley, I’m sure you can convince our girl to stop playing games with this work of hers and move home.”
Hadley rolled her eyes, then felt a pulse of something from Bennett.Uh-oh. He looked angry.
“Hadley’s very good at her job. She’s smart, talented, and skilled. You should both be proud of her. She saves lives. What do you do?”
Hadley’s mother gasped. Her father scowled.
“She’s the most amazing woman I’ve ever met,” Bennett continued. “She cares. She’s selfless. She’s protective. And I’m totally in love with her.”
Hadley turned to goo inside. She smiled up at him. “I totally love you too.”
He pulled her close. “By the way, I’m moving to New York.”
She blinked. “What?”
“I know you love Sentinel Security.”
“But Secura—”
“I’m going to open a US office in New York.”
Her heart filled. “Really?”
“Really.” He cupped her jaw. “I told you that I’d always give you everything you wanted, beautiful.”
She kissed him, totally forgetting about her parents, the busy street, the cold weather.
It was just her and Bennett.
Right then, she didn’t need anything else.
* * *
One month later
At the endof a long day, Bennett walked out of the elevator into the Sentinel Security office.
He’d spent most of the day at the future Secura New York office. It was currently being outfitted, and recruitment was underway for staff members. Maudie and Henry were helping him.
Henry deciding to join Bennett in New York hadn’t been a surprise, but when Maudie declared that she was coming too, he’d been shocked.
“You wouldn’t last a second without me,” she told him with a sniff. “Your schedule would be all messed up.”
Secretly, he’d been pleased. Clearly her grumpiness had grown on him.
In the Sentinel Security office, he walked past an exposed brick wall, then a green wall covered in plants. He was eager to see his woman.