L exi

I t was another day at Avalon Café, except today, I couldn’t seem to get Hunter and the whole situation with Patrick off my mind. Hunter had texted me and told me he was meeting with him this morning, but I didn’t know what he had decided to do. I knew that if it were anything other than break up with me, I would hear about it very soon. Just as that thought crossed my mind, I jumped at the sound of my father’s voice .

“Lexi, how could you?” He was screaming at me as he rushed toward the café .

Immediately, my cheeks turned red and I put my hand up, stopping my father from coming around the counter. My manager looked over in shock at the sound of my father screaming through the lobby. I took off my apron and folded it up before laying it on the counter. I walked quickly over to Gabby, who had just been made a manager, and leaned in to speak to her. She looked horrified at the scene that was unfolding .

“I’m so sorry, Gabby,” I said, trying to hold back tears. “I will be right back .”

She nodded and walked to the counter to help the waiting customers. I stood there for a moment, looking out over the crowd of people that was standing there staring at me and then over at my father. I was completely mortified in a way I had never been before. Whatever had happened at that meeting, the cat was out of the bag, and from the looks of it, my father was not taking it very well .

I took in a deep breath and tried to hide my face as I walked through the back and out the side door to meet my father in the lobby. I grabbed his arm and started pulling him to a private room that was off the main lobby. It was where they held receptions and meetings. The room was empty, and I stood next to the doorway, pushing my father through .

I looked over and saw Hunter bolting from the elevator toward us. He slowed his pace to not draw too much attention. I walked into the room and faced my father, who was beet red in the face. Hunter walked into the room behind me and shut the door, taking a spot right next to me. I looked up at him and then over at my father, shaking my head .

“You told him, didn’t you?” I asked .

Hunter nodded and reached for my hand, squeezing it tightly. He had decided to stay and not break up with me. From the looks of it, he also hadn’t given in to Patrick’s demands and had been forced to come straight back to the Avalon and tell my father to his face. I turned to my dad, who was glaring at both of us .

“You are being stupid,” he spat. “You are throwing your life away for a man, a playboy, who is just going to toss you to the curb when he is done with you. You have made the biggest mistake of your life, falling for this fool .”

“Enough,” Hunter yelled, getting both my attention and my father’s. “What don’t you understand about the fact that I am in love with your daughter? In love, not in lust. I am not playing this girl. I am living my life with her by my side .”

“You’re in love with me?” I turned toward him, my cheeks red and my heart beating fast. I couldn’t believe he had finally said it, and that I wasn’t the only one feeling that way .

Hunter turned away from my father and took both of my hands into his. He pulled them to his lips and kissed them gently while staring deeply into my eyes. His angry frown quickly faded and a smiled pushed across his lips, sending electricity shooting through my chest. His shoulders relaxed, and he let out a deep breath from his lungs, looking almost like he’d been defeated. But that wasn’t the case. It was quite the opposite, actually. He was invigorated in the same way I was just from simply being close to him .

“Yes,” he said, smiling. “I am madly and deeply in love with you .”

My mouth dropped slightly and tears pulled at the edges of my eyes. My father watched us intently, but instead of clenching his fists in anger, he seemed to be realizing that Hunter and I really were in love with each other. He was noticing for the first time that I was a woman, not a child .

“You have brightened my life in a way I don’t deserved,” Hunter said, still holding my hands. “When I met you, I had given up on the idea of love and had made peace with my loneliness, but then there you were, dragging me out of the darkness and giving me hope again .”

I could barely find any words after hearing him say what he had said. It was the sweetest and most caring thing a man had ever said to me. I stepped forward, my hands shaking in his and my eyes locked tightly on his. This man had just gone through hell and back to tell me how much he loved me. He had picked me over everything else, even his friendship with my father. My heart was so full that I could barely move, and I let out a deep breath, a smile flashing widely across my face. I couldn’t believe I had finally found where I belonged .

“I love you, too, Hunter,” I said with blushed cheeks .

He reached up and cupped my face in his hand, leaning his head forward to kiss me with a softness and gentleness I had never known from him before. As our lips parted, I stared into his eyes, and my breath caught in my throat. Shivers ran down my arms and spine, and I took in a deep breath, remembering that my father was standing there watching us. I turned toward him and gathered my courage .

“I know that you don’t approve of this,” I said, “and I know what cost this relationship comes at for me, but I don’t care. If you can’t be there to support me, back me up, and be happy for me when I’ve finally found love, then I don’t want anything from you. I will figure it all out on my own .”

Part of me felt bad for saying that, but I wanted my father to know that he couldn’t control me with a bank account. I was old enough to understand that money couldn’t buy everything, and I would never give up my relationship with Hunter just so my father would keep paying my bills. I had to break away, and this was the perfect time .

“What about the media?” My father asked. His voice was softer but still argumentative .

“I don’t give a damn about the media,” Hunter barked. “Besides, I have already taken care of all that. Not everyone will be nice to me, but I told the story how it was supposed to be told. Patrick tried to blackmail me. He threatened to go to you and the media unless I put him back on the board. I knew that wasn’t the answer, so I turned him down. I called my own media sources and then came straight to you .”

“Patrick was always a douchebag,” Kam said, rubbing his chin .

“I know they are going to make a huge deal out of the age thing,” Hunter said. “The fact of the matter is, she is of legal age to make her own decisions. Beyond that, age is just a number. It doesn’t tell me whether I can love this woman or not. I love her with all my heart .”

“All right,” Kam said, leaning on the table and letting out a deep breath. “I’ll give you my blessing .”

“Daddy,” I said, excitedly running toward him and wrapping my arms around his neck, “thank you so much. It truly means the world to me that you’re okay with this. I was terrified that you would hate me forever .”

“I just want what is best for you,” he said into my ear. “If that is Hunter, then I am in no place to judge .”

“Thank you, Kam,” Hunter said, reaching out and shaking his hand .

“I will tell you this,” my father said, gripping his hand tightly. “If you hurt her, I will kill you with my bare hands .”

“Understood,” Hunter said, smiling. “And I promise, I will never knowingly do anything that will ever hurt her. She is the most important thing in my life .”

“Above your business?” My father raised his eyebrows .

“Yeah,” he said, looking at me. “Far above my company .”