“Yeah, I’ll call you. Thank you, Grady.”

He nodded, but she didn’t miss the tears in his eyes. He then headed for the door, calling to their father, “I’ll be in the car.”

Her father ignored him and glared at Karson before meeting Lacey’s tear-filled gaze. She didn’t understand this. Why was he being such an asshole? “So you are choosing him then?”

As much as she didn’t want this to happen, there really wasn’t another choice. She loved her father. Even with all his antics, he was her father, but she refused to be treated as if she couldn’t make her own decisions. She could and she would.

So ignoring the sob inside her, she said, “Yeah, Dad. I choose Karson.”

When the door slammed, Lacey bit her lip to keep it from wobbling. How could her own father do this to her? What kind of person makes their daughter choose between two people she loves without even a second thought? But above all, did she make the right choice?

Of course you did, she thought, but that didn’t stop the tears from rolling down her cheeks and into her mouth. Swallowing her sob, since she didn’t want to worry Karson, she closed her eyes tightly just as his arms wrapped around her from behind. When he kissed the back of her head, she let go. Turning in his arms, she wrapped her arms around his neck and just cried. Her body shook from her sobs, and she held on to him as if he was a life preserver and she was drowning. If a way, she was. In her own tears and pain.

The only comforting thought was she knew Karson would never let go.

Squeezing her eyes tight, she wished her mother were here. She would have supported Lacey, loved her, and would never have made her choose. Even when her father was hard on her, she would take Lacey somewhere and just love her. There was something about her mother’s love that made everything better. It was sort of like Karson’s love. Even with the heartbreaking ultimatum her father gave her, in Karson’s arms, surrounded by his love, Lacey knew that everything was going to be okay.

Kissing her temple, he whispered, “I’m sorry, sweetheart. I really am.”

“It’s not your fault,” she whispered. “It’s his.”

He nodded slowly, kissing her jaw as he tightened his arms around her. “What do you want me to do?”

A sob fell from her lips as her body shook. He was too good to her. What man stood beside someone who had a demonic family? Especially when he had the dream family that everyone wished for. The Kings loved and they loved hard, while all Lacey’s family did was hate. It was so ridiculous, and she really didn’t understand why this was going down the way it was.

“Just hold me for a little bit longer, and then I’ll wipe away my tears and we’ll pack.”

“We don’t have to pack, honey. We can delay everything if you want,” he suggested, but she shook her head quickly.

“No,” she whispered, pulling her head back and looking into his eyes. “I’m ready to start our life.”

“Me too,” he said softly. “But I don’t want you to do this all upset. Maybe you need some time to really hash this out.”

Her head cocked to the side as her eyes held his. “Karson, I’ve hashed and I’m good. Are you having second thoughts?”

He scoffed. “Fuck no, sweetheart. I want to take you home but—”

“No but,” she said, leaving his embrace. “Take me home, Karson. I’m yours.”

“It’s just I don’t like that he made you choose,” he said as she turned to go down the hall. Looking over her shoulder, she shrugged.

“Me either. But I made the right choice.”

A grin pulled at his lips as he nodded. “No pressure, eh?”

She smiled for the first time in hours and nodded. “None. You got this.”

Reaching for her, he took her in his arms and dipped her back, looking down at her. “I do and I always will.”

“Good,” she said, threading her fingers through his hair. “Now, let’s pack this apartment, and then go to my office and pack that before going to say bye to my nephews. Then, Mr. King, you are taking me home.”

Leaning down, he touched his lips to hers, not in a kiss but as a presence. His lips were so warm and powerful, while his eyes still were filled with worry. She wanted nothing more than to erase it. She didn’t want him to worry about something that couldn’t be changed. Her father had made the choice that he did, and he would have to live with that decision. While, yes, she was going to miss her father, she also realized that she might be a little happier not worrying about every step she took. Constantly asking herself if this would piss him off or if he would be calling within seconds to bitch her out. She was finally free, and while she was sad, she was also okay with it. She had Karson. What else did she need?

Holding her face in his hands, bringing her attention back to him, Karson whispered, “That is a great idea, Mrs. King.”

Later that afternoon, after getting everything packed in her apartment that she was taking, they headed to Lacey’s office where they packed up what she’d need from her office. Karson was beyond helpful but also curious, and Lacey loved that. She loved that he asked so much about the business and looked like a kid in a candy store as he snooped around the shop, holding up pieces and asking her to model them for him. Lucky for him, she owned every piece in the shop and promised to wear them for him every night. That seemed to please him immensely.

After packing everything up, he said that whatever house they got would have to have a big enough office for her to do the work she needed to. It meant a lot to her that he supported her so much because this business had been her lover for the last six years. As she stood in the middle of the shop, looking around at the soft teal and white walls with racks of lingerie and white shelves that held bras for all types of women and the drawers full of sexy panties, her eyes got a little misty. She’d built this store from the ground up and now she was leaving.