Chapter Eighteen

After being dropped off at the hotel, John guided Hannah just inside the door, hesitating until the sedan drove away before turning to link their hands. “Look, I knew we’d both be emotionally and physically exhausted after the flight and the meeting today, so I arranged for two rooms. Our plane leaves first thing tomorrow morning.

She sagged against him. “Thank you.”

He smiled and turned to lead her toward the counter in the lobby.

“May I help you, sir?”

“Yes. Two rooms for John Staples.”

After following the bellboy up the elevator to the fifth floor, he slipped a tip into the young man’s hand and thanked him. He then followed Hannah into her room, smiling at the sight of her standing in the middle, slowly turning in a circle with her mouth hanging open and her wide-eyed stare taking in all the details.

“I never imagined a room as nice as this,” she whispered, slipping off her hat and tossing it on the bed before turning to look at John. An excited laugh slipped out. “I can’t believe I get to stay here tonight.”

He watched her hair flare out as she twirled in a circle to take in her surroundings and ached to run his fingers through the silken length. But he held back, unsure how she’d react. Just seeing her joy was worth spending a week’s salary for the rooms.

“It’s like a dream.” She turned to point upward. “I mean, look at the designs on the ceiling and the chandelier. And the Queen Ann sofa, bed, and desk. And the gold brocade bedspread,” she continued, running a hand across the textured material draped over the foot of the bed. “It’s straight out of a Paramount movie set. Beautiful. Thank you. I was dreading the thought of boarding a plane again right away.”

“I knew we’d need time to relax and rest.” Everything from her drooping shoulders to her fidgeting hands told him she needed something to hold on to. “Come here,” he coaxed, taking her hand and leading her a step closer until he held her within his arms. “I’m sorry. Vince cares, believe me, but he doesn’t know what to do, what to say, to a grown daughter.” He rubbed his cheek against her silky hair, breathing in the essence that would always be his Hannah.

Unintelligible words were mumbled against his shirt.

“What’d you say?”

She turned her head a fraction. “He’s not my father.”

“But honey…”

“Oh, I know.” She stepped back, bringing a tear-filled gaze up to connect with his. “I mean, I can’t accept that cold, heartless man as my father. I now understand why my mother lied to me.”

“She tried to protect you.”

Hannah nodded. “And you were right. If the truth had to come out, I’m glad it happened before his enemies killed him.”

He frowned, opened his mouth, but she raised a hand to stop him.

“Meeting him has made it easy to walk away. If I’d never met him and then found out the truth when he was no longer alive, I’d always have wondered.”

“Walking away is your choice, but…are you doing it out of spite?”

Her forehead creased with concentration. “No. I’d say I’m more resigned to not having a father in my life. It’s like you once said about having nothing to lose by asking for something. I grew up always wishing I had a dad like everyone else. In spite of having a mom, there was a piece missing—like the future was a dark tunnel without a light at the end. There was a void, a hole with nothing to fill it because he was dead.” She glanced out the large window overlooking the city, taking a few moments before continuing. “Now, I know that was all lies, and I’ve met my father. But to expect a man like Vince to fill that void is like grasping in the dark for something that isn’t there. I grew up wanting love—you know, warmth and security—but the man is cold. Impersonal.” She took a deep breath and released it slowly, meeting his gaze with her normal poise and calm that always impressed him. “I’ll admit that finding out my father was alive knocked me off my feet, but I had a choice to make, and I made it. I came, I saw. Now I know. It’s enough.”

“Enough?”

She shrugged. “Oh, I’ll admit to a couple sleepless nights, but then once I met him, I came to realize nothing had really changed. I grew up fine without a father, and I’ll continue on without one. I’ve lost nothing.”

“You don’t plan to see Vince again?”

She shook her head. “There’s no need.”

Her smile was weak and slow in taking hold, but he admired her handling of a difficult situation. He hadn’t missed her red-rimmed eyes when she returned to Vince’s table. The ordeal had been an emotional roller-coaster, but she was dealing with it far better than he expected.

“Do you think you can ever forgive Vince for not being in your life when you needed him the most?”

The shrug barely moved her shoulders. “I’ll eventually forgive him for everything, like I’ve already forgiven my mother. I can see why she didn’t want me growing up and being associated in any way with that lifestyle. If I were a mother—and someday I hope to be—I’d feel the same about my children. He can follow them from a distance like he did me—I can’t stop him—but I won’t allow him to be involved in their lives.”

She was a truly remarkable woman. “I understand. And thank you for being kind to Vince while you were there.”

“I don’t agree with his lifestyle, but he gave me life. He’s my birth father, so I owed him at least the respect due a father.”

“He gave you more than that.”

Her forehead creased, a frown erasing the calm facade.

“I was wrong before, but I recently found out who really owns the boardinghouse.”

She frowned. “Who?” When he remained silent, she drew back and repeated. “Who?”

“You do.”

“No, that can’t be,” she countered, slowly shaking her head from side-to-side.

“’Fraid so. Vince confirmed it and told me he’d bought it for Sadie. After her death, he put it solely in your name.”

Her mouth opened, then closed while she shook her head in denial. “All the years of scrimping and saving…and it belonged to us the whole time?”

“Yep. Apparently, he kept the corporation on the paperwork as the contact—the manager—but not as owner.”

“I can’t believe it. That’s so much to take in,” she whispered, her gaze dropping to her clenched hands. Then she lifted her chin until her gaze met his. “I wonder if mother ever knew. The whole thing is so strange.” When he only shrugged, she added, “I’m not sure how to feel.”

“I know. I learned recently about some things he did for my own mother to be sure she would be okay, not to mention his paying for my college.”

“I guess he’s not all bad—at least when it comes to those he cares about.”

“True, but he uses people. He used me, or tried to use me to spy on you. He called it keeping an eye on you to be sure you’re safe.”

He stood with his arms around her, gently swaying for several minutes.

“Honey, can you forgive me?”

Her eyes widened as she leaned back to stare up into his gaze. “Of course. You didn’t do anything—although I thought so for a while,” she admitted with a gentle laugh.

He chuckled when she blushed. “You honestly thought I was one of them?”

“Yes. I thought you were his employee. I thought he’d sent you to take me back there.” Her gaze momentarily dropped, then her lips mashed together. “Sorry.”

“At least you know better now.”

“Do I?”

His body stiffened and he scrunched his brows until her laughter filled the suite.

“Just kidding. Yes, I know better…now.”

“When you left the room, I had the opportunity to set the record straight with Vince about the future.”

“You told him you never intend to be part of his organization?”

“No, he already knew that.” When she remained silent, waiting for him to continue, he stepped back and reached for her hands. “No, I told him I’m in love with you and intend to marry you.”

Her eyes widened and her jaw went slack. Had his love really come as such a surprise?

John went down on one knee and squeezed her hands as he gazed up into her eyes. Her hands trembled, but she didn’t pull away. “Hannah Montgomery, will you be my wife for as long as we both live?”

She blinked several times, but remained silent. His heart thundered. Had he misread her responses to him? Several seconds ticked by slowly while he fought the urge to speak—to beg, if necessary.

Then a smile slowly spread across her face. “Yes, John Staples, I’d be honored to marry you.”

Relief washed through his body as he matched her smile and rose without releasing her hands or the gaze that held his captive. His heart swelled when she stepped into his embrace, sliding her arms around his waist and laying her head against his chest. This was where he wanted her forever—held close to his pounding heart.

He kissed her hair, breathing in the fragrance that was hers alone. When she lifted her head, he leaned in to brush a soft kiss on her lips, but one wasn’t enough. His heart rate spiked when she slid her arms up his chest to circle his neck and pull him closer, deepening the kiss.

That’s when he realized her whole body was trembling. “Honey, what’s the matter?”

“It all seems too good to be true—and I don’t want to lose you.”

“Why would you ever lose me?” He tried to make eye contact, but she stared down at his shirt, a hand coming up to run a fingernail around one of the buttons.

“Look,” he interrupted, again refusing to allow her to pull away. “I know you’ve lost people in your life that you loved, but you don’t have to worry about losing me. Honey, I’ve loved you almost from the start. When you looked up from the spaghetti at your feet and focused on me, it was like a bolt of lightning hit me. I knew you were different, and before long, I knew I wanted you in my life forever. But, I also knew a relationship needed to be built on solid ground—honesty and mutual respect. That couldn’t happen for us as long as there were secrets.”

He took a deep breath, thankful she was listening and not pulling away.

“I had to find a way to convince you how much I cared,” he continued, “hoping you wouldn’t kick me out of the boardinghouse and out of your life when I told you the truth about my ill-fated promise to keep an eye on you. Hannah, I want us to share everything.” He lifted his hands up to hold her face between his palms. “The ups and the downs, the sad things in life and the happy times. I know we can make a great life if we stand together, as a united force against the world. I’ll always be here to support and protect you,” he reminded her, gazing intently into her eyes. “And also to stand beside you in whatever you want to achieve in life. I love you so much.”

He ran a thumb across her lips before leaning in to brush another kiss across them. When he leaned back and moved his hands down to grasp hers, she smiled, easing his mind.

“Honey, please believe me, I know you’ve been through a lot, but I’m not sorry this whole series of events has brought you and me together.” John glanced at their joined hands. “I wasn’t looking for anyone when I moved to Los Angeles. I was totally focused on the new job at Hughes Aircraft. I didn’t feel empty or lost or incomplete—until I met you. You filled a hole in my life—filled a need I didn’t even realize existed. Now, I can’t imagine life without you in it. I can’t imagine getting up each day without sharing life’s ups and downs with you. I can’t imagine going back to eating meals I’ve tried to cook,” he added with a sheepish grin. Her tender smile gave him courage to continue. “I love you so much and want to spend the rest of my life making you happy.”

“And designing planes,” she added, broadening her smile.

“Yes, and that, too, but you’re more important to me than a job. I want to marry you, have a family with you, and grow old together. I betrayed your trust once, but that will never happen again. I hope you can forgive me.” He squeezed her hands, hoping she believed him—praying she felt the same. The seconds dragged by as he held her gaze.

Hannah finally stepped in closer, rose up on her toes, and kissed him. “Yes, I forgive you. I’ll admit my life was turned upside down when you told me about my father—and consequently about my mother’s lies. I felt as if truth had taken a flight to the other side of the world. I wasn’t sure what to believe or what the future would bring. I was lost and struggling to find some balance.”

“Ah, honey, I’m so sorry you had to go through this,” he told her, squeezing her within his arms.

“Well, it’s history now. Thank you for loving me enough to stand up to the opposition.” She lowered her chin a fraction, then glanced up at him from beneath long lashes. “I’ve loved you for some time now, too, but never more than at this very moment. I hope you’ll still love me when we’re old and gray,” she added with a smile, “because I love you more than I ever imagined loving someone.”

“Hannah, I love you more with each breath I take,” he countered, leaning in to brush his mouth across hers.

“John, I’ll love you only, now and forever.”

Her hands reached up to hold his face as she pressed in, meshing their lips in a way that sent fireworks exploding behind his eyelids. His dreams were coming true.