Parker’s scowl faded. He studied them. His mouth pursed. “Well.” He looked from Samara to Travis then dropped his gaze to Travis’s arms wrapped protectively around her. “Well.”
Travis resisted the urge to fling himself into the silence with some stupid defensive remark.
“You love her?”
He gave a tight nod. “Yes.”
“You’d damn well better not hurt her.”
“I don’t plan to.”
“Samara?”
“I love him, Dad.”
Parker gave a crooked grin. “I can’t believe this.”
Travis’s mouth dropped open. “You’re okay with it?”
Parker firmed his lips as if to hide his emotion. “I love both of you. You know that.”
“But...that time you...you were furious.”
“She was a teenager!”
Travis nodded again. “I know. But why the hell did you make me promise to never touch her again?”
“Oh Christ. I guess I thought she was going to be seventeen forever. I was having a little trouble accepting my baby growing up, all right? I’d seen the way you looked at her.”
Travis’s insides knotted. “You had?” He’d been kind of afraid of that. He rolled his top lip in and dug his teeth into it.
“It wasn’t hard to miss.” Parker waved a hand. “But she was my baby. Then there was that smuggling accusation...”
“I guess I owe you an apology for that.” Travis’s mouth twisted, and he held Parker’s gaze. “I gather you were working with the DEA back then too.”
“Yes.”
“I’m sorry, Parker.”
“I wanted to tell you, Travis. I couldn’t. The only one I told was Dayna.”
“She knew?”
“I had to tell her to save our marriage.” Parker made a face. “Thanks to you for telling her your suspicions.”
Travis winced. “Sorry about that too.”
“She was sworn to secrecy,” Parker added.
Travis felt Samara’s gaze on him, and they exchanged a look.
“I guess I have an apology to make too,” she said reluctantly. “Or maybe a confession.”
They’d both made mistakes, jumped to conclusions, hurt people they cared about. But they’d learned from it, hopefully, and maybe they’d have a chance to make up for it and try again.
“Could we go back to the hotel and talk about this there?” Parker asked. “I’d really love a shot of Lagavulin.”
Chapter Twenty-two
“I do believe you have a role to play in running the company. When I said those things in that meeting, I meant it. We need you. We need your passion.”
“Thank you,” Samara whispered, her heart feeling full and soft, holding Travis’s gaze. “I’ll do whatever you tell me to.”
Travis snorted. “In my dreams, maybe.”
“I mean it!” Sitting there in Parker’s office in downtown Portland, she straightened. “I’m ready to part of a team,” she insisted, but then she caught the smile tugging the corners of Travis’s mouth and she relaxed a little. “I am.”
“I know,” Travis said. “Er...Duane Scanlon called me to tell me that he’s on board again with the partnership because of his meeting with you,” Travis added, then frowned. “Although I was pretty pissed when I found out you’d met with him without telling me.”
“Why?” she demanded. “It was fine.”
“You need to think these things through,” he said. “Meeting with him when you barely knew what was going on with the company was risky.”
“It wasn’t risky! I knew what I was talking about!”
They glared at each other then frowns slipped into grins.
“You did good,” Travis admitted.
Travis turned to Parker, who watched them with amusement. “This is going to be entertaining,” he said, leaning back in his chair.
“We need her here, Parker.”
“I agree.”
Samara’s heart swelled even more in her chest, and she drew in a long breath through her nose.
“Okay, then we’re all agreed that we’ll redesign my job and Travis’s and we’ll create a new position for Samara here in Portland.”
Samara and Travis stood and walked out of Parker’s office, and Samara cast a regretful look at the huge windows and incredible view; they’d probably stick her in some windowless closet somewhere. Oh well.
They walked into Travis’s office. He closed the door behind him and took her into his arms, smiling down at her.
“So neither of us won.”
She gave him a saucy grin. “Oh, I think we both won.”
His smile widened, and his eyes warmed. “I love you, Samara. I want you in my life. Here at work, but outside work too. Even though I know you’ll probably drive me crazy for the rest of my life.”
She scowled at him, and he laughed.
“I don’t want to rush things, so we can just take our time getting to know each other again...”
“Fighting.”
“Arguing.”
“Spanking.”
“Oooooh.” She kissed his mouth. “You do know what I want.”
The End