Page 16 of His Precious Secret

A brief moment of hesitation comes over me. I feel myself starting to slip, like a dam ready to give way, and fight to hold back.

“How? How would she even know about us?”

“It’s all my fault,” he replies, shaking his head. “I let you fall asleep in my bed, and your mom came up and saw us. When I went downstairs she confronted me. She had a picture and everything.”

“What…?” I didn’t know it was possible to feel this embarrassed.

“She demanded fifty million from me, Taylor. I thought that would be the end of it. But it wasn’t enough for her. She made me go upstairs and break things off with you.”

“So this is all about your money?” I snap. “You didn’t want to pay her so you just broke up with me?”

“I would gladly pay more than fifty million if it meant being with you, beautiful,” he replies. “But your mother was going to expose me if I didn’t do what I did.”

“What do you care?” I ask. “Everyone knows you’re a ladies’ man.”

“This is different, Taylor, and you know that. You’re not just any girl. You’re my stepdaughter.”

He’s right of course. But still, I’m not buying it. There’s something missing here.

“So you were worried about your reputation?”

“No.” He shakes his head and a hint of a smile comes over his face. “I was worried about yours.”

Suddenly, I feel so stupid. This whole time I assumed he was protecting himself; I hadn’t even occurred he’d be thinking about protecting me.

“I wouldn’t be able to live with myself, Taylor, if what I did ended up hurting you. I’m used to my life being discussed in the press and having people come after me. But you don’t deserve that. Not with something like this.”

Two tractor-trailer-trucks of emotion collide within me. The fierce hatred I feel for him has not subsided. It’s now at war with the complete sense of relief and stupidity that’s starting to grip me.

He’s not lying. Either that or he’s an Oscar caliber actor along with being a billionaire. Tears begin to sting my eyes as I look at him. I want to accept this, but I’m afraid. And I don’t know how to get past all the negative emotions that are exploding inside me.

Luckily for me, Rick does.

He moves right in and sweeps me into his arms like a prince. My mouth instinctively falls open to accept his kiss, and the red-hot, fiery rage I was feeling before is doused in the healing waters of his embrace.

I melt into him. The terror of losing him forever is still strong in my chest, so I throw my arms around him and pull him as tight as possible. I feel his pain—what he must have felt when he came to the bedroom and said those terrible things to me.

But together we can get past it. I know he loves me now. I’m no longer afraid. I don’t care if the whole world finds out our precious little secret if it means I get to be with him. Rick, my prince. My daddy.

“I know you probably are still mad at me, Taylor,” he whispers, stroking my hair. “But I want to ask you something.”

“I’m not mad, Daddy. What is it?”

Intent fills his eyes. Happiness swims through me as the anticipation rises. Is he about to say what I think he is? He can’t be. I’m just being ridiculous for even thinking it.

> “Will you come home with me?”

I almost laugh. Of course he’s not asking me that. It’s too soon.

“Of course I will, Daddy.”

“Good.” He nods, pulling me to the door. He stops half-way and turns back to me. “Oh, and also—will you marry me?”

Epilogue

Rick

Two years later…

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