I rolled my eyes. "But why isn't anyone else here? I doubt they all wanted to fly commercial when they could get on a private jet."
"Well, when I spoke to the lads, they agreed that this was probably something we wanted privacy for."
"Oh, am I becoming a member of the Mile High Club now?"
He laughed. "Um, no."
I furrowed my brow. "Why not? We're all by our lonesome."
I attempted to climb onto his lap, but oddly, he picked me up easily and settled me in my seat. "I'm serious, Ny. No."
I frowned. "What's wrong?"
He cleared his throat and settled back when the pilot announced we’d reached cruising altitude. "Um, I'd rather not have you attempting to shag me with your father in the stateroom."
I blinked at him. "What did you say?"
He nodded at me, looking the picture of serenity. No that wasn't right. He might look serene, but his shoulders were tense, and his hands clasped each other. Something was wrong. "What do you mean, my father?"
The stateroom door opened, and out stepped Francois Theroux.
"Hello, my daughter."
I stared at the older man. "Holy fuck, you're here."
I glanced around looking for the police. "What are you doing here? You didn't even ask me if this was okay."
He waved a hand, saying, "Relax, my passport says Luc Besson."
I laughed. "Like the director?"
He shrugged. "I suppose. Good a name as any."
"Right. But what are you doing here?"
I slid my gaze over to East, and he said, "Well, I figured the two of you could use some time together. The twelve-hour flight to the Winston Isles seemed the perfect opportunity for us to get to know each other. Besides, I had something to ask him."
Theroux grinned at East and nodded. "And I'm very glad you did ask me. It was a beautiful way to include me."
I stood and stepped into the aisle so I could stare at both of them. "What's happening?"
My father waved a hand in the air then handed East a box. A small black box. My eyes went wide. East swallowed hard and said, "Oh boy, so we are doing this."
I stared at him. "What are we doing? What are you doing right now?"
He laughed. "Well, I thought of doing this big splashy thing. But I realized that given the situation there will be very few times that you get to be with your father for long stretches. And I didn't want to wait to do this." He stood up out of his seat then, and I stared at the box in his hand. As he kneeled in the aisle, he said, "Nyla Kinkade, you are a handful. Honestly, you are the most stubborn woman I have ever met in my entire life. You are obstinate and mule-headed and goddamn, woman, you really can't let anything go."
"All those words mean the same thing."
He nodded sagely. "Yes, they do. They mean that I love you. I will always love you. I think I have loved you from the moment that you tasered me in the park. I loved you even when I thought I could hate you. Even then it was love. Even when I told myself it would be safer for you and for me if we were apart, I loved you. And I know that you always feel like you don't have family and people in your corner, but I want you to know that no matter what, you will always be part of my family. It was important for me to ask your father's blessing before I asked you if you would allow me to become part of your family."
I blinked away tears. My eyes were stinging, and my lashes fluttered, thick wet teardrops sticking to them., "Oh my God."
"Nyla Kinkade, will you marry me?"
I couldn't breathe. Oh God, I really couldn't breathe. Jesus Christ. Why was it so hard?
"Yes. Absolutely yes. I love you."
"I promise you there will never be another man who loves a woman nearly as much as I love you."
When he opened the box, there was a single pink square-cut diamond with teeny tiny black diamonds circling the band. I stared at it. "Oh my God. I've never seen anything more stunning.”
East smiled as he took it out of its delicate setting and slid it on my finger. "It’s even more special than you realize."
I slid my gaze over to Theroux—my father. "You bought this?"
He nodded. "Yes. It was the ring I intended for your mother. Sadly, I never got to give it to her, but I'm glad that you get to wear it."
And then the tears streamed down my face. I had family. At last. The one thing I'd been looking for my whole life. I had it in spades. "I love you so much."
East nodded. "I know. I am pretty lovable."
"Jesus Christ, you're such a knob."
He shrugged. "Come here."
He picked me up easily and carried me back to the seat and settled me in his lap. Thoreau just watched, bemused. "Ah, family. I never thought I would have it either. So while our family's unusual, I do think that I will enjoy having one."
"Now, will you tell me about my mother?"
His smile was bittersweet as he nodded. "Yes, I'm happy to tell you all about your mother."
***
East
We all gathered in the Rose Gardens just outside the palace.
I'd been there before, so obviously I knew what to expect. The Winston Isles were gorgeous, and the palace gardens were some next-level vibrant jewel that were so beautiful you were never sure where to look. All of us were waiting for Penny and Sebastian to join us, and we couldn't have been happier. This was the vacation we all needed. When Lucas had suggested we all come to take a load off after everything that happened with the Jamesons, I jumped at the chance. I set my gaze over to Nyla, whose thumb was sliding over her diamond.
When we landed on the island, Theroux said he
