Jennifer's words were met only by silence. She looked to Jonathan, and he looked back at her, eyes full of love and just the smallest smile that told her he was there to support her. That look told her that he loved her and he'd be with her no matter what.

But Jonathan's eyes flicked over to her father, and Jennifer followed his gaze. Dad was looking at her very curiously. Jennifer felt like she should say something, but she felt like she'd already said everything she could say. So she just waited for him to speak.

And at last, he did. "You won't be persuaded, will you?"

Jennifer raised her brow. "When have you ever known me to be persuaded?"

"Jonathan, I'm sorry to say she gets her stubbornness from me. Her mother was a perfectly agreeable woman, though my Suzanne never had a problem telling me when I was being pigheaded," Pa said.

"Or me," Jennifer added. She'd been so young, still, when her mother had died. But she had far too many memories of being a very stubborn child and her mother sternly telling her to knock it off. Pa was the one to usually bend to her will. She wasn't sure how Jonathan would be if she ever really dug her heels in. So far, he hadn't given her any reason to be stubborn about anything. They got along famously. Though, to be fair, it had only been six days since they met.

"She sounds like a great lady," Jonathan said, replying to their comments about Jennifer's mother. "You both must miss her very much."

"Yes, we do," Dad answered. "Do you have any family, Jonathan? I know your parents died when you were very young. Any a6unts or uncles or cousins?"

Jonathan frowned in concern, but responded simply, "No, none that I know about."

Jennifer didn't like that expression on his face. Nor did she like that Dad somehow already knew about Jonathan's parents. "We have Max," she told him. "He's known Jonathan most of his life, and he's the CEO of the house."

Pa's look of confusion caused Jonathan to explain, "Butler, chauffeur, chef, and whatever else. He's been with me as long as I've had a house for him to manage."

"Sort of like Walter," Jennifer added, knowing that would give Dad better context. He nodded in understanding.

Before they could add anything further to the conversation, Jonathan put his napkin on the table and stood up. "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to go freshen up before our food arrives."

Jennifer and her father were left alone. "I think he's giving us a moment to ourselves. Which is good. Because now I can ask you how on earth you know about Jonathan being an orphan and how you know about his ex-girlfriends!" she demanded.

"Darling, you cannot expect to tell me that you plan to marry a man you've just met and not expect me to do a bit of digging. I have friends in high places, and I asked for information. That is the information I was given."

She frowned. "What else did you find out?"

"Nothing of concern, actually. And besides, you and Jonathan will have a lifetime to learn all those things about each other. I won't spoil the surprise," Pa told her, smiling gently.

Jennifer's heart soared. "Does that mean you approve?"

"I more than approve. I expected him to put up a bit of a fight out of his own pride. Man doesn't go that far in business without being a bit ruthless and having an ego about winning."

"Jonathan's not like that," she protested.

"I said that's what I expected," Pa repeated. "What I saw instead was a man of great integrity who sat there and told me the absolute truth. Some of it was less than kind, but it was all the truth."

Jennifer liked hearing that. "And how could you tell?" she asked.

"It's in the eyes, you see. Honesty exists in a man's eyes. And I've never seen honesty like I do when Jonathan looks at you. He loves you, Jennifer."

"I know he does," she confirmed, her voice soft with reverence.

"And," he added, "I think he'll take good care of you."

"We'll take good care of each other," Jennifer assured him.

Dad reached out and took Jennifer's hand, giving it a squeeze. "I'm glad of it. I wasn't sure what was going to happen tonight. I thought you'd lost your mind. But it's plain to see how well-matched the two of you are. I'm sorry now that I called Renee and told her my concerns."

"Yes, Aunt Renee called me yesterday. We had quite a talk. It wasn't the most pleasant conversation we've had. She gave me a lot to think about, actually. But I thought and I came to the same conclusion."

"Oh?"

"That I love him. And we're going to have a wonderful life together."

Pa smiled at that. "Yes, I think so. I think it'll be good for you to settle down and have a family. I never knew half the joys of life before I married your mother and we had you. And I think you and Jonathan will do well with all of that, too."

Jennifer faltered. She and Jonathan hadn't talked about having children. Though she supposed Pa wasn't out of line for making the assumption. People who loved each other got married and had children. That was the way of the world. But after the whirlwind romance of the last week, anything beyond the wedding and having adventures with Jonathan and Max hadn't even crossed her mind.

Suddenly, Jennifer had quite a lot to think about.

Jonathan stood in the shadows by the bar, watching Jennifer and her father. One of the things Jonathan Hart was known for in business was his timing. He seemed to have an instinct for when to talk and when to wait, when to push and when to back off. And that same instinct told him that Jennifer and Stephen needed to have a moment. He would let them have it.

And truth be told, Jonathan needed a moment to himself, too. He wasn't easily intimidated by anything. Not anymore. And he wasn't intimidated by Stephen Edwards. But there was something about the man that put Jonathan on edge. A few things, actually.

Like how did he know about Nikki and Irene? How did he know about Jonathan being an orphan? Jonathan hadn't told Jennifer about his exes, and even though he'd obviously told her about his parents—or rather the lack thereof—he hadn't told her that until after she'd spoken to her father. And he was pretty sure she hadn't talked to him between the phone call from London on Saturday and their dinner tonight. Stephen obviously had some way of looking into Jonathan's past and had gotten the information in the three days between when Jennifer had called him and when they'd all met up tonight.

Jonathan didn't like being put on the back foot like that. Jennifer said her father was an art dealer and was protective of her. She had not given him any reason to believe that Stephen would be armed with intel like that. He had expected to be questioned, but he hadn't expected to be questioned about information he himself had not provided. And maybe that had caused him to be a little more aggressive than he ordinarily would be.

It all just got to him in that moment. This was the first time Jonathan had been questioned about his relationship with Jennifer. True, it was a new relationship still, but he was so head over heels for this woman that the very idea that anyone would doubt his love for her just rankled. Jonathan Hart did not like being made a fool of, but if it was in the name of something important, he'd bear it. It was the same as when he'd been so furious over the story in the London Herald purportedly written by Jennifer Edwards. Making him look like an interfering foreigner was one thing, but putting that important merger in danger was what really bothered him.

And what bothered him here wasn't just Jonathan's love and devotion being questioned but Jennifer's too. She told her father that she was in love and getting married, and he didn't believe her. Stephen thought she was nuts. And maybe that's what things looked like to outsiders. He and Jennifer had discussed just that only yesterday. It was insane, falling in love after two days and getting engaged the way they did. But they were crazy for each other, and that was what mattered. Jonathan loved her with everything in him, and he'd defend her and protect her with everything he had. Even against her own father.

He would probably have to apologize to Stephen at some point for his remark. The audacity to claim that he knew Jennifer better than her own father was probably out of line. It still just floored him that a father would be away from his child for so many years. That a child would be so accepting of being away from a parent. Jennifer and Stephen—likely more so Stephen, really—had made that choice. Jonathan never had that option. Max was as close to a parent as he'd ever known, and other than when Jonathan was in the Navy, he'd never gone without seeing Max more than a few weeks. Even in college, Max had lived nearby and kept up with him as much as possible.

Jonathan watched as Stephen reached out and held his daughter's hand. From where he was standing, he could see the both of them, and they were smiling. Hopefully that meant that Stephen had given Jennifer his blessing and they had moved past their disagreements. Jonathan probably shouldn't hide much longer.

He made his way back to the table, feigning cheerfulness. "Hi, what did I miss?" he asked, sitting back down.

"I was just telling Jennifer that I have been pleasantly surprised by you, Jonathan, and I think the two of you make a wonderful match. I think you'll have a very happy life together."

Jonathan was mollified by those words. "Thank you, Stephen, that means a lot. I know to Jennifer, and to me, too."

The servers came by with the food, and Jonathan was glad to see it. They had gotten through the difficult parts of the evening, hopefully, and they had food now. It was time for the merriment to commence.

Stephen and Jonathan spent most of the meal talking about the various places they'd each travelled and swapping stories. Jennifer chimed in when she had something to add, but Jonathan could not help but notice that she was a little quiet. Maybe she was just giving him a chance to bond with her father. If so, that was rather sweet of her. And Jonathan appreciated the opportunity. Stephen was very important to Jennifer, so it would be important to her that her husband and father got along in the future. With Stephen's continued travel and Jonathan's work—and Jennifer's, for that matter—Jonathan did not imagine they'd spend too much time with Stephen. Still, Jonathan knew it would make Jennifer happy if the time they did spend with her father was enjoyable.

They had port and dessert after the meal, and Jonathan took the check. Stephen did not fight him too much on that front. "I would normally insist on treating my daughter and her fiancé to dinner, but considering the prices that Jonathan Hart Industries stock is trading at today, I think you're more than able to cover the bill here," Stephen said. They all laughed.

Stephen had an early flight to Cairo the next morning, so they would not be seeing him again during this visit. He promised to come to Los Angeles when he could. And Jennifer in turn promised to tell him about the wedding details as soon as they discussed it.

Jonathan watched as father and daughter shared an embrace. Stephen whispered something in Jennifer's ear that caused her to tear up. Jonathan would not ask her what her father said to her, despite how curious he was. If she wanted to tell him, she would. But Jonathan would respect the close relationship they shared. Even if he still thought that close was a relative term there.