Chance(57)

I look at him before I slowly turn it around.

His eyes glide over the paper, then my face and then back to the paper. "You want this?"

"Yes," I say confidentially. "I want that for a salary."

"That's much less than what I just offered to you." He underlines the number with the pen.

"I know." I shuffle closer to the edge of the chair." That's not all I want though."

He leans forward so his elbows are resting on either side of the paper. "You want a percentage of Loire? You want us to give you a stake in that division?"

There's a definite shift in the air between us. "It's a reasonable amount and it will push me to make the business a success."

He looks to the right before his eyes settle back on my face. "You've been thinking about this? You didn't just pull this number from thin air."

"No." I tap the toe of my shoe against his desk. "It's what I want. If you want me to oversee operations for Loire, you're going to need to give me a twenty percent stake in that division."

"You drive a hard bargain." He cocks a brow. "You'll be working with Gabriel. Not me. You know that, right?"

"I know that. I've already talked to your brother about it."

"Why am I not surprised?" He throws his head back in laughter. "Has he already approved this?"

"Verbally." My mouth curves into a smile. "I spoke to him when you were in the shower."

"You know that you're making every one of my dreams come true." He stands quickly and rounds the desk until he's right in front of me.

I reach up with my hands and he gently grabs them pulling me to my feet. "We're going to make new dreams together. I'm where I belong. This is the place I was always supposed to be."





Epilogue


Six Months Later



"Do you think we can find some time next weekend to have dinner with Graham and his boyfriend?" I look back at where Caleb's resting on the bed behind me. "I feel like I've been neglecting him lately."

"You have been." He pulls on the bottom of my ponytail. "Lingerie has become your life."

I close my tablet before I roll over onto my back. "I want Loire to be a success. I want that for us and for our children."

"Speaking of children," he begins before he takes my left hand in his. "You know that I'm willing to get you an actual engagement ring, right? When I proposed last month, that wasn't the way I envisioned it."

"We were sitting in the garden at the house in the Hamptons. You turned to me and asked me to be your wife. How could it have been more perfect than that?"

"I could have planned it. I have planned it. I wanted to do it on my birthday in Central Park. I was going to get a diamond and drop to one of my knees and…"

"See." I rest my chin on his bare chest. "That wouldn’t have meant as much to me."

He peers down his nose in skepticism. "You're telling me that my asking you to marry me on some random Sunday afternoon in a garden is exactly what you wanted?"

I reach forward to brush my lips over his. "I'm telling you that it was perfect and this is the perfect ring."

"Bell." He grazes his fingers over my cheek. "That is an eighty-nine dollar ring I bought at a vintage store a decade ago. It's not the perfect ring."

I rest my head on his chest as I dart my hand into the air above us. "Look at it, Caleb. Just look at it."

I feel him shift beneath me. "It's so small. There's no diamond."

"This ring is every year you loved me. It's every time you ever said my name." I push my cheek into his skin. "It is all about a love that started so long ago that neither of us can remember it."

He strokes my hair. "I don't think I could find anything that holds that much meaning."

"I know you can't." I lower my hand as I twist around to face him. "This is the only ring I ever want."

"We'll set a wedding date tomorrow?"

"Before we go to work, we'll set a date." I rub my finger over his bottom lip. "I'm going to be Mrs. Foster soon."

"I'll still call you Bell."

"Promise me you'll always call me that." I slide forward to kiss his chin. "I love when you call me that."

"Promise me you'll love me forever and I'll do whatever you want."

"I've loved you forever, Caleb. That will never change."

I close my eyes as I feel his mouth claim mine and I know that every tomorrow I'm going to have will begin in the arms of this man.





Coming Soon by Deborah Bladon


Preview of HAZE


Featuring Gabriel Foster



"How long have you worked here?" His voice is cultured, deep and smooth. It's not uncommon to hear a voice like that in this boutique. I've worked here for six weeks now and at least twice a week a man with too much money and an insatiable need to see young women dressed in expensive lingerie will come waltzing through the doors.

"Welcome to Liore," I say softly as I glance to my left to where he's standing.