“My own driver?” Gran says simultaneously. Both of us are shocked by Marcel’s gift.
Marcel sets his cup down, turns toward me. Before I realize what’s happening, he drops to one knee right there in front of the fire.
My breath catches.
“Juliet,” he says, voice low but steady. “This Christmas, I want to promise you forever. There is no other woman in the world that I can see a future with. Trust me. For nearly forty-eight years I’ve tried ... you are the only one.”
In his hands is a black velvet box which he opens to reveal an elegant diamond ring that gleams like an icicle. I cover my mouth, tears burning my eyes, yet again. He keeps going, the over-planner in him unable to stop. “I bought us a house near your college, and one in Eaton, so you’ll never be far from what you love. You can choose where we make our home. But Juliet, make it with me.”
“You bought a house?” I whisper.
“I bought houses. I must confess, I did a little digging and found your Pinterest board with ‘dream homes’ on it. I bought two of them. The owners were very happy with my over-asking-price offers. The three story Tudor mansion in Humboldt California is near your college. The gothic estate is in Eaton Shores. It’s not Eaton proper, but close. And, Gran, you have a room in all of them. Also, I don’t love this penthouse, andsince you didn’t have a say in which of your ‘dream homes’ I purchased, you can pick us a place to live in Manhattan. I’ll have my realtor connect with you before we return to California to finish your last year of college.”
Fuck. I’m sobbing.
Gran comes to my rescue and holds me as I lose my shit. “This is a good thing, kiddo. It’s got Gran’s stamp of approval. You deserve every bit of what Marcel is offering, sweetheart.”
I can’t say anything, I just shake and cry.
Marcel is still on his knees and he takes my hand and kisses it. “I know, love. It’s a little overwhelming and if you don’t want to be with me, you can have the houses without me in them.”
“No,” I say, holding his hands, crying still. “I’d live in a tent with you. It’s too much. I can’t ... I can’t ... why?” I am losing my mind.
“Because I have spent my life being a lonely man who has made money my God. And here comes you, a gorgeous, innocent, smart, passionate woman who sees me—the good and the bad and is still here. You haven’t asked for anything. You don’t expect it and you’re sobbing because you can’t imagine that I’d give you all that I have.
Juliet, you are my world. I want to see you smile and to have dream houses, vacations, restored communities, resurrected buildings for cities to tag as historical ... I want to give you the world.”
“Why?” is all I can ask, again.
“You saw me and you didn’t run. And ...” He leans down and kisses my belly. “You’re giving me your love and a family, two things money cannot buy.”
Gran claps her hands together, beaming as Marcel slips an obnoxiously large diamond ring onto my finger, and as the firelight dances across his face, I realize this isn’t a fairytale anymore. It’s our life and it starts now.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Marcel
I’ve closed deals worth billions, negotiated with heads of state, sat across tables from men who would eat me alive if I gave them the chance. None of it makes my heart hammer with fear harder than this. Juliet is sitting in front of the fire, cheeks pink from the warmth, hair a little messy from the night before and tears pouring out of her eyes.
Gran watches us like she knows every secret I’ve tried to keep.
“Will you marry me? Next year, of course, but will you wear an engagement ring and make this real?”
My accountant nearly had a coronary when I told him I was buying a property in Eaton in addition to the apartment complex, and one near Juliet’s college. I told him to relax. Money comes and goes. Juliet doesn’t. Property is always an investment and she’s the best one I’ll ever make. My pulse is racing and my palms are sweating. This is ridiculous, I feel like I’m going to have a heart attack. But I’ve never been more certain of anything in my life.
“Juliet,” I say, voice a little rougher than I want.
She looks up with eyes wide. The diamond on her finger catches the firelight, the spark of brilliance is nothing compared to her.
“Do you have an answer for me?” My mouth goes dry, but I try to swallow anyway.
For a beat, she just stares, eyes filled with tears, lips parted. The silence stretches and my stomach is in knots. What if I’ve pushed too far, too soon? And then ...
“Yes,” she whispers and says it again, louder, laughing through her tears: “Yes!
Relief slams into me so hard I almost stagger. I hold her trembling hands and kiss her, not caring that Gran is clapping like a schoolgirl behind us. I’m not nervous anymore. I’m home. For the first time in my life, I’m exactly where I belong. We all take a deep breath and let what just happened sink in.
Strolling through the streets of Manhattan after our gift exchange feels like a dream. I’ve walked through the decorated streets before, but never like this. Never with Juliet on my arm, and Gran by my side, both who will someday be my family. I’ve seen New York lit up, crowded and alive with tourists and locals alike. Normally I filter it all out, seeing only the business, the opportunities, the numbers behind the overhype of the holiday. But today, with Juliet’s hand entwined with my own and Gran on my arm with that amused smile of hers, it feels special.
