“What else could you have possibly gotten me? You’ve already given me more than I could ask for.” My head tipped back, taking in the musky scent of his cologne.
“I haven’t had enough time to give you the world yet, Avery. But for now, I hope this will do.” A velvet box tickled my arm.
With my back pressed against his chest, my heart began to race. I knew a ring wasn’t in the box—that would be insane. But the idea of this same scenario happening one day in the future sent a shiver down my spine.
“A woman as beautiful as you should be dressed in diamonds on her birthday. And since it might be a little premature to give you a ring, I figured these earrings would do.”
I’d never worn anything worthy enough to be in a box like this one. Two stones sat perfectly in the velvet box. Untouched. Blinding. Beautiful.
“Spencer, these are absolutely gorgeous.” My fingertips ran over the elegant princess cut earrings.
“Here, put them on.” Expertly, he took the jewelry out of the box, handing me one at a time as he watched me put them on. The bright diamonds looked out of place against my cozy travel outfit, yet I couldn’t imagine ever taking them off.
Spencer Russo was mine, and I was his, but this gift wasn’t just any gift. There was something so permanent about it. Diamonds weren’t just a girl’s best friend, they were symbols of love.
Could I really be falling in love with Spencer Russo?
It wasn’t the diamonds.
It wasn’t the dress.
It wasn’t the fancy plane or the extravagant hotel room.
Without a doubt, I was falling in love with the man who wanted to give me the world simply because it was my birthday.
The moment Averymentioned it was her birthday, my mind began to swirl with ideas in which I could spoil her. I was falling for her. Hard. And I knew I needed to pull something together quickly. Her friends didn’t hesitate in the slightest when it came to taking some time off this weekend to surprise her.
Then again, I doubt many people would turn down a free trip on a private jet.
After a couple of meetings and closing a big deal with a new client, I was eager to meet up with Avery and the girls for the night. I brought on a new client that I’d been after for a while, and I was ready to celebrate.
In order to fully kick back, I had one last pressing matter on my mind that I needed to take care of.
My assistant was supposed to reach out to me today when she successfully dropped the money off at Jackson’s. Asking her to walk around with that much cash had never been the norm, so I made sure to have my most trusted driver stay by her side the entire time.
Just to double-check, I shot off a text to my son.
Me: I’m currently in Denver on a work trip but wanted to make sure you were home to get the money today.
I was ready for my night to begin. I’d been ready the moment Avery walked on to the plane. When my stylist picked out a few dress options, I knew the red satin dress was a perfect fit for her. It was the type of dress that could be formal and sexy all at the same time.
My phone alerted me twice.
An e-mail and a text. One right after the other.
My assistant shot a quick e-mail to notify me that the drop had been made, and everything ran smoothly. Then, there was a text from Jackson.
Jackson: Connie just dropped it off. Nice lady. Thanks again, Dad. I’ll get everything paid and let him know the rest is on the way. Hopefully he sees I’m good for it and there aren’t any issues.
Before responding, I was torn between what Iwantedto say, and what Ineededto say. What Iwantedto say?“I sure hope there isn’t a problem. It’s not necessarily easy to withdrawal a quarter of a million fucking dollars at a time.”
Instead, I decided on a more … fatherly approach.
Me: Be safe. Let me know when it all goes down that way I know you’re okay. Let’s meet up when I’m back.
With that, I silenced my phone and slid it into my jacket. Work ran late and the girls were done with dinner, so I decided to meet up with them at the nightclub.
“Sir, we’re here,” the driver informed me.
