Fate Interrupted Book 3 (9 page)
Life was good—no, amazing.
It was nearing six o’clock, and while I liked being at work, solving problems and growing the business I was building with Livvie, tonight I couldn’t wait to leave. I had a surprise for Livvie to give her at dinner and I’d been picturing the look on her face all day long.
I stood up from my desk and looked at the tickets in my hand, two first class seats to Bora Bora. It was well past time for Livvie and me to make a little escape and have some down time. With everything going on, we were running on enthusiasm and adrenaline, and we desperately needed a little recharge time in the sun together.
The office was mostly deserted by the time I went to find Livvie. Most nights, I had to pry her away from her desk. She was so happy and in love with her job that it could be a little bit of a fight to get her to drop it for the day. However, as I crossed the office to hers, I was surprised to find her already wearing her jacket and holding her purse.
“Hey, gorgeous.” I leaned over to give her a long hello kiss.
“So, listen, I know you wanted to go to that little bistro for dinner, but I kinda made us other plans.”
I cocked an eyebrow at her as we started to leave. “What kind of plans?”
Livvie couldn’t hide her smile. “You’ll have to wait and see.”
“Come on, Liv, where are we going?”
“I can’t tell you.”
I hated this already. I trusted her, of course, but I didn’t like not knowing what was happening, where, when, and why.
She giggled at my obvious distress. “Don’t give me that face. Once we get there, I promise I’ll hand back the reins and you can do anything you want.” She whispered the last part in my ear and I was suddenly very okay with wherever she wanted to go. Her voice was seductive and full of naughty promise.
She took my keys when we got to the parking garage, and pulled out and started cutting a path across town. I kept an eye out the window, trying to anticipate her next move, running through a hundred possibilities in my mind, but each time I thought I had her pinned down, she would take a different turn and throw me off again. When she finally parked, we were in the middle of a newer district on the outskirts of LA. She got out and waited for me on the sidewalk.
“Where are we?” I asked, shutting my door.
“Come on,” she said, offering me her hand.
She led me into the vacant restaurant. It was fully lit up, but there wasn’t another person in sight.
“Well? What do you think?” She was beaming as she waved her hands over the space.
I looked between her and the open space at least four times, before taking steps into the building. “We’re having dinner, here?”
I didn’t see a table set out for us and it looked mostly abandoned, but maybe there was a table for two tucked away in a corner I couldn’t see.
“Not tonight, but I’m sure you could arrange something with the head chef once you get everything set up,” Livvie answered.
I turned back to her. “What are you—wait, this is mine?”
She bounced in place. “Yes!”
I snapped back, seeing the space again with new eyes. “But how?”
“Well, I’ve been keeping a little secret,” she replied, mischief shining in her beautiful blue eyes.
“Don’t tell me, you’ve secretly been a billionaire the entire time?” I said, laughing.
She shoved me playfully. “No, you’re still my sugar daddy.”
I rolled my eyes at her.She’d taken to calling me that lately, even though we split the profits for everything down the middle after expenses were paid.
“Do you remember the band called Downside?”
“Yeah.We lost them to Christopher, right?”
She grinned even wider. “So we thought! It turns out that only two of the members ended up signing that contract. Christopher was in such a hurry to steal them away from us that he never got the remaining members to sign. The lead singer, Derrick, called me a couple weeks ago and told me that working with Christopher is a nightmare—I know, big shocker, right?—and they wanted to come back to us.”
“Wow.”
“Okay, okay, that’s not the best part!” She bounced up and down in place. “They had
just
scored a seven figure record deal and since the contract with Christopher was not legally binding due to the lack of signatures—he has no claim to any of that cash!”
I burst out laughing. “Oh, what I would’ve paid to see the look on his face!”
“I know! I have happy daydreams about it all the time. Anyway, they felt bad about screwing me over, realized I was the only one who was actually looking out for their best interests, and they are coming to us.We get thirty percent of that contract, and all future contracts.”
I heard the words she was saying, but my mind was spinning, trying to catch up.
“So, this?” I said, looking back around the restaurant.
“Yeah, baby. I signed a five-year lease this morning. This place is yours, now.” She took my hands and stared up at me, her smile still in place but her eyes were watery. “Remy. You gave me my dream, and now I’m giving you yours.”
Normally, I prided myself on not being the crying type, but as I looked back at the pure joy in Livvie’s face, I was overcome with emotion and couldn’t help but get choked up. I cleared my throat before attempting to speak, my voice thick and low, “Livvie, this is the most amazing gift that anyone has ever given to me. I don’t even know how to say thank you.”
“You don’t need to. We’re partners, remember?” she said, throwing back a line I’d given to her at the Sound Off.
“Maybe so, but I’m going to say thank you anyway. A million times.” My voice wavered and I paused to get control again, before adding,“You don’t know what this means to me.”
She grabbed my hands and looked up at me, her bright blue eyes shining with unshed tears. “I do, though.”
“Liv, I have something to tell you.”
“What?” Her eyes went a little wider and I realized I spooked her. She reached up and wiped at the corner of my eye where a tear had pooled. “Is everything okay? I hope these are tears are of joy.”
“They are! They really are!” I took her in my arms and pulled her tight to my chest.I held her for a moment while my heart raced, and breathed in the perfume of her sweet coconut shampoo, reminding me of the night we met.
She moved her cheek against my chest, straining to look up at me. “Remy?”
“Hmmm?”
“What did you need to tell me?”
I stepped back, putting a little space between us. I had been so caught up in holding her close that I had lost track of my thoughts. “Do you remember when I told Madge to fuck off?” I asked her, not wanting to ruin the moment, but I had to get it off my chest—now—before this went any further.
“Yeah, and I didn’t think—” I silenced her with my finger on her lips.
“Shhh…” I took a deep breath. Livvie looked up at me, her eyes curious and a little dark. I didn’t know how to say what I needed to say, without sounding like a complete idiot. I sighed,“Well, to be honest, I was an idiot. I’d always thought that my grandfather’s money was in her name, and therefore, her control. My entire life she’s always led me to believe that she could do whatever she wanted. Truthfully, she’s been using it to control me like a puppet most of my life—until you came into my life and I saw the depths she would go to and decided that money wasn’t worth the loss of freedom. Anyway, I had JJ do some digging, and I found out the truth.”
Livvie stepped back and asked, “What do you mean?”
I couldn’t hold back my smile anymore. It was the kind that started at the corners and spread all across my face.“It means, baby girl…”I took her hand and pulled her back into me. “…that my money is my money. Madge can’t touch it. It also means, we’re dirty, filthy, stupid rich.”
“We’re? Remy, you don’t have to. That’s yours. That’s not why I’m with you. I mean—Conquer is doing really well, and now you have your restaurant…” she said, trailing off with a bewildered look on her face.
I pulled a little box out of my pocket and crouched down on one knee. “Yes, Olivia, I do have to.” I opened the box to reveal the two carat diamond wedding ring set inside.
“Oh my God, Remy!” Her hands flew to cover her mouth and the tears that had been brewing in her eyes finally slid past her lashes and streamed down her porcelain cheeks as she looked down at me. “Yes!”
I laughed. “Can I at least ask you?”
She joined in my laughter and wiped at her tears. “Yes! I’m so sorry! Ask me!”
I cleared my throat and looked up into her glossy eyes. “Olivia Sanders, I knew the first day I saw you, I wanted…” I choked up a little.
Twice in one day. Damn, I’m a pussy.
“…Olivia, I have loved you…” I swallowed hard against the lump in my throat.
She sniffled and smiled. “I love you too, Remy.”
“Will you marry me?”
She nodded frantically, her smile getting wider as she watched me take the ring from the box. “Yes, Remington! Yes! I’ll marry you!”
I slid the ring onto her finger, smiling at the perfect fit and the way it sparkled and gleamed on her hand. I stood and cupped her chin and looked into the most beautiful, sapphire eyes I’d ever seen. “Then I’m the luckiest man alive.”
When our lips met, I channeled all my joy and passion into a kiss that sealed our new life together.
~ THE END ~
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Acknowledgements
First of all, I’d like to thank all my readers. Without you, my books wouldn’t need to exist. I truly appreciate each and every one of you.
Thanks to all of my beta readers, street team, ARC readers and Facebook fans. You girls are the best!
And a huge very special thanks to my PA, Shannon Hunt and Once Upon an Alpha. Without you, I’d be a hot mess! Thank you!
And a very special thanks to my editor, Cindy, thank you for making my words make sense.
About The Author
KB Winters has an addiction to caffeine, tattoos and hard-bodied alpha males. The men in her books are very sexy, protective and sometimes bossy, her ladies are…well…
bossier
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Living in sunny Southern California, the embarrassingly hopeless romantic writes every chance she gets!
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