Not The Billionaire

by Noorman, Krista

  She nodded. “I believe you.”

  “Do you?”

  “Yes.”

  He smiled and took her hand again, turning around and walking back to the site of their first real date.

  She glanced up at the house then smiled at him.

  He watched as she started climbing the steps. “Where do you think you’re going, beautiful?”

  “To my boyfriend’s beach house.”

  “Is that so?” He liked the sound of boyfriend coming off her tongue.

  “Yeah, he has a really nice hot tub.” She winked and took the stairs two at a time.

  He grinned as he chased after her. This day had definitely turned out much better than how it started.

  TWENTY-SEVEN

  A month had passed since Genevieve first came back to Michigan from Montana to see Sebastian. He knew she was where she was meant to be, doing what she was meant to do, but he missed her. The distance was getting to him already. Phone calls and text messages helped, as did the trip he’d taken to Montana two weeks ago, but a weekend visit was not long enough. Two days together would never be enough.

  At the moment, he stood at the small airport in Hastings waiting for the Schultz private jet to arrive. He’d gotten there extra early and was anxious to see Genevieve’s lovely face and get her back in his arms again. He’d insisted on flying her home for a visit, which she’d happily agreed to.

  When the jet finally came into view after what seemed a lifetime of scanning the skies, he had to rein in his excitement or he’d rush right onto the runway to get to her before the plane ever landed. And once that plane had landed and the hatch opened, Genevieve did just that, practically running toward him.

  “Bass!” The sound of her voice was more than enough to calm the nervous excitement he felt every time he saw her.

  He opened his arms and cracked up laughing as she jumped up and wrapped her arms and legs around him. His arms locked around her back as he held her in place, and they stood like that for a long minute, holding each other, loving the feeling of being together again.

  “I missed you,” she whispered, her lips tickling his ear.

  He squeezed her tighter. “I missed you more.”

  She pulled away to look into his eyes. “Not possible.”

  He lowered her to the ground as she unwound from him, and he took her face in his hands and pressed a soft kiss to her lips. Then another. And another.

  She smiled at his sweet show of affection.

  His fingers laced with hers, and he took her bag and led her toward his car. “Are you hungry?”

  “Famished.”

  “Good. I thought we’d go somewhere special for dinner.”

  “Where?” she replied with excitement in her eyes.

  He opened the door of his Mercedes and let her in. “Nice try.”

  She stuck her bottom lip out, which made him laugh.

  “I think you’ll like it,” he said.

  Sebastian drove through the town of Hastings, and a smile spread across Genevieve’s face.

  “Are we going to Nashville. We could eat at The Country Kettle.”

  “We have other plans.”

  “Is that so?”

  He turned onto the road to her parents’ farm, and she couldn’t stop grinning.

  “I thought you’d like to see Charisma.”

  “I love you,” she told him.

  He smiled over at her. “I will never get tired of hearing you say that.”

  “Good, because I’ll never stop saying it.”

  He reached over and softly touched her cheek then lowered his hand to rest on her knee, which she took between her hands.

  When they pulled into the driveway, Mom and Rhonda stood side by side outside the barn, holding the reins of Charisma and Buddy, who were all saddled up and ready to ride.

  Genevieve walked over and hugged them both at the same time.

  “Welcome home,” Mom said.

  “Missed you, sis,” Rhonda told her.

  She glanced over her shoulder at Sebastian as he caught up. “You are so sneaky.”

  He shrugged. She had no idea.

  She moved closer to Charisma and took the reins from Rhonda, running her hand along the side of her horse’s head. “Hey, girl. Miss me?”

  Charisma chose that moment to whinny, and they all laughed.

  “We better get going,” Sebastian said as he climbed up onto Buddy.

  Genevieve followed suit, climbing into Charisma’s saddle.

  “Have a nice ride,” Mom said as Genevieve began to ride her horse down the path.

  Sebastian looked over at Ida and Rhonda, who both had huge smiles on their faces. Rhonda nodded toward the barn and gave him a thumbs up. “Thank you,” he mouthed as he got Buddy going to catch up to Genevieve.

  They took it slow going along the path they’d ridden together before. After what happened to Charisma’s leg, Genevieve was very careful with her now.

  “That was sweet, you calling ahead to have them get the horses ready for us.” Genevieve smiled over at him.

  The late afternoon sun lit her hair like a golden halo around her head, making her look even more angelic than she usually did.

  “We only have a couple days together, and I want to make the most of every minute.”

  “Me too.”

  They moved along the path to where it narrowed into the woods and rode for a while, just talking about the two weeks since they’d seen each other, sharing the everyday things like their jobs, and anything else they thought of. It was wonderful to be able to talk so openly and honestly with her now, unlike the last time they’d ridden this trail together.

  As they followed the curve in the path, Genevieve gasped and pulled on Charisma’s reins to stop.

  “What is that?”

  Sebastian climbed down from Buddy, walked him over to a nearby tree, and tied his reins to one of the branches, then motioned for Genevieve to follow. Once the horses were secured, he took her hand in his and led her to a small clearing under a giant oak tree.

  A table for two was set up with a white linen table cloth and napkins, fancy china dinnerware, crystal wine glasses, and a vase of autumn flowers in the center. Hanging from the branches above were a dozen black lanterns, holding lit candles. To the side of the table was a blanket spread out with a few fluffy pillows leaning up against the tree. Everything was just as Sebastian had asked Ida, Rhonda, and Skylar to make it.

  “This is ...” Genevieve took a seat when Sebastian pulled it out for her. “I have no words.”

  “You like it?”

  “Nobody has ever done something so romantic for me. Ever.”

  He opened the basket, removed their dinner—grilled salmon and roasted vegetables with salad on the side—and placed it on the dishes. The smile on her face when she inhaled the delicious scent of their meal made it all worthwhile.

  “Bon appetit.”

  She took a bite of the salmon and let out a satisfied sigh. “Oh my gosh. So good.”

  “I had Sky bring it down from Bonefish Grill. I almost ordered us Chilean Sea Bass.”

  Genevieve snorted a laugh. “That would have been funny.”

  “I didn’t know if you would like that, but you did mention salmon once.”

  “I’ve never had it before. Maybe next time.”

  He smiled and took a bite of salmon. She was right, it was delicious.

  “So, is there any news on Gus’s law suit?”

  “Franky’s dad is meeting with Milton’s attorney this week, hoping to either get him to drop the charges or come up with a settlement Milton will agree to.”

  Genevieve rolled her eyes. “This Milton guy sounds like a real winner.”

  “He’s been nothing but a thorn in our side since he came into Skylar’s life.”

  “I hope and pray he drops the charges so Gus can move on,” she replied.

  “Me too. He seems to be doing better since he came home this time.”

  “I’m
glad. I want to get to know your brother for who he really is, not who I thought he was.”

  “I want that too. I want you to get to know my whole family.”

  “I’d like that.”

  They talked and laughed comfortably through dinner. Sebastian had never felt so at ease with a woman in his life. It was the best feeling to be himself and know she was being herself with him as well.

  After dinner, he reached into the basket again, revealed some Schultz Chocolate truffles, and handed her one.

  She took it happily. “It’s not cherry, is it?”

  He shrugged. “You’ll have to take a bite and see.”

  “I know you wouldn’t do that to me.” She paused an inch from putting it in her mouth. “Should I be careful when I bite into this?”

  He eyed her with confusion.

  “I’m not gonna break a tooth on a diamond ring rolled inside one of these truffles, am I?”

  He went still. “Uh ... I think it’s a little early to be talking about engagement, don’t you?”

  She reached across the table and touched his hand. “I was kidding. But that totally happened to a friend of mine in college. It wasn’t a truffle, but her boyfriend put the ring inside her favorite kind of cookie, and she chipped a tooth when she took a bite before he could stop her.”

  He started laughing. “You don’t have to worry about chipping a tooth … yet.” He thought he saw a hint of disappointment behind her eyes, but it was gone just as quickly as it had come.

  As she ate another truffle, Sebastian stood and walked around the tree and returned holding a guitar in his hand.

  Genevieve started clapping. “Oh, yay! I’ve been dying to hear you play ever since I remembered Franky’s mom saying you auctioned off guitar lessons at last year’s fundraiser.”

  Sebastian took a seat on the blanket, rested back against the pillows, and patted the space beside him.

  She popped another truffle in her mouth and hurried over, settling in beside him.

  Before he played, he leaned over and pressed a gentle kiss to her lips.

  “Or maybe the guitar can wait,” she whispered.

  He chuckled as he pressed the fingers of his left hand against the fretboard and began to pluck the strings with his right.

  Genevieve sat still next to him. He glanced over at her every once in a while as he played. Sometimes she was smiling, other times her eyes were closed as she took in the music. These were perfect moments he would always remember.

  After several songs, she suddenly shifted and lay her hand over the one he was strumming with.

  “What do you think you’re doing?” he asked when she removed the guitar from his hands and carefully placed it on the ground behind her.

  “Okay, you’ve properly wooed me. Now kiss me already.”

  He rolled over, wrapping her up in his arms as they sank back into the pillows together. “So bossy,” he replied just before he gave her what she wanted.

  TWENTY-EIGHT

  They stayed under the big oak tree for a while, talking and kissing and enjoying their time together. When the sun dipped low in the sky, they headed back. As they neared the barn, Genevieve was confused when Sebastian hopped down off of Buddy before they rounded the corner and tied him to one of the fence posts. He then walked over and took Charisma by the harness, leading her to stand next to Buddy.

  She had no idea what he was doing, but she climbed down from her horse.

  “Wait here, okay,” Sebastian told her.

  A confused expression crossed her face. “O-kay.”

  “No peeking,” he called back over his shoulder as he led Charisma into the barn.

  Genevieve patted Buddy on the back and smoothed her hand over his silky coat. “What is he up to, Bud?”

  After several long minutes, Sebastian returned and held his hand out to her.

  Curiously, she followed him around the barn toward the stable and noticed a soft glow coming from within. As they got closer, she saw sheer white curtains hanging from the doorway, tied back with sashes, gently blowing in the breeze. Her steps slowed as she moved through the entrance and took in everything before her.

  White rose petals were strewn about the floor, and strings of twinkly white lights hung vertically from the ceiling along the length of the barn, lighting the entire space with a warm, romantic glow.

  Genevieve glanced over at Charisma, who was back in her stall, her head sticking over the door, watching them.

  “What is all this?” She couldn’t take her eyes off how beautiful their simple barn looked.

  “It’s been one month. One month since you took me back. One month since you told me you love me.”

  She smiled over her shoulder at him. “Our one month anniversary? That’s a pretty good reason for celebration.”

  He came up behind her and slid his arms around her waist, and she grabbed hold of them, leaning her head back against his chest.

  “You spoil me.” She smiled as he nuzzled her neck.

  “Get used to it.”

  When Charisma neighed, Genevieve went to her. “Do you like all the lights, girl? Aren’t they pretty?”

  She had never seen such a beautiful sight or met such a thoughtful, romantic man. When she turned around to tell him that very thing, her eyes went from the empty space where Sebastian had been standing to the place where he was now kneeling on the floor, holding a small teal box with a sparkly diamond ring inside.

  Her hands flew to her mouth. “Oh my gosh!” Her words were muffled.

  “I told myself I’d wait a while to do this, but I’ve known since the day I met you and you called me Sea Bass that you were the one for me.”

  Genevieve started laughing. “I told you I was sorry about that. I didn’t know who you were.”

  He laughed along with her. “Since that day, I’ve fallen in love with your kindness, your sense of humor, your intelligence, your to-do lists—”

  Genevieve giggled and made a checkmark in the air with her hand, like she was marking something off her list.

  “Your love for your family, the way you love Charisma and all the horses you work with. Your beautiful heart won me over completely.

  “I will forever regret the pain I caused you—” She tried to wave him off, but he continued. “The fact that you forgave me says so much about who you are. And I want you in my life, Gen. Now and forever.”

  She began to sniffle as tears filled her eyes and spilled over.

  “I love you, Genevieve Willis. More than I can ever express in words. More than my Great Granny’s truffles.”

  She laughed through the tears.

  “Will you marry me?”

  Her eyes fixed on the round diamond solitaire in the box, then on his face, and her head began to move slowly up and down, over and over, until she was quickly nodding. “Yes. Yes. Yes!” She crashed into him and knocked him onto his backside as she wrapped herself around him like she had at the airport.

  He laughed and held her tightly in his lap.

  “Yes, I’ll marry you,” she whispered into his ear, lingering there, pressing soft kisses across his cheek.

  He pulled her so they were face to face again and brushed a tear from her cheek before leaning in to kiss his fiancée on the lips for the first time.

  She hadn’t expected a proposal. Not this soon. But every time they were together, every time she was in his arms, kissing like they were doing at the moment, it felt more right than anything in her life ever had.

  When their kisses slowed, he rested his forehead against hers. “Want me to put the ring on your finger?”

  She leaned back as he moved his hand, which was still gripping the box, so she could see the ring.

  “It’s absolutely beautiful.”

  “Do you like it?”

  “What’s not to like?” It had to be at least three karats and was the sparkliest ring she’d ever seen.

  He took the ring from within and slipped it onto her left ring finger. “Perfect.”<
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  She loved the way he was looking at the ring as he held her hand in his palm, his index finger tracing along the ring’s band.

  “I can’t believe we’re engaged. Already.” She looked into his eyes. “Is it too soon? Are we rushing things? You said yourself, it’s only been a month.”

  He shook his head. “I’m ready to be your husband.” He tightened his grip on her, pulling her flush against him again, leaning in for more kisses. But they were soon interrupted by a loud whinny from Charisma, which had them laughing.

  “All right, girl. I know you want attention too.” She climbed off of Sebastian’s lap and went to her horse, rubbing along Charisma’s neck, while Sebastian brought Buddy in, put away the saddle, and got him tucked in his stall for the night.

  Genevieve stepped into the center of the barn and gazed up at all the lights. “They look a little like fireflies.” The place felt magical. “What made you decide to propose here?”

  Sebastian came to stand facing her. “Well, I know you and your dad bonded over the horses, and riding with him was special to you. I thought being here, asking in front of Charisma, could be my way of asking for his blessing.” He glanced back at her horse. “And Charisma’s.”

  She felt tears threatening again and took hold of his hands. “My dad would have loved you, Sebastian. And I know if he was still here, he would have welcomed you into our family with open arms. He had the biggest heart of anyone I’ve ever known.”

  “I wish I’d known him.” He squeezed her hands.

  “Your sister told me that same thing about you once.”

  “What?”

  “That you had the biggest heart of anyone she knew.”

  He gave her the cute closed-mouth smile she had come to love. The one he gave when he was shy about a compliment or humble over a great accomplishment.

  “She was right. I’ve never known a man with such a loving, giving heart.”

  “Then you’re going to love me even more after you hear what I have to say next.”

  Her brow furrowed. “More surprises?” The thought made her giddy. Everything about tonight had been so unexpected.

  “I know it’s not normal for the groom to tell the bride what he’s getting her for her wedding gift, but I thought you’d want to know that I’m making a sizable donation to the Horse Rescue in your name.”