by Kira Archer
She finally risked a glance at Chris. But instead of the anger or surprise she expected to see, he smiled at her. What was going on? He should be furious. She had effectively ended his career or, at the very least, put a large dent in it. But yet, there he sat, smiling like he couldn’t be happier.
The boardroom around her erupted into chaos. The insurance guy who’d been sitting by her side shook her hand and then got pulled away by a few the board members, who were trying desperately to spin what she had said into something that would save Chris’s job.
She didn’t want to stick around to see the aftermath of what she’d done. A cowardly move, sure, but the guilt ate at her. The last thing in the world she had wanted to do was hurt him in any way, but she couldn’t in good conscience recommend him. Had he been anyone else, she wouldn’t have hesitated to deny him coverage weeks ago. She’d already compromised herself enough letting it go on as long as she did.
Though she hoped she’d given him a little bit of a loophole when she’d said that if he made some minor modifications then she would recommend him. She hadn’t been lying. If he would take a few more precautions then, while still engaging in some overly risky behavior, she could at least say with some certainty his activities wouldn’t cost the insurance company any money.
The voices got louder and louder, beating at her frayed nerves. She gathered up her materials and headed for the door. She wanted nothing more than to get out of there. Well, that wasn’t true. What she wanted more than anything was Chris. She wanted to throw herself in his arms. Beg him to take her back to that beautiful house in Spain. Or back to Fiji where they could make love on the beach. She’d even welcome the ass-sand if they could go back to their fantasy life and never leave it.
She glanced over her shoulder at Chris to see him rising from his chair, but that only made her move faster. She wouldn’t be able to hold it together if he confronted her in front of everyone.
“Quiet!” he said.
She didn’t stick around. She pushed open the doors and walked out into the reception area, trying to make a beeline for the elevator. But Izzy and Company saw her coming and blocked her path.
“What are you doing, Iz?” she asked. “I want to get out of here.”
Izzy pulled her in for a quick hug. “I know, Chuck, but trust me on this. You’re gonna want to stick around for a minute.”
She followed Izzy’s gaze toward the conference room where whatever Chris was saying was causing quite a stir. The board members seemed to be somehow more agitated but less anxious all at the same time.
“What’s going on?” Charley asked again.
Izzy grinned. “You’ll see.”
Charley glanced around at Chris’s friends and their wives, but all she got was a collection of knowing grins. She didn’t have to wait long to find out what was going on, though, because a couple minutes later, Chris burst out of the conference room at a dead run. He stopped so short when he saw her standing there it was like a cartoon character trying to stop and running in midair.
That billion-dollar smile of his lit up her heart and broke it all over again. God, she had to get out of there.
“Thanks guys,” he said. “I thought I was going to have to chase her down.”
“Naw, we got you,” Brooks said, slapping him on the shoulder.
“Yeah, no worries,” Cole said.
Harrison grinned. “We wouldn’t miss this for the world.”
“What are they talking about?” Charley asked.
Chris closed the distance between them and reached out to brush a thumb across her cheek. She swallowed past the sudden lump in her throat and gazed up at him.
He took her hands in his. “I have a proposal for you,” he said.
Charley’s mouth dropped open, and her stomach went on a rampage.
“Chris,” she said, her voice thick with emotion. Why was he doing this? Especially here and now? She couldn’t…she didn’t want to hurt him even more, but she just couldn’t…
She tried to pull her hands from his grasp, but he held on tight. “Relax,” he said with a laugh. “You look like you’re about to pass out.”
She gave him a shaky laugh. He wasn’t far from wrong.
“It’s a business proposal,” he said. And despite the fact that the last thing in the world she wanted was a marriage proposal, hearing him say it was business did disappoint her a little.
And he seemed to know that because he looked at her with an amused grin. “I don’t think you’re as opposed to the other kind as you’d like me to think. That’s something we can talk about later. Probably much later and with a much smaller audience.” He winked at her, and the tension in her gut eased. At least a bit. She let out a breath and waited for him to continue.
“Right now, as I said, I have a business proposal for you. I’ve never met anyone quite like you. You’re not only one of the most organized, dedicated, job-oriented people I know, you also seem to really enjoy it. Before meeting you, I never would’ve believed that assessing risk for a living could bring anyone joy. But you’re not only the best at what you do, you have the rare privilege of loving your job.”
“Chris, I’m really sorry I couldn’t give you the result you hoped for. But I couldn’t go against—”
“I know,” he said, smiling at her again. “I’m glad you didn’t. You were right not to recommend me.”
“Okay,” she said with a small frown.
“You have a lot to bring to the table, Charley. I could really use you on my team.”
Her frown deepened. “Doing what?”
“As of two minutes ago, I’m no longer the president and CEO of Lachlan Enterprises.”
“Oh, Chris…I’m so sorry. Truly.”
But he shook his head, his smile growing larger. “I’m not sorry. In fact, I haven’t felt this good in years.”
She cocked an eyebrow at him, but the mountain of guilt pressing on her chest eased up a little.
He squeezed her hands. “I’ve stepped down from my position, though I’ll keep enough shares to keep me fabulously wealthy. And I’ll still be a consultant for the board. I’m not going to completely lose anything, but I will no longer have to sit in boring board meetings and deal with all the day-to-day operation stuff that I can’t stand. What I will get to do is focus more on the stuff that made me create this business in the first place. Traveling, finding new properties, scoping out new locations.”
His excitement was palpable, and Charley couldn’t help but smile. “Chris, that sounds amazing.”
“It will be if you come with me.”
Her jaw dropped, and her heart leaped in her chest. But she still wasn’t sure what he was offering. “You want me to come as…an assistant?”
“No. As the company’s resident risk assessor.”
“What?” she asked.
“I’m going to be scouting new locations for company-held properties, checking on old ones, making sure everything is as it should be. My company facilitates home renting for the general public, but I make a good deal of money with privately owned luxury properties that we rent also. It’s been a long time since I was able to focus on finding new places. And I haven’t been able to keep as close an eye on my properties as I would like, which, as you know, has caused some problems. I can finally be more hands on, out in the field where I really want to be. And I can’t think of anybody more perfect to be at my side than you.”
“Me?” she asked, not sure what to think. As a job offer, it was amazing. It would obviously include a lot of travel, which triggered her insecurities a little. Still, though, who wouldn’t love to travel the world in search of five-star accommodations?
But…was that the only reason he wanted her? Because as wonderful as it sounded, she didn’t think she could be just an employee to him.
He squeezed her hands in his. “As you said, nobody does your job better than you. You are the best risk assessor out there. Who better to help me choose new properties for the company tha
n someone who can spot the tiniest risk from ten miles away?”
He had a point. She was flattered. More than flattered. It was an incredible offer. But…
He tugged on her hands, pulling her into his arms, and she glanced up at him in surprise. “Besides,” he said, tipping her chin up to keep her gaze on his. “I’ve never been great at the long-distance relationship thing. I don’t think I could tear myself from your side if I tried. So, you’ll just have to come with me, because I can’t live without you.”
Charley sucked in a breath. Had he really just said what she thought he said?
He gave her a soft smile that melted every bone in her body. “The risk assessor job is yours if you want it. But if you don’t, that’s fine, too. I just want you with me. And I know how much you love your job, so this seemed like the perfect solution. I’ll be happy with whatever your decision is regarding the job. As long as you say yes to being with me. We’ll make it work, whatever your decision. If you want me, that is.”
She laughed, happiness, fear, excitement, and sheer adrenaline rushing through her so strongly her head spun. She wanted to say yes, so badly, but she was so afraid of disappointing him.
He brushed his lips across her cheek. “What’s going on in that head of yours?” he asked so only she could hear.
She looked up into those gorgeous blue eyes of his. “It all sounds amazing. Too good to be true. But…I don’t know if I can give you everything you might want.”
His forehead creased slightly. “All I want is you.”
“Yes but…we’ve never really discussed anything about a long-term relationship. Marriage, children, all that stuff. I’m happy with the way my life is. For the most part,” she said, giving him a shy smile. “I’ve never been one of those girls who dreamed about what my wedding dress would look like or who had all my kids’ names picked out. I’m not sure if I’ll ever want any of that. I love my job. I want to focus on building my career. The other stuff…” She shrugged, hoping he’d understand.
His face smoothed out, all concern melting away. “We have time to work out all the details. I meant what I said, Charley. All I want is you. If you don’t ever want to get married, I’m cool with that. As long as we’re together, that’s all that matters. Kids…if my biological clock ever gets ticking, I’ll go play with some of their kids,” he said, jerking his thumb over at his friends, who were watching them like they were the best show ever. All they were missing was the popcorn. “Trust me, that’ll kill the urge pretty quickly.”
She laughed and leaned her forehead into his chest. He cradled her head in his hands and kissed the top of her head.
“If you decide you want kids later, awesome. It’s not something I ever planned on, but let’s face it, we’d make adorable babies.”
She had to smile at that. He wasn’t wrong.
“And if you never want kids, that’s fine with me, too.”
She glanced up at him again. “Are you sure?”
“I want you, Charley. That’s it.”
She took a deep breath and slowly let it out.
She loved him. So much it hurt. They didn’t know each other well yet, but this was the first time she’d ever started a relationship without feeling the crushing pressure of expectations weighing against the risky odds that everything would go wrong. He wanted her. And she wanted him.
Simple. Easy. And perfect.
“I want you, too,” she said, smiling up at him with all the love in her heart.
Epilogue
“This isn’t really how I pictured us ending up,” Brooks said, nodding at the scene before them.
Chris took a pull from his beer and laughed, shaking his head. “What? Are you telling me that the settled-down family life isn’t for you?”
Brooks looked out in front of them where Kiersten, Leah, and Nikki were building sandcastles with a couple of the youngest kids while several older children ran around, splashing in the waves and throwing sand at each other under the watchful eyes of their mothers.
“Naw, I didn’t mean that. It’s just not how I thought it would be, that’s all.” He paused to take a long drink and then smiled. “It’s better.”
Chris raised an eyebrow, and Cole chuckled.
“Never thought I’d see the day,” Harrison said. “Mr. Can’t-Keep-It-In-His-Pants, blissfully happy as an old married man covered in kids.”
“Damn straight,” Brooks said, drawing another laugh from the group.
“And what about you?” Harrison asked, nodding at Chris. “Are you and Charley planning on kids anytime soon?”
Chris didn’t bother to contain his groan. They’d actually made it a good two hours before the topic came up this time. He looked out to the ocean where his Charley was currently doing doughnuts on a jet ski with Izzy. Something he never would’ve imagined her doing a few years ago. Though Charley was still Charley. She’d heavily researched every make and model of jet ski available before they’d purchased them, made some sort of risk assessment spreadsheet, planned for every possible emergency, was wearing a life vest, and probably had six other emergency aids ready to go just in case.
But she was out there, having a blast. She’d simply figured out how to mix his love of adrenaline-spiked fun with her need to maintain safety. God, that woman was perfection.
Harrison cleared his throat, and Chris reluctantly tore his eyes away from the love of his life to glance at his boys, who were impatiently waiting for an answer. He narrowed his eyes behind his sunglasses and finally said, “Charley and I never plan on anything.”
Cole snorted. “We’ve met Charley. That woman plans everything. She has plans for her plans. Literally.”
Chris laughed. “For most things. When it comes to us and our future, though, we’re happy going with the flow.”
“Have you guys even discussed it?” Harrison asked.
Chris sighed. “Why are the men sitting around discussing kids and family planning? Shouldn’t we be telling dick jokes and scratching our balls or something?”
Brooks rolled his eyes. “It’s 2019, man.”
Chris laughed. “Yes, we’ve discussed it. And again, we’re both good with the way things are now. If she ever decides she wants kids, sure, I’d be down for it. I’ve never had a burning desire to procreate, but I want Charley to be happy. If it happens accidentally, then we’d be fine with that, too. It could be cool having a little mini running around. But I don’t think we’ll ever purposely try for a kid. We’re good with how things are.”
His friends had varying expressions of disappointment and understanding on their faces, which amused Chris to no end. They were worse than his mother. “Besides,” he added, “what do we need our own kids for? We’ve got half a dozen godsons and daughters and counting.” He nodded back at the group on the beach, a warm flow of affection flooding his chest. He wasn’t lying. His friends were turning into little baby factories, and he and Charley were both more than happy to love on their godkids for a few days and then turn them back over to their parents. They had the best of both worlds.
“And you guys are still not planning on a wedding?” Cole asked.
Chris shrugged. “I doubt it. She’s turned me down every time I ask, but I’m good with that. Again, it’s up to her. We try to keep too much planning out of it. Discussing the what-ifs drive Charley a little crazy. As long as we are both happy, there’s no reason to push for anything else just to make everyone else happy. We love our life.”
“Wait…how many times have you asked?” Brooks asked.
Chris grinned. “Three, so far.”
“And it doesn’t bother you that she keeps saying no?” Harrison asked.
“Not even a little. As long as she’s the first thing I see when I wake up in the morning and the last thing I see when I go to bed, I’m a happy man. If she wants to formalize things at some point, I’d be fine with that. If not, I’m happy as long as she’s by my side. I propose to her every year on our anniversary, just in case. It’s s
ort of become a tradition. She’s racking up quite the ring collection.”
Brooks raised an eyebrow. “You buy a new ring every year?”
“Well, yeah. I can’t propose with an old ring.”
Cole laughed. “Well, I guess that’s one way to get jewelry from your man.”
Chris snorted. “That woman has me wrapped around every one of her fingers. I’d give her the world if she’d let me. But she’s notoriously reluctant to accept extravagant presents. I’ve had to get creative to get those gifts in there. Next year I might propose with this cute little Tuscan villa she’s had her eye on.”
The guys all laughed, and Chris drained his beer and then leaned farther back in his chair, linking his hands behind his head. “Sorry to disappoint you, guys, but Charley and I are pretty happy just the way things are.”
“What?” Cole said. “Traveling the world, stopping in for an occasional board meeting, spending your lives doing whatever you want whenever you want… Wait. That actually does sound pretty good.”
“Yeah, sure,” Brooks said. “But see, we got this pool going on when you two will finally make it legal…”
Chris rolled his eyes and groaned. “I hope somebody bet on never because it looks like that’s what’s going be happening.”
He laughed at the chorus of groans and curses. “Sorry. We’re together and stupidly, blissfully happy. What else do we need? A piece of paper isn’t going to suddenly make everything different. She’s mine. I’m hers. We’re good.”
“Well, I’m happy for you,” Cole said. “Though that’s going to make collecting on these bets difficult.”
Chris laughed, not feeling remotely sorry for his friends. “I guess you guys will just have to keep that pool going.”
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Acknowledgments
First of all, thank you so much to my readers! You guys make it possible for me to do what I love, and I love each and every one of you. My deepest thanks to the amazing team at Entangled. Thank you to my wonderful editor, Alethea Spiridon, who loved this series as much as I did and helped make it something I truly love. I don’t know what I’d do without you! Thank you so much for all your tireless work and support.