Page 136 of Taming the CEO

“What’s that I hear? Leo's going to help you find a house in Essex?" Gran asked, coming up to us. Granddad was right next to her.

"Exactly," I said, glancing at Cami. She was looking at me with soft eyes. "I can see why you like to live there. We really love it, and it's not far at all from Boston."

My grandparents smiled widely. "I’m so glad to see you two happy," Gran said.

“So are we.” I kissed Cami’s hand.

I wasn’t just happy—I was ecstatic. Growing up, I'd never realized that couple life could be this way. Mom was in distress whenever Dad wasn’t in Maine, which was most of the time. After they broke up, I overheard her telling her best friend, "Well, I never thought I'd say it, but I actually prefer being single." And she'd been single ever since.

She was in Dubai right now. As for Dad, he'd kept his word and hadn't started any more trouble. My contact in Australia told me that he'd already received a permit to start his new hotel, so I wasn’t expecting surprises any time soon.

The sound of the front door opening echoed through the house.

"Oh my God, are we the last ones?" Natalie exclaimed.

"Babe, relax," Jake said. " Colton will be the last one. He said he’s on his way.”

"Gabe isn't here yet either," I said loudly.

"He is now," Jake replied from the hallway.

More voices joined them. I detected Colton's, too, so the whole gang was here.

"All right, everyone," Cade said. "Let's move to the dining area. We've got some snacks out."

"I smell beef," Gabe said.

"That's the main course," Meredith warned, and I barely held back my laughter.

"Uh-huh," Gabe said.

"And no, you're not allowed to do a quality-control check like last year."

Now I started to laugh in earnest.

"What happened last year?" Cami asked.

"Gabe ended up eating a lot of the roast beef. Gran was up in arms," I explained as the group slowly moved to the dining room. It was just Cami and me by the tree now.

She fixed her eyes on me. "You didn't tell me you wanted to move to Essex."

"Well, as I said"—I skimmed my hand up from her waist to cup her face—"I was hoping to share that in a more appropriate environment."

"You mean a romantic one?" she asked.

“That’s right.”

She rose on her tiptoes and put her arms around my neck. "For me, there is nothing more romantic than spending Christmas with your family. I like that you want to share every part of your life with me."

"I do," I admitted. More than I'd ever thought I could. And I planned to share so much more.

I had one more trick up my sleeve, but I knew I'd better distract her or I risked just spilling my guts and spoiling the surprise—again. I was liable to lose my wits if I was alone with her for too long, so I stepped back.

"Come on, gorgeous. Let's join the others before Gabe eats all the finger foods and we’re left with nothing."

She giggled. "You Whitley brothers are competitive about everything, aren't you?”

“You know it."

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