Page 92 of Tied Up in Riches

Her eyes light up with her smile. “I meant that disbelief in a good way. It’s unreal. You’re telling me I found the perfect guy and he’s not only cool with living childfree, but wants it?”

I let out my caged grin at her words and pull her back to me. She obliges, cuddling into my chest and wrapping her arm around my waist. “I’m still perfect even though I’m almost a billionaire?” I poke her side, taunting her, but it only makes her squeeze my waist tighter.

“I’ll happily be tied up in riches if it means I’m tied to you.”

“Physically or . . .”

She laughs. “Definitely that way, too.”

“So, you don’t think you’ll ever change your mind about kids?” Maybe she was testing me a moment ago, but I feel the need to do the same. We haven’t been together for long enough to warrant a lot of serious conversations, but this is the one thing that can’t be compromised down the road.

“I’m positive. Kids love me. And I don’t mind them. As long as I can give them back. I’ve never had that maternal instinct or a desire for a ‘mini me.’ Maybe that’s selfish—”

“You are anything but selfish, Brooke. I think it says a lot about you that you’re self-aware enough to make a decision like this based on how you feel and not what society tells you is supposed to happen.”

“So we’re on the same page?” she clarifies again.

“Same page, love. Same book. Right place. Right time. The one we’ve been looking for.”

Chapter thirty-seven

Brooke

“Do you need me to roast your marshmallow for you?” I tease, shoving two white balls of sugar onto the ends of sticks as Marcus rearranges the fire to reveal more embers.

He smirks, taking a seat in his camping chair and scooting it closer to the one I’m sitting in. “Give me that.” He reaches for one of the sticks but kisses me before pulling it away.

I hold my marshmallow over the burning coal and look back at my boyfriend. “Thank you for this weekend. I love when it’s just the two of us.” It’s been three months since we got home from Connecticut and New York and our first full weekend off the grid.

“Of course, love. It’s just the first one. We’ll do this every month. There are some incredible resorts I want to take you to once it’s too cold to camp.” He sets his stick down, leaning it against the edge of the firepit, and I do the same.

I take his cue, joining him in his chair. Not caring that it’s probably not meant to hold both of us, I straddle him. It creaks but holds up, and he runs his hands up my thighs to my lower back to pull me closer. “I can’t wait. These past few months have been so crazy. We could both use the break.”

“I couldn’t agree more.”

I feign shock with a gasp. “Marcus Cole, did you just admit to needing time off work?!”

He smirks. “Watch it, love. I’ll take it back.”

“You will not,” I say, looping my arms around his neck. “You love how things are now.”

“I do. I should be the one thanking you.” His thumbs rub against my skin under my Columbia jacket.

“Nora is great, isn’t she?” Nora is the new assistant he hired to help him with a lot of the paperwork for both his investments and the bar. It’s taken a huge amount of work off his plate.

“She’s not you, but yes. I’m very happy with her work.”

The entire first month after Emma and Charlotte’s product was featured on national television was insane. We hardly had time to do anything but secure production and shipping, finalize contracts with bars across the country, and figure out a system to track it all. On top of that, I still ran weekly Here for the B events and picked up shifts at the bar to help out temporarily since there was also a boost there from when Emma mentioned it on air.

After that, things started to slow enough that we could take the time to hire another bartender to help Lexy and Jess. It took me about a month after that to help Marcus find the right person to help him, so I could step away from that too.

“I’m sure she’s happy with you too. You are the best boss.”

“Is that so?”

“Mhmm. As long as I’m the only one receiving bonuses.”

He runs his tongue over his bottom lip, and I grind my hips into him.

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