Page 58 of A Baby Surprise For My Billionaire Boss

It was too much. It was everything she had dreamed of, and it was all being handed to her. Maddie felt tears beginning to well up in her eyes.

“Is something wrong?” Eli asked, concerned.

She shook her head and wiped the tears away. “You didn’t have to do this. It’s perfect. But it’s too much.”

“It isn’t,” he told her. “I want this for you. I want this for us. And if it makes you happy…”

“It does.”

“Anything that makes you happy could never be too much, Maddie. I’ve taken too long to realize how lucky I am to have you in my life, but if you can give me this second chance, I promise you that I’ll never let myself forget it again.”

He held out his arms, and Maddie’s resistance crumbled.

She stepped into his embrace, and as he kissed her, she marveled at the fact that dreams truly could come true.

EPILOGUE

TWO YEARS LATER: ELI

Maddie was at the door when Eli arrived home. “I thought you’d be here sooner,” she said. “I’ve been waiting.”

Eli laughed and handed Leanne to her mother. The little girl dove into Maddie’s arms, and Maddie gave her a snuggle. “Did you have fun at the playground with Daddy?” she asked.

“We had a great time,” Eli said. “She sure loves the swings. I think she would go every day if we would take her.”

“I’m sure you would!” Maddie laughed. “But we’ve got things to do today. I’ve been dying for you two to get back.”

“Ready to go over to the studio?”

“Oh, I was born ready. I can’t believe we’re finally opening tonight.”

Eli privately agreed. It had been almost two years since the day he had bought the dance studio, and it felt like even longer. They had been working all that time, getting the studio ready for opening day, but on plenty of occasions it had felt almostimpossibly far away. Now, though, the day was here. It was opening afternoon, and they would be taking sign-ups from kids who were interested in studying dance with Maddie.

It was beautiful to see the woman he loved achieving her dream like this.

It couldn’t have happened without months and months of hard work. Eli had offered to outsource the labor, to hire people to take care of everything so that Maddie could just walk into the studio when it was ready to go, but she had declined that offer. “I’ve dreamed of this for too long to do it like that,” she’d told him. “I need to have a hand in everything. I want to make sure it all comes out just the way it is in my imagination.”

So Eli had reframed his plans and decided that he would help her make her vision a reality instead of paying someone else to do it. It had meant scaling back his time at the office even more, but that had turned out to be all right — he’d hired a new associate, and he found himself feeling more confident than ever before about the idea of being away from work.

Maddie had been supportive about that too. The first few weeks, when it had been the most difficult to stay away from the office, she had reassured him. “Whatever happens, we’ll deal with it,” she said. “If you lose a client, we can deal with that. Look at how happy Charlie is.”

She had been right about that part. Eli had never seen his son as happy as he’d been just after Maddie had moved back in, when Eli had started committing in earnest to spending more time at home. It solidified his belief that Maddie had been correct all along. To stay at home with Charlie as much as possible had always been the right move. He would forever be grateful to her for helping him to realize that.

“Where is Charlie?” he asked, realizing that he hadn’t seen his son since arriving home.

“He’s in the back, practicing on his skateboard.”

“You know I can’t stand that skateboard.”

“And you know he’s determined to learn to ride it regardless of how we feel.” Maddie smiled. “By giving him permission, at least we can make him listen to us a little bit. He’s wearing his helmet and kneepads. That’s what’s most important. How bad can it really be?”

Eli grumbled a little but didn’t say anything.

Maddie smiled. “This is sweet,” she told him. “I love it when you get all protective.”

“You of all people know that people can get hurt doing sports.”

“I of all people know that’s no reason not to do them,” Maddie countered. “Do you think I’ve ever for one moment wished that I hadn’t become a dancer? It’s led me to some of the best things in my life. And now I’m going to be achieving the dream of a lifetime by opening this dance studio.”

---