Page 61 of Unbreak My Heart

He held it up, a gorgeous kite-cut emerald, surrounded by three small marquise-cut diamonds either side of it, set in a simple rose gold band.

It was the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen.

“How did you know I’ve always wanted an emerald?” she asked as the ring touched the tip of her outstretched hand.

Simon looked up at her, a cheeky grin widening his mouth. “Your mum. I asked her.”

Eva’s eyes flew wide. Hermotherknew about this?

“Wait until I see that woman,” she grumbled.

Simon slid the ring onto her finger and the room erupted around them, making her jump. She looked up to see everyone watching them.

Simon turned to face the crowd. “She saidyes.”

Laughter and cheers peppered the large group of people as he turned back to her and grabbed her head, his mouth hitting hers to kiss her senseless.

He pulled back a little, intense emotion rippling across his face as he held her gaze. “She said yes,” he whispered.

“Here’s to the happy couple!” Max called again, and everyone cheered and lifted their glasses again.

Eva shook her head and laughed, embarrassed but so damned happy she couldn’t keep the smile off her face. People swarmed them to congratulate them both, so many that Eva’s head spun by the time Simon grabbed her hand and helped her off the stool.

“Come upstairs with me. Max said he has a few spare shirts up there in the room and I want to change out of this wet rag.”

He gestured to his shirt, still wet from the soaking when Gabe had sprayed him with the soda gun. He pulled her after him toward the hall, then the grand, wide stairs that led to the upper level.

Eva fought to contain her grin, both at the gleaming rock on her hand and for what she knew would be Simon’s reaction to what they’d done upstairs.

Max had requested a change. A big one. The plans Simon had seen were a carbon copy of the original Cow that had burned down. But the real plans had sat beneath it, so that he wouldn’t get suspicious.

The real plans were identical on the lower level; but now, instead of a mish-mash of single rooms and a few tiny bathrooms upstairs that all opened off a singular, straighthallway that ran the length of the building—a throwback to the past when it was used as hotel accommodation—now it held a brand-new, open-plan, four-bedroom apartment that took up the entire level, with French doors that opened onto a rebuild of the original wide verandas on all four sides.

It was beautiful.

Designed with regard to the time period of the building, but with all the modern touches, inclusions and finishes. She was so proud of how it had come out, of how she’d been able to match everything that Max had asked for, the things that he knew Simon loved.

She’d always known Max had intended on giving his brother the apartment. What shehadn’tknown was the business partnership part. Keeping Simon from going upstairs had been a continual nightmare, requiring the combined effort from her and Max and his entire family over the last couple of months.

He’d questioned it a few times, Max’s diversions and reasons becoming more ridiculous each pass.

They reached the top level and Simon stopped dead. Her hand was still tight in his own, and his clenched around it.

Where the narrow hallway was supposed to be, now sat a large foyer with wide double doors directly in front of them.

“What the…” Simon looked at her, frowning. “Did I just enter a time warp or something? Where’s the hallway?”

Eva’s grin burst out. “Gone.”

One eyebrow rose and a sardonic expression washed over his face. “You don’t say.”

She gestured at the foyer. “Do you like it?”

Nodding as he glanced around, Simon said, “It’s really nice. Fancy, but not pretentious. That make sense?”

Eva’s grin widened. “Very much so.”

Max and she both knew that Simon would never feel comfortable living in one of those places that had beenrenovated within an inch of its life, all original feel and flavour having been washed out of it, leaving it bland and generic, even if incredibly upmarket.

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