Page 20 of Say I Do

“It suits you, and I fell in love with you, so of course I would like it.” He drops a kiss on the top of my head as the elevator doors slide open. I stand there for a second, his words catching up to me. He said love, right?

Caleb’s arm shifts to around my waist to guide me off, so I have no choice but to move. Thankfully. I didn’t want to stand there like a dork and then have to explain why.

"All you have to be is yourself, Gabriella. Everyone will adore you."

"I suppose if I landed a sweet man like you, that has to say something about me." He grunts a response.

Caleb does that a lot when I point out what a sweet, good man he is. It's kind of adorable for him to be bashful about it. He is never shy about anything else. He might get confused or not know how to say what he wants to say, but he's not one to hold back if he’s feeling a certain way.

He keeps me tucked into his side as we enter a large banquet room. This building really does have everything in it. The place is filled with people. I notice a lot of them turn and stare when we pass, though they try to hide that they are sneaking glances at us.

"Are you planning to say hello to anyone?" I ask. I give people smiles, but they turn quickly like I busted them staring. I suppose I did.

“I don’t need to.” He leads us over to a bar. “Sparkling cranberry.” Caleb orders for me.

“You don’t want to?”

“I don’t want to share you.”

“It’s not sharing me.” I laugh, melting into his side. I don’t think I’ll ever get over the rush of happiness I feel when I’m reminded of how Caleb wants to keep me all for himself for no other reason than me being me.

I run my finger along the underside of the ring he placed on my finger. That was more than shocking. He’d already had a ring. That said everything I needed to know. And the thing is massive. There is no way anyone could miss it, and they must know it was Caleb who placed it there, given how he keeps me glued to his side.

“Really only here for the Greens.”

“Right.” I remember. “Is there anything I should know?” His assistant had mentioned she knew them to some degree. I’m going to guess talking points or something along that line.

"They want to sell a property, but they are hesitant due to some of the buildings on it."

“Do they own the businesses or only the land?”

“The land, but the Greens are rather generous, and the wife, Martha, is a philanthropist, so a few of those occupied spaces are paying nothing in rent for a couple of organizations.”

“Then, why sell?” If you’re that worried about it, but what the heck do I know?

“The market has changed. I don’t think they have much of an option at this point, but like I said, the Greens are generous. I’m sure that is part of why they are where they are, but they aren’tlooking to run off with a ton of cash. They are primarily focused on setting a price and selecting the appropriate recipient.”

“Oh,” I peek up at him. “What kind of organizations?” I find myself asking.

“One is an after-school youth program, and I can’t recall the other offhand.” He shrugs.

"I wish more programs had been offered when I was growing up. Especially after you aged out, but I was always thankful to the ones that did help in any way they could.” I lick my lips. “What would you do with them if you got the property?”

He pauses at my question. I assume he already knows the answer to this. I'm sure the Greens will ask.

"Gabriella." He glances away from me.

"Would you prefer not to tell me?"

“I honestly don’t know.” His brows furrow together.

“And who do we have here?” I turn to see an older woman and man. The man has his arm wrapped around the woman’s waist. They are both very polished, but there is also a softness to them.

“Martha, Ben.” Caleb gives them a slight nod. “This is my fiancée, Gabriella. Gabriella, this is Martha and Ben Green.”

“Oh.” I smile. “It’s lovely to meet you.” I hold out my hand to shake theirs. Martha takes it.

“Fiancée?” Martha’s face lights up at that.

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