Page 151 of Fall Into Me

That peach flush of hers started on her chest and moved up to her neck and face. Her mouth opened and closed like a fishout of water before the only thing that came out was a squeaked, “Okay!”

By then, I’d been laughing so hard I had to tilt my head back against the couch. She stood in front of me, still flustered, giving me an awkward double thumbs-up.

“Come here.” I held out a hand, waiting until she finally settled on top of me, straddling my hips while her fingers fiddled with the hem of my shirt.

“I would love to work together. I think it’s a really great idea, but I’d want to go into it as partners. To invest in the café with you.”

“Oh.” She shook her head with a small smile. “I don’t own the space, I just rent it.”

I lifted her off me effortlessly, setting her down on the couch. Then, without a word, I disappeared into the bedroom. When I came back, I handed her a folded piece of paper.

“What’s this?”

I didn’t say anything, just watched as she unfolded it. Her eyes skimmed the words, and when she looked back at me—glassiness in her gaze, cheeks flushed—she whispered, “The building is in my name.”

“It is.”

“The building on Main Street—the one Sunshine is in—it’s in my name. Why is it in my name?” She gestured with her hands, outlining what I assumed was meant to be a building.

“When I got to town, I wasn’t sure if I could stop Mackenzie Co.,” I told her honestly. “I had a rough plan, but when I saw that you had a business right where the company wanted to obtain property, I bought the building under your name.”

“You…what?”

“I didn’t want you to worry, and if the development did go through, I wanted Sunshine to be okay. I wantedyouto be okay—”

Cali jumped off the couch and threw herself at me, arms and legs wrapping around me like a vise. The commotion stirred Jerry from his slumber to the point he dragged his body off the couch and started nudging my ass with his nose.

She pulled back just enough to press her forehead to mine. “What did I do to deserve you?” she whispered.

“Everything,” I murmured, pressing a kiss to her jaw. Without another word, I carried her to the bedroom and showed her exactly how willing I was to accept her business proposition.

For the last month and a half, we’d woken up together, headed to work together, and when the breakfast shift ended, I stayed to bake cookies and clean tables.

I used to think success was an overpriced suit and an office in a high-rise. But this—thiswas success. Doing what I loved, something I hadn’t even realized I loved, with the person I loved. That’s what it meant to truly have it all.

“Fane?” Cali’s voice pulled me from my thoughts. She was standing where I’d left her, hands waving in front of her face like she was trying to find me through the blindfold. “Are you gone?”

“I’m here,” I murmured, stepping closer. “You can take off the blindfold.”

Her hands tentatively reached up to pull off the scarf, eyes squinting while they adjusted to the gentle purple hue that settled around this property as the sun was going down.

Her eyes bulged. “We’re at Primrose Ranch.”

“We are.”

“Why are we here? This isprivate property, Fane!” she whispered, clutching to the scarf with tight fists, like someone would hear us.

“I don’t think we’re going to get into trouble.” I smiled at her, stuffing my hands into the front pockets of my jeans.

“This isn’t your ranch!” She did a small, little gallop like she was riding a horse, and I snorted so aggressively I almostblew the whole thing, catching myself from bending over and smothering my laughter.

“No, it’s not my ranch.” I stepped to the side, revealing the sign I’d been standing in front of. “But itisyours.”

Her gaze landed on the freshly painted sign:Rosie’s Ranch.

“That’s my name.” She pointed to it, her eyes flicking to mine, and then back to the sign.

“Yes, it is.”

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