Page 40 of Flawless Foundations

"Okay, Becca, are you going to hear me out or not?" My tone, matter of fact, she waves for me to continue.

"The second reason was because it all happened right as we started our relationship. I didn't want you to think that I was in this relationship for the wrong reasons."

"News flash, that's exactly what it looks like." She huffs and finally lets out some tension she's carrying around and walks to the couch and sits down.

"That fact isn't lost on me," I mutter and follow her to the couch. I take a seat in the middle, so I'm not crowding her but also giving her space. "I honestly thought I'd win this thing without having to have a wife, then when I told you at some point down the line, you'd never have to wonder if that was the only reason I pursued a relationship with you."

She bits on her bottom lip. "I don't want to think that's the reason. I want to think that it's my unbelievable kissing skills in elevators that made you pursue this relationship." I can tell she's fighting back a smile. That's when I know that I can salvage this.

I smile at her warmly, God she's perfect. "That was definitely one of the main reasons." The side of her lips tip up slightly before she presses her lips together.

"In my mind, my needing a wife to become the next CEO of King, and us being in a relationship were separate at first." I'm going for complete honesty here, and I notice her eyebrow cocks with the last part. "Charlie offered it up as an idea after we had started dating, but I shut it down. Then when Emmy found out, she questioned my motives as well. Again, in my mind, the two things were separate. I didn't start to think about you possibly marrying me to help me get this position until just recently, when I found out that the reason why my father hasn't announced an interim CEO is because your old flame Marshal is trying to purchase King Cosmetics."

"No!" She gasps at my new-found knowledge.

I nod. "Yeah, King is an easy target without a King at the helm. And dear old Dad says that this whole marriage thing is a board decision and not just on him, or he'd name me CEO. So yeah, at this point, I've been backed into a corner."

"I'm sorry to hear that, Levi." Her tone is softer, and I can tell she's starting to understand my reasoning here.

"I had planned on telling you everything last night, but it looks like Emmy had all the fun." I smirk, she doesn't appreciate the joke. Too soon, I guess. "Becca, I'm so sorry that I didn't tell you about this. I really am."

"I asked you about work so many times for the past few months, you had so many chances to tell me, and you didn't." She sighs and I see her anger deflate even more. I risk it and move a tiny bit closer to her.

"I'm an idiot for sure. I should have told you," I plead.

She looks into my eyes for a moment, she's choosing her words carefully. "Honestly, I'm not even that mad that you didn't tell me, Levi."

"Tell me why you're mad, and I'll fix it," I offer. I'll do just about anything at this point, I don't want to lose her.

"I'm mad that you never gave me the opportunity to help you. I would have loved to have helped you figure out a game plan, we're supposed to be partners, Levi. You never gave me the chance to surprise you."

I look at the ground, I am such an idiot. "I know, Bex, I fucked up." Then I realize I misheard the last part of that sentence. My head whips up. "What do you mean, surprise me?"

"Just that, I'm guessing that you assumed I'd freak out and not be down with a quick trip to the altar, but you didn't give me a chance to show you otherwise." She gives me a tiny smile.

"Are you saying that you would have married me, had I asked? Even if it was rushed? Because don't get me wrong, I knew after that make out in the hall outside your door that I was going to marry you someday, I just refused to allow it to happen so soon." I scoot in closer to her.

She shrugs a delicate shoulder. "I dunno, why don't you try me?"

"Are you serious right now?" I ask with way too much excitement seeping through my voice.

"Oh my God, Levi, do I have to spell it out for you?" She laughs.

I slide off the couch, and I kneel on the floor in front of her, she turns toward me, pulling one leg underneath her. I pull the ring out from my pocket and her eyes go wide.

She gasps. "I didn't know you had a ring."

"You deserve a proposal done right, Bex." I smirk. We both look at the ring in my hand, then I look up at her, and take her in. A breath catches in my throat as I look at the stunning woman in front of me. My heart pounds in my chest so hard it might break free.

She pulls her eyes away from my hands and quirks her head at my stare, as if asking me what's going on.

"Baby, I'm nervous," I say on a shaky breath.

Her forehead wrinkles, and her face drops. "Why? It is too soon for you, isn't it? Or are you not positive about being tied to me for the rest of your life?" She searches for possible reasons as to why.

I realize in that moment as I stare into her clear blue eyes, that I've never once been nervous or scared of spending my life with her. It's the nerve-wracking moment where you hand your heart, body, and soul to another person and hope that they accept what you are giving them and in turn, hand you theirs to keep in its place.

I move closer to her, now on both knees, my body nearly flush with hers and cup her face in my hands. "Never. I've been sure about you since that first kiss in the elevator."

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