Page 71 of Below Deck Billionaire
‘If it helps, I’ve been feeling pretty sucker punched too.’
‘Really?’
‘Really.’
A huge smile spread across his mouth. ‘Is that because you love me too?’
Tiffany nodded. ‘It is.’
He laughed then, picking her up and twirling her around because apparently she wasn’t giddy enough. ‘Why do people do this?’ he asked, smiling down at her.
‘Because it’s the best worst feeling in the world.’
‘Oh God.’ He blinked. ‘You’re right.’
She shrugged. ‘Of course I am. Now can I kiss you?’
‘Not yet, there’s more.’
‘Okay.’ Tiffany braced herself for how ominous that sounded.
‘I need you to know that I understand you’re going through a lot at the moment and if you need to stay here, then we’ll stay. Hell, I’ll move here if that’s what you need. And the paparazzi thing? I’m afraid it’s part of my life, but I suspect when they know I’m now a one-woman man, I’ll be far too boring for them and they’ll leave us alone. But you have to trust me that all of my wild oats have been sown and you are the only woman for me, and I know that’s not an easy ask for you because of your dad, but I promise I’m going to work every day to make sure you’re secure in my fidelity. Then there’s kids.’
Tiffany smiled. He wasn’t joking about there being more.
‘I know you said you weren’t sure about kids but, to be honest, the thought of having babies with you makes me kinda giddy – in a good way,’ he assured her. ‘So I’m happy to get reversal; just say the word.’
Tiffany smiled. He was just too damn sweet, this badass billionaire of hers. ‘I don’t know about kids but I love that it’s not a hard line for you any more, so let’s cross that bridge when we get to it, yes?’
He nodded. ‘Yes.’
‘And I understand about the paparazzi and how tabloids can misrepresent things. I’m not saying it won’t be challenging at times, but I do trust you.’ She did. Not every man was her father. There were plenty of honourable men out there in the world; she only had to look to Theo’s family for confirmation. ‘And I promise to work every day to show you that.’
‘Good idea,’ he said with a smile. ‘We’ll both promise.’
‘Lastly, I don’t need to stay here. It’s the place I grew up and I never thought I’d leave, and I do love it, but life has taught me that home is where the person you love is. I’d like to come back to Balmain Downs more often than I have because my mum and I are working things out and I’d like to keep going with that, but it’s not my home any more.’
‘We’ll come back as often as you want.’ He lifted a hand and tucked a loose tendril that had fallen from her ponytail behind her ear.
We’ll. Tiffany’s heart skipped a beat and she smiled – she liked the sound of that.
‘What I’d really like is to live on Mykonos. If that’s possible? In the villa. It’s close to Athens and Kelsey and, ohhh, Theo! I can write there. I could spend my life writing there. I mean… it’s so crazy to comprehend that a villa on Mykonos is my life now.’
Tiffany didn’t even know what to do with the whole billionaire thing yet.
‘Believe it,’ he murmured. ‘Because you deserve the best. And I can’t wait for Mykonos to be as much a part of your life as it is mine.’
That sounded pretty damn good to Tiffany. ‘Now can I kiss you?’
He grinned. ‘For as long as you want.’
Tiffany didn’t need any further invitation…
EPILOGUE
TWO YEARS LATER…
It was another blindingly blue day as the champagne flowed on the sundeck of theNerida, which was anchored just off Mykonos, basking in the Aegean sun. A small party of elegantly dressed people were there to toast the release ofA Mermaid Moon, the first book in the Astraon trilogy, which had been sold for a high six-figure sum at auction a year ago. There was to be a huge publisher launch party in London next week, but it was this party Tiffany had looked forward to the most.
