Page 120 of How to Fall for the Secret Billionaire
“The beginning of many more,” I say quietly.
And I mean it.
Margot eyes me with a curious smile. “So,” she says, “if you weren’t in Everfield… if you weren’t doing whatever it is you actually do… what would you be doing right now? On a random Thursday evening?”
I chuckle. “That’s a dangerous question.”
“Why?”
“Because my answer might be boring.”
She leans forward. “Try me.”
I think for a second. “All right. If I weren’t here… I’d probably be in some soulless hotel room, two time zones away, answering emails I didn’t want to answer, wearing a suit that cost too much, wondering why everything I worked for still felt… empty.”
Her smile fades just a little. She hears the honesty behind it.
“And now?” she asks quietly.
I glance at her, at the curve of her mouth, the peace in her eyes. “Now I’m here. Waiting on scallops and steak. Sitting across from the only person who’s managed to make this entire town feel like home.”
She swallows. The silence between us warms.
“Okay,” she says, trying to hide another blush.
“Okay. My turn.” I reach for her hand again, unable to stay away. “What’s your ideal date?”
She laughs lightly. “I’m already on one.”
“No.” I shake my head. “I want to do it better next time. Do tell me, what’s your ideal date?”
She tilts her head, thinking. “Honestly? It’s never been about the location, or the food, or how expensive it is.”
I lift a brow. “No?”
She shakes her head. “No. I mean, sure, this place is incredible. But I’d feel the same way if we were at the park.”
Her voice is soft now. Real.
“For me, it’s the person,” she says. “It’s the feeling that I’m seen. That I can be myself. It’s quality over glamor. Deep conversation over performance. Quiet laughter over forced charm.”
I stare at her. My heart is no longer just soft—it’s wide open.
“That’s what makes a date perfect,” she finishes. “Who I’m with. Not what we’re doing.”
My thumb brushes over the back of her hand.
“I hope I’m living up to that.”
She smiles at me. And it’s warm. Honest. Full.
“You are.”
The server appears in the corner with our food and I can’t help but pray that this night ends with the same magic in the air now. If anything, I know now that Margot is all I want, and I’ll do anything to make her feel safe and secure. After the date is over, when we’re back at the inn, she will know the truth.
Guilt settles in my belly and no matter how hard I try, it lodges, refusing to leave. Margot’s words continue to play in my head like a broken record. She just said this is her ideal date, not because of anything else, but because of me.
Me!
