Page 38 of His Perfect Woman

He briefly looked back at me over his shoulder and continued. “You’re the real matchmakers. Because I have loved Victoria for twenty years. I was just too much of a coward to admit it. Impulsively, I lied to all of you and said we were engaged. She had no choice but to go along with it for both of our sakes.”

The crowd erupted into whispers and murmurs while I leaned over and hissed at him through clenched teeth. “Lucas, what the hell are you doing!? Stop it! I have this under control.”

“No, honey.” He smiled. “For once, you don’t have it under control, and that’s what has you all shaken up.”

Everything in me soared at the sound of him calling me that little pet name. It was such a small, stupid thing. But the look in his eyes...the sound of his voice...it was him. The one. And whatever part of me that had been running from it all was quickly fading away, right when I needed it the most.

He leapt up onto the stage and addressed them all again. “The way we’ve come together may not be picture-perfect, but it turns out...this is as real as can be.”

I was finding it hard to breathe as he dropped down on one knee in front of me. I had made a point to take off our “fake” engagement ring before coming, which it had pained me to do. Another sign—another warning that I’d just stubbornly blazed right through.

But it didn’t matter. Lucas pulled out a brand-new ring, even more beautiful than the last, and presented it to me.

“You don’t have to answer me right away,” he said, “because I’m not doing this for them.” His eyes cut over to the reporters. “Or for the company. I’m doing it because I love you, and this is the question I should have asked you to begin with: Victoria Sloan, love of my life...mother of my child...will you be my wife? For real this time?”

Tears started streaming down my face as I laughed, and I was hit with the sudden, overwhelming certainty that he was what I wanted more than anything else in the world. I couldn’t run or hide from it anymore. The realization had been slowly creeping over me from that first kiss he’d sprung on me, and no matter how many walls I tried to put up...he kept tearing right through them all, one after the other.

But I was still me and he was still Lucas. I couldn’t let him off the hook that easy. I sniffled and wiped away my happy tears, donning a stoic, unmoved expression.

“Fine,” I answered in an indifferent tone. “But only under one condition.”

He half-rolled his eyes at my usual defiance, but smirked and said, “Anything. You name it.”

“To make up for keeping your true feelings from me for all these years, I think you should stand up and regale all of us with a reading from one of those love letters you tried to write me back in high school.”

His eyes grew wide and he smiled tightly, shaking his head. Surely he knew I wasn’t going to let him get by without making him squirm a little.

“Or maybe if you can’t remember, Jada could help us out,” I suggested with a coy smile.

“I’m more than happy to do that!” she sang out from the back of the room.

“You’re insufferable,” he murmured.

“I’m kidding, you dummy. Get up and kiss me already.”

He breathed a sigh of relief and shot up, lifting me into his arms as our mouths crashed together again in a blissful reunion.

“I really will try to remember those stupid love poems and recite them for the whole world to hear if that’s what you want. If that’s what it takes,” he insisted.

I stared deep into his eyes, reveling in my overwhelming happiness. “All I want is you.”

He kissed me again and asked, “So, this is a yes?”

“I never seem to be able to tell you no. Of course it’s a yes!” I smiled wide, feeling tears stream down my cheeks all over again. So much for me appearing “cutthroat” in front of the media.

He held me tight, pulling back just long enough to slide the new ring...the real ring...onto my finger. The cameras erupted in incessant flashing as all the reporters cheered and clapped.

Epilogue

Tech_Gossip_Daily: The Heartstring dating app has skyrocketed to the top of the charts, becoming the nation’s leading matchmaking service overnight. What should have been the downfall of the company and CEO Lucas Meadows’s reputation turned into what many are coining ‘the most romantic proposal they have ever seen.’ It has sent millions of new users flocking to the app in hopes of finding the same thing for themselves. The only thing better than the overnight success boost for Meadows is that he finally has the love of his life—his childhood crush and fiancé, PR agent Victoria Sloan...for real this time, as he said in his public proposal. Their second, more authentic engagement party came just in time to couple up with the company’s third anniversary, which was the event of the year. Here’s hoping for many more years of love for both the company and the happy couple. Congrats, you two! Or should we say...three? It appears the two jumped the gun a little and are expecting! Even more to celebrate!

I smiled as I read through the morning’s articles, still raving about Victoria’s and my breakthrough. Unfortunately, Jack didn’t look quite so happy and neither did my siblings. They’d corralled us all together for an urgent breakfast meeting at Jack’s apartment, but I couldn’t imagine that anything they had to say could put a damper on my good mood.

Once the table was spread with food and everyone’s cups were filled with coffee, Victoria hobbled over from the bathroom. Her six month’s pregnant belly jutted out in front of her, but she hadn’t lost that glow from her first trimester. She was one of those lucky women who somehow looked more beautiful when she was with child, and I had never loved her more.

“Sorry to call you all here like this.” Jack frowned, turning to Vic. “I know you’ve been taking more time off to get ready for the baby and all, and that you’re not really sure if you’re going to stay on with our company, but I’m afraid I have to implore you to at least help us out one more time.”

“Oh, no. What has Lucas done now?” she quipped.

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