Page 18 of Thankful for My CEO

“This Thanksgiving,” I continued, “I told Jeff, my boss,” I added, for Rob’s sake, “that Thanksgiving was off-limits for work trips. Even to mountain lodges.”

“She was so worried he’d be upset at our relationship,” Kit said. “It’s been quite the opposite.”

It was true. Kit had been getting the star angel investor treatment. Jeff invited him to every Earthbloom event, kept him personally updated on every new milestone we hit. Jeff had even congratulated me for “developing such a close relationship” with an investor like Kit. As if we’d ended up together solely to ensure Earthbloom’s financial future.

“Amelia, tell him how we met,” Rob said, elbowing my sister.

She blushed. “It’s like the least interesting thing ever.”

“Tinder,” he said. “And we made it this far,” he grinned, looking over at the twins. One was passed out on the couch and the other’s face was lit up by something quiet playing on a tablet.

“She’s right, it’s more common than you’d think,” I agreed. I tried to imagine Kit making a Tinder profile and almost laughed out loud.

Conversation went on for a while before Amelia and Rob left to bring the twins back to the hotel and put them to bed.

Kit, my mom, and I went to the little back patio, finishing our glasses of wine.

“I’m imagining you as a kid here,” he said after a stretch of silence. “Where was your room?”

I pointed toward the side of the house. “You can’t see the window from here, but over there. It’s a craft room now.”

I pulled my chair closer to him and rested my head on his shoulder, looking up at the night sky. It was a beautifully clear night for this late into fall.

I took in a deep breath of the clear, crisp air and hint of Kit’s new favorite cologne -something designer, a blend of vanilla and chocolate. My eyes nearly drifted shut. I was so comfortable like this.

Then, I heard Kit clear his throat. I sat up straight, curious. He looked… nervous? I wasn’t used to seeing that expression on his face.

He did it again, then stood out of his chair. Reflexively, I stood up to join him.

Then, he got down on one knee.

My jaw nearly dropped. Out of everything he could be nervous about, this was truly the last thing I would have expected. The wine in me made me want to scream in excitement, but I bit my tongue and forced myself to watch.

Kit pulled a small box out of his pocket and opened it in his palm. A ring with a ridiculously gigantic diamond glinted in the moonlight.

No. Fucking. Way.

“Lena Moreno,” he started, stiffly and formally. “You are the woman of my dreams. You are smart, passionate, kind, sexy…” Here, I could tell he started to relax again. “With you, I feel like everything is right in the world. Fate brought us together and here I am, asking us to stay together. For a lifetime.” He tilted his head upward toward me, the gaze so intense it gave me butterflies like the day I had first met him, wet with that towel slung around his waist after getting out of the hot tub. “Will you marry me?”

Fireworks went off in my chest. I almost forgot to say yes. I pulled him up toward me and kissed him, hot and happy tears building in my eyes.

“Yeah, yes, Kit, yes.”

He slipped the engagement ring on my finger and I couldn’t help but laugh. “It’s so huge. Why is it so huge?”

“You don’t like it?” The concern on his face was palpable. “I asked my jeweler for a recommendation -she said she sourced it from a rare -”

I kissed him again, still half-laughing. “No, I love it. It’s beautiful. I should have expected it from you.”

No doubt he wanted everyone to know I was taken and I was his. The massive rock now glittering on my finger wouldn’t let anyone slip by without knowing.

“My mom is going to freak,” I muttered. “And Amelia.” I thought about their faces at breakfast tomorrow. I thought briefly about waking my mom up and then thought better of it. She wouldn’t be able to sleep for the rest of the night if I told her now. “Let’s go back to my place,” I said. “And celebrate.”

The entire ride back, I could barely keep my hands off of Kit. He kept brushing his hand up and down my thigh, driving me crazy, but I refused to reciprocate. He’d told me a hundred times that Franco couldn’t care less what went on in the backseat, but that didn’t mean I was going to give the man a free show.

We made it to my flat and I had my shirt off the second we shut the door. The ring nearly snagged on the fabric and I gasped. “I can put it back in the box,” I insisted. “I don’t want to lose it or anything tonight.”

Kit shook his head. “I want to fuck you while you wear it. Keep it on.”

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