Page 65 of My Billionaire Neighbor's Secret

Suddenly, just as I stepped onto the walkway made of stones and accentuated with plants on the sides, I felt a warm hand on my arm. I slowly turned around, expecting another message of congratulations.

I did get it, but it wasn’t from someone I’d expected to see today.

“Congratulations, Carter.” To my shock, Leigh stood there, seemingly radiating with a subtle glow that mesmerized me. Her brown locks with the golden highlights had been dyed a darker color and fell softly around her shoulders. She was wearing a white top with a light blue pleated skirt.

I was left speechless. For a moment, I thought I was imagining things.

“Surprise!” she quipped, tiptoeing to give me a kiss on the cheek.

Immediately, my heart began pounding hard. I took her in my arms and hugged her tightly. I held her close, wanting to feel her warmth and to know that she was really there with me.

“I can’t believe you came,” I whispered when we pulled away from each other.

She actually grinned at me. It felt like she was back to her old self, not like when she’d been in Thailand. I felt a surge of joy in my chest. “Of course, I wouldn’t miss this for the world!” she exclaimed.

“Thank you,” I said, smiling from ear to ear. “You have no idea how much this means to me.”

“And you have no idea how glad I am to be home,” she said, taking my hand and intertwining her fingers with mine.

I could feel our spirits connecting all of a sudden, reuniting with the bond that gave me so much happiness. I could feel the warmth of love spreading across my body.

“Home?” I questioned. I did not want to hope.

She smiled and nodded. “I’ve decided to come back here for good,” she said, to my amazement. “I… I’m sorry if I haven’t been myself since I went to Asia. It’s just been so hectic and toxic there. I just… I didn’t feel like myself anymore… You know, I never even got to explore the beautiful places there. It was all just work, work, work.”

I nodded in understanding. I was still in shock.

“But hey… here I am…” she continued. Then motioning to our surroundings, she exclaimed, “I can’t believe it’s all done now! This is such a wonderful resort, Carter! I’m so proud of you.”

“Thank you,” I said, taking both of her hands in mine. “But this would not have been as meaningful if you hadn’t come or if you completely turned your back on me.”

All around us, people were still milling about, exploring the entire resort and enjoying themselves. But in that instance, I felt like it was just the two of us.

“We’ve been through so much, Leigh,” I said, squeezing her hands. “But I’m hoping this is the last stop.”

She smiled at me warmly. “Me too.”

I bent down a little to give her a sweet kiss on the lips. Feeling her luscious lips on mine again after so many months was pure bliss. She threw her arms around me and kissed me back passionately, her fingers entangling in my wavy black hair.

When we finally came up for air, we stood there smiling at each other.

“I’ve missed you so much, Miss Andrews,” I murmured.

She grinned at the name I called her with, making us both reminisce the good old times when we were neighbors spying on one another.

“You know what I realized while I was away?” she said, her face turning serious. She paused for a while before speaking again. “I realized that no matter what I did, where I went, I still couldn’t manage to forget you.”

“But why would anyone want to do that?” I teased, making her giggle for a while.

She placed a hand on my cheek and gazed into my eyes. “You’re absolutely right, Mr. Croft. Nobody in their right mind would want that…” We both chuckled. Then she said, “And so I realized… Just how much you meant to me... and just how much I really, really loved you.”

I felt a burst of positive emotions within me, like a volcano erupting and hot lava overflowing. But in a good way.

“I really, really love you too, Leigh Andrews,” I told her with great sincerity and swelling love in my heart.

Then something struck me--- a crazy idea. I just blurted it out before I could change my mind. “What if we seal it now? I don’t have a ring at the moment, but I was hoping you’d say yes. Will you marry me?”

Her eyes widened and she actually laughed. But when I went down on one knee and repeated the question, her face turned serious. Her expression was one of shock and amusement. “Oh, my gosh! Are you sure?”

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