Page 195 of The Stolen Moments Trilogy

I stare at her in disbelief. “What?”

Kate nods. “The boss I currently work for, Alyssa Devereaux, is one of his investors. She and her husband are investing in Carter’s London office,” she says. “I totally understand it too. You’ve sacrificed so much for us, it’s about time someone does the same for you.”

I run a hand through my hair, my heart racing. “But there’s nothing there for me. It’s just a job. I’ve been far happier working for Clarke Reed. Besides, my dad is here and he loves it here. He won’t want to leave, and truthfully, neither do I.”

Kate bites down on her lip and nods. “You should talk to him, I think. From what I understand, he wanted to surprise you with all of this, so you wouldn’t have a chance to say no. I think he wanted to keep you from making another sacrifice by staying here for him.”

I smile to myself and shake my head. “This man,” I murmur, and Kate grins at me.

“You know what he’s like,” she says. “When it comes to you, he’s always been dramatic.”

I smirk and cross my arms over each other. “I guess it’s my turn to be truly dramatic,” I say, a mischievous smile on my face.

Kate looks at me, apprehension in her eyes. “Oh, Milly,” she murmurs. “What are you planning now?”

I rise to my feet, my heart hammering in my chest. “You’ll find out soon enough. Do me a favor, though. Call Carter in exactly one hour and tell him to come home. Be dramatic.”

Chapter 65

Carter

I glance at my watch, my stomach fluttering. I need everything to be perfect tonight. It feels like I’ve been planning this for half my life.

My phone rings, and I frown when I realize it’s Kate. “Hey,” I murmur, a tinge of worry coursing through me. She rarely calls me, and when she does, something is often wrong.

“Carter,” she says, her voice soft. “Um, it’s Emilia. She’s, uh, she’s acting a bit strange. I’m not sure how to explain. Can you please come home? I don’t know what’s going on.”

I freeze. “What do you mean?” I ask, unease running down my spine. “You need to explain better, Kate. How is she acting weird?” I ask as I rush towards my car.

I hear some rustling, and then the call ends. I glance at my phone in disbelief and call her back, but her phone is turned off.

I’m worried sick as I rush home, and my unease builds as I walk into the house to find it entirely empty and dark. I walk towards the stairs and pause in surprise. There’s a path of candles leading up the stairs, and near every candle I find a photo of Emilia and me. It starts off with photos of us as children, and as I walk up the stairs, the photos cover our teenage years, before leading to our time in college by the time I reach the top of the stairs.

My heart is racing as I follow the path to my bedroom, the room I’ve very much come to consider jointly mine and Emilia’s. I laugh at the items on the floor. In between the candles are fake little cockroaches, sticky notes with a car drawn on, and even a bottle of Nair. I’m biting down on my lip to stay in control over my emotions as I open my bedroom door.

Emilia is standing in the middle of our room, looking like an absolute vision amongst the dozens of candles. She’s wearing a red evening gown that looks stunning on her, and my heart skips a beat.

She smiles at me nervously and I walk up to her, equally nervous. Emilia slides her arms up my chest and around my neck. She pulls me closer and I bend down, my lips hovering over hers. Her eyes flutter closed and she rises to her tiptoes, her lips brushing against mine. I exhale in delight when she kisses me, her tongue darting over my lips. I deepen our kiss, wanting all of her. She’s got me feeling emotional and needy. Emilia pulls away with a smile on her face, her arms around my neck. She looks into my eyes with so much love that I can’t help but count my blessings.

“Carter Clarke,” she whispers. “You and I have made so many memories together. You were my first nemesis, my first kiss, my first lover, my one and only love. We’ve been through so much together, and repeatedly, life has tried to tear us apart. For a little while, it did. But what’s eight years compared to a lifetime?”

She pulls away a little, her palms sliding down my chest. She grabs my hand and cradles it in both of hers, pulling our joined hands to her lips. She kisses my knuckles and looks up at me, and I see my future in her eyes.

“Right here in this house is where I want to make the rest of our memories. Carter, will you spend the rest of your life making memories with me? Carter… will you marry me?”

I grin and drop my forehead to hers. This girl… I bury my shaking hands in her hair and pull her in for a kiss roughly. I kiss her with all I’ve got, eliciting a moan from her. By the time I pull away she’s panting, her eyes glassy with lust. “Yes, Minx,” I murmur. “I told you I’d marry you years ago. I always knew I would.”

I bend down and lift her into my arms. She gasps and I grin as I carry her out of our bedroom. I find Kate and John hovering by the door, both of them jumping when I open the door. I narrow my eyes at Kate, but the effect is diminished by the huge grin I’m wearing. “I’ll deal with you later,” I say, but she doesn’t look intimidated in the slightest.

I walk past both of them with Emilia in my arms, and John shouts, “and?”, after which Kate shouts, “did he say yes?”

I carry Emilia out of the house before she can even reply. She giggles as I place her in the passenger seat of my car. I press a kiss to her lips as I buckle her in, and she’s beaming.

She turns to look at me as I step into the car, and she takes my fucking breath away. She’s so beautiful, even more so tonight.

“Where are we going?” she asks, and I shake my head.

“Not very far, Minx.”

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