“Nothing will change about your position, except we would like to give you a new block of luxury condos to design and sell,” Lincoln went on.
He opened the file folder for me to see the contract, and I stared at it in disbelief.
“It would be similar to the Celestial, exclusive units, small buildings—”
“On one condition,” I blurted out.
“There’s always a condition,” Paxton intoned in a singsong voice.
“What’s the condition?” Lincoln asked, ignoring him.
I inhaled, sure that they would refuse, but I had to give it a shot. “Allot ten percent of the units to the unhoused or low-income families. There’s a real homelessness problem, and we’re in a position to do something about it.”
I held my breath in anticipation, waiting to be shot down immediately, but not one of them refused off the bat.
Lincoln rolled his tongue around inside his mouth, eyeing Paxton.
“Five percent,” Lincoln countered.
“Seven.”
“Deal.”
I exhaled and laughed again, shaking his hand as Kai beamed at me from his side of the table.
“You see? That’s why we need you on our side,” Paxton snickered. “Killer negotiations.”
I settled back, reaching for my water.
“There’s one more thing, Mylee,” Lincoln said, and I glanced at him, not sure I liked his tone.
“Dare I ask?”
“It’s big, and I don’t know how you’ll feel about it.”
“Well, you don’t know unless you ask,” I laughed, setting my water back down. “Go for—”
“Will you marry us?”
Baffled and caught off guard, I merely gawked at him, my eyes flittering toward the others, who grinned, waiting for a response.
“I… yes!” I sputtered. “I will! But…” I trailed off, not wanting to ruin the beautiful ask, happiness overwhelming my heart as my cheeks flushed with pleasure.
“Never mind the legalities,” Lincoln interjected. “It’s not for the government. It’s for us. Our commitment to you and vice versa. We love you, and we know that you love us. Let’s make this official.”
Squealing, I threw my arms around Lincoln, then Paxton, and then Kai, tears of joy welling inside my eyes. “Yes! I love you all so much!”
“We love you too, Mylee,” Paxton breathed. “Always and forever.”
* * *