Page 34 of His Christmas Gift

“So why are you still hanging around working here?” Melissa asked her as her boss glared at them.

“To piss him off, and because I sort of bought out the place,” Jenny added making her eyes widen in surprise. “I’m going to use it to sell my stuff and do my catering out of, he just found out that as of next week, I’ll be his boss.”

“I guess I won’t have to go far to find you then, will I princess?” Jasper said, giving her a kiss.

“Most likely,” she agreed, enjoying the time with her friend before they headed home.

She was curled up against his chest when the doorbell rang and she let out a soft groan, not wanting to move.

“That’s our pizza that you wanted so badly,” Jasper stated, giving her a kiss before he slid out from under her. He grabbed his wallet to add on a tip and stopped short when the face behind the door wasn’t who he was expecting.

“Paying people to go away now?” Luke asked, chuckling a bit when he shot the group a glare. “I guess that’s what happens when you get engaged to an heiress.”

“I was expecting a pizza, not nosey friends,” he returned. “And I didn’t know she was an heiress until we were at her house in Seattle. I bought the ring before Christmas.”

“Still, not exactly how we were expecting to find out you proposed,” Karina added as he spotted the pizza delivery coming up behind the group.

“I wasn’t expecting it to be in the paper here already,” he stated, letting the four into the foyer while he grabbed the pizza, giving the driver an extra tip.

“Thanks man,” the guy said before quickly leaving, and he wished his friends would as well so he could spend the rest of the evening with just Missy.

“Took you long enough,” Melissa said smiling as Jasper came back into the room with the pizza. “Oh, hi,” she added spotting the group behind him.

“Hi yourself,” Ella stated as she and Karina moved to her quickly, giving her hugs before getting a close-up inspection of her ring. “It’s gorgeous. You did good, Jasper.”

“Better than good,” she mused, kissing him after he set the pizza down onto the table, butting his way next to her.

“I take it everything went well with her father then?” Micah said, glancing between them making Melissa smile more.

“We came to an understanding,” Jasper stated, and Melissa couldn’t help but laugh softly. “We did, he had no hesitation when I asked his permission to marry you.”

“And when was that?” Ella asked.

“The day after we arrived after we’d sat down and talked privately,” he answered, brushing a kiss to her temple.

“That was fast,” Luke said.

“Dad already had checked out Jasper and the company,” she told them, making Micah and Luke’s brows lift with smirks. “He wanted to know what sort of people I’d be around and was very impressed with what Jasper was able to do with it.”

“He should have spent more time checking into where you were staying than checking on me,” Jasper grumbled, and she laughed snuggling deeper into his arms.

“I was perfectly fine.”

“You were living in a dump. If the press knew that…if the people that lived there had known who you really were… I was already worried about them doing something stupid after seeing me drop you off, but to know…”

“Stop,” Melissa said softly, putting her finger over his lips. “I was careful, and it helped me see even better just how much good the charity program does firsthand.”

“Never again. Much as I adore your generosity, I won’t ever let someone take advantage of it or you, princess. If I’m not with you, then Keith or another driver will take you when you go places like that, understand?” he said and as much as she wanted to argue, it was too sweet to complain.

“I love you and never want you worried about me, so I won’t argue it,” she promised, not caring about the ribbing from his friends when he lifted her onto his lap.

“Alright, so when’s the wedding?” Karina asked, pulling a soft giggle from her as Jasper whispered exactly what he wanted in her ear.

“Where’s the wedding going to be?” Ella added.

“Well, we’re not entirely sure yet. The thirty-fifth anniversary for the company is this summer,” Melissa told them. “We always have a big company picnic and I’ve planned it for the last six years. Since I didn’t start planning it yet, we’re not holding it until the end of June.”

“Considering what you did with the investors dinner in two months, I’m certain you could plan the anniversary event and your wedding at the same time,” Karina said, and Melissa’s gaze slid to Jasper’s, knowing what she wanted, but unable to say it with them there.

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