Page 69 of Seduced by Her Billionaire Fake Fiancé

“Yes. God, yes, Andie. It took me a minute to catch up, but only a minute. The worst, stupidest minute of my life,” he spat. “There was so much I didn’t understand, and then I did, and I needed to tell you, but it was too late. I will never forget—,”

She lifted a finger to his lips, silencing him. “Please, forget. That was one moment of my life. Just one moment. It hardly seems to matter now.”

He pressed a kiss to her forehead, exhaling against her flesh, a sigh of sheer relief. “Andie,” he said quietly. “You are everything to me. I’m so sorry I almost lost you. I am so sorry I didn’t recognize this for what it was.”

“Don’t,” she said seriously. “Don’t apologise. There is not a single thing about us that I would change, because it got us here. I love you, and you love me. Is there anything better or more right than that?”

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small plastic ziplock bag. She recognized her necklace and mother’s engagement ring inside of it.

“They removed these in the ambulance,” he said quietly. “I held onto them for safe keeping.” He unclasped the necklace, so he could put it back around her, but first, he slid off the ring.

“I can’t get used to seeing you without this on your finger,” he admitted. “Would you wear it again, Andie?”

Her eyes lifted to his, her lips parted.

“Does anything feel more right than being engaged to me?” He said with a small smile, as he hovered the ring over her finger. “Except marrying me, of course,” he added, in case there was any misunderstanding about the type of engagement he was proposing this time around.

“No,” she admitted, with a smile that was so wide it hurt, yet she couldn’t contain it. “Nothing feels more right or more perfect.”

And he pushed the ring onto her finger, where they both knew it would stay, for the rest of her long and happy life.

* * *

“The more I think about,the more I realise how stupid I was.” Winter sun pierced the room, cutting through the floor to ceiling windows and casting Andie’s legs in golden light. She tilted her face towards Max’s, happier than she’d ever been in her life. Two weeks after being hit by an inattentive driver and having her world turned upside down, Andie was in Max’s home in Italy, being loved for, cared for and worshipped around the clock.

And despite the passage of time, they still found themselves talking about the day that had begun their true engagement, when they’d fallen head over heels in love, and the weeks leading up to it, when they’d been falling in love and not realized it.

For Max’s part, he rotated each piece of the puzzle again and again, and often despaired for how blind he’d been.

“Everything about you was different from the start. Just the way you and I sparked off each other, I should have known. Maybe I did know, and just couldn’t accept it.”

She sighed. He’d explained about his survivor guilt, about how much he blamed himself for Antonio, and had unconsciously promised never to put himself in the position of having all the things in life that Antonio couldn’t.

“But I was wrong about that, Andie. I can live my life as a tribute to him, I can live by his example. Antonio loved fiercely and proudly. He would want me to do the same, with you.” He stroked her hair. “It’s just what I intend to do.”

She believed him, with all her heart.

* * *

While they splittheir time between New York and Italy for the next six months, it was abundantly clear that Italy was where they felt most at home, and though she didn’t admit it to Max for many, many months, the country had become her absolute favourite, surpassing even France in her affections. She still liked to tease him by buying freshly-baked croissants and making crepes for breakfast, but that’s all it was—affectionate teasing. In Italy, she’d found her heart and had come home.

But this was not just the case for Andie.

Two months after her accident, when her body had finally healed and she was beginning to recover her strength and itching to get back into running—this time, with Max by her side—her father came to visit. He stayed in the suite of rooms Andie had used, once upon a time. A weekend had turned into a week. His skin had grown more golden, he’d eaten with alacrity—something she hadn’t seen in a long time—and he’d smiled. Laughed, even, with Max. Most heartwarming of all was to see him taking an interest in the business again, a glint in his eyes when he spoke of the challenges they’d faced in the early years, how they’d overcome them, so Andie knew—even though she’d known all along—that she’d been right to move heaven and earth to keep it in the family.

He expressed as much to her one day. Though he still didn’t know about the fake engagement, he told Andie how glad he was that she’d found a way to keep a stake of Acto. Max, reading a newspaper across the room, glanced at his fiancé, and pressed a palm to his heart. “That makes two of us,” he mouthed, and she flushed, smiling broadly.

In due course, at least a year after Andie’s accident, it would be decided, organically, because it just made sense, that Andie’s role would expand to group operations. While she continued to have an important part in Acto, her considerations were for the whole Valentino empire, and Conrad, beginning to feel like himself again, stepped back into a role at Acto, this time, with all the attentiveness and skill that had originally built the company into a global powerhouse.

After ten days with Andie and Max, they took Conrad to visit with Max’s family, who predictably welcomed him as though he were royalty. Nothing was too much trouble. There was food, wine, music, conversation, and Andie’s heart lurched at the sight of his happiness. Hearing the three parents discussing the wedding made her realise how little she cared about the details. With a head resting on Max’s shoulder, she listened to the plans, a serene smile on her face.

“Perhaps Andie has some thoughts on all this,” Emme interjected with bemusement, as they debated the floral arrangements for the tables.

“On the contrary,” Andie said, reaching for Max’s hand and lacing their fingers together. “All I care about is marrying Max. Anything else is beside the point.”

There were smiles all round and Max pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

And so it was, in September, as the weather began to show the first hint of turning cool, and the sky was at its most beautiful palette, Andie and Max were married. For Max’s part, he would have liked it to happen sooner, but there was no way it could take place without Carlisle, and they were both willing to wait for his recovery to be full and complete. Oh, it would be a lifelong battle, something he would have to manage, but he’d gone from strength to strength and had even begun mentoring addicts on their path to recovery. He too had gained a little weight and lost the pallor of his complexion.

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