Up Close and Personal (17 page)

“So you did it all because you love me.”

“Yes.” The word barely comes out so choked is my throat with tears.

He drops to his knees in front of me, cups my wet cheeks in his hands. “Oh, my beautiful Caitlyn. I love you too.”

A hiccup. “You do?”

“Yes, my darling. I do. I never knew what love was until I met you.”

A wobbly smile curls around my lips. “You’re not just saying that to make me feel better?”

“Do you feel better?”

“I’m glowing inside. Can’t you tell?”

“Yes, I can.”

“Aren’t you going to kiss me or something?”

“Or something.” With that smile that goes right to his eyes, he picks me up and carries me to the bedroom where he shows me in the most primal way possible exactly what I mean to him.

Once we catch our breath, he says. “We’ll go ring shopping tomorrow. Tiffany’s, Cartier, Harry Winston, wherever you want, whatever you want.” He rubs his thumb against my bottom lip.

“Ring shopping?” I ask, seeking clarification. I don’t want to get the wrong idea about what he’s saying.

“Yes. And then we’ll drive around Central Park in a horse-drawn carriage, and I’ll propose to you.”

“But I thought—” I twist the ring in my hand. The one my mother gave me on my 18th birthday.

“You thought?” he prompts

My gaze darts up to his. “I thought you wanted to marry someone from your own class?”

“I did, but I don’t want that anymore.”

“Are you sure? I don’t come from a privileged background. There’s no blue in my blood.”

“Darling. I don’t want that, not any more. All I want is you.”

“But—”

“Hush. Just say yes.”

“But you haven’t asked me yet.”

“You’re right. I haven’t.” Getting down on one knee, he grasps my hands, kisses them one after the other. And then he gives me that smile that makes mush out of me. “Caitlyn Marie Bennett. You are the best thing that’s happened to me. You brought light into my darkness, and laughter and love. Busy as I was building an empire, I had no time for such an emotion, nor did I see much use for it after seeing what love did to my mother. But you showed me the way. You taught me love means more than rolling like thunder under the sheets.”

“Sterling!”

“I was living in the darkness because I was too blind, too stubborn to see. I don’t want to live there any more. Please marry me and let me bask in the warmth of your light.”

Tears swim in my eyes by the time he’s done. Too choked up to say anything, I can only nod.

“Does that mean you will?”

I gulp past the lump in my throat. “Yes.”

“Good. Good.” He cups my cheeks and kisses me so tenderly, the tears escape to roll down my face. Once we come up for air, he says, “I want you to meet my mother.”

“I’d like that.”

“She won’t know who you are.”

“But I know her. She’s the one who gave birth to a wonderful son. What are her favorite flowers?”

“Yellow roses.”

“We’ll have to bring her some.”

“Yes, we will. Moseley will be happy to see you. He’s been moping around, driving me insane, and so have most of the staff.”

I laugh. “I can’t see Moseley moping.”

“Oh, he’s very subtle about it, but I can tell.”

“Sterling?” I say, linking my hands with his.

“Yes.”

“I want to have children with you.”

He cups my chin. “And I with you.”

“But not right away. Maybe in a year or two?”

“Okay. We’ll have some time to enjoy ourselves.”

“Yes, but I was wondering . . .”

“About?”

“I’d like to start a foundation.”

“A foundation?”

“To help those in hospice care who can’t afford their bills.”

“Ah.”

“I figure. You have a lot of friends, wealthy friends. We can ask them maybe to contribute. Maybe?”

“Most of them would jump at the notion of donating to such a noble cause.”

I smile broadly. “I can finally put my business degree to good work.”

“What, being my personal assistant didn’t work out for you?”

“Oh, it worked out pretty well.” I waggle my finger at him and adopt a no-nonsense approach. “But no more personal assistants for you.”

Laughing, he raises his hands in a defensive posture. “I wouldn’t. I’d never.”

“I know you would never, Sterling. I’ll be your personal assistant. Anything you need. Ever. All you have to do is ask.”

“Well, there is one thing.” He hauls me into him and whispers a need that makes me blush.

“Funny thing about that,” I say.

“Yes?”

“I pretty much need the same thing myself.”

“I knew the day I hired you, you’d make a great personal assistant.”

“Admit it. You only hired me because you liked my ass.”

“I did. But there’s something I liked even more.”

“What?”

“The way you smelled. Of lavender, roses, and you.”

My breath catches. Even though he hadn’t been able to see, somehow he found something to love in me. Tears roll down my face at the thought I could have so easily lost him.

Sweeping them away, he kisses me. “Oh, my sweet, sweet girl, what a wonderful life we’re going to have.”

My heart’s so full of joy, all I can do is smile. But somehow that’s enough.

Curling me into him, he drops a kiss on the top of my head and breathes out a soft sigh as if he’s finally found the peace he’s sought for so long.

A Note from the Author

To the Reader
,
Thank you so much for reading UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL. I hope you liked it. Having readers eager for you next book is the best motivation for a writer to create new stories. If you enjoy reading my work as much as I enjoy writing my stories, you might want to:

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Acknowledgments

No writer succeeds on her own. If she’s lucky, she’ll encounter many helping hands along her journey. I’ve been singularly blessed by, first and foremost, my critique group, the Crit Divas—Loni Lynne, Andy Palmer, and Teresa Quill. Without them, this book would not exist. Second, I’m grateful for my wonderful fans, especially the ones who take the time to contact me or write a review. And, as always, I’m thankful for my wonderful son, Juan, and his beautiful wife, Melinda, who provided me with the best motivation to write—my granddaughter.