Acquiring Ainsley_A Billionaires of Palm Beach Story
Page 15
“No, don’t do that. I don’t want to be out of it again.”
I stared at her for a long time, as the rest of the room came into focus. I lay in what looked like a standard hospital bed with four white walls, a few machines that whirred and zinged, a large picture window, and a flat-screen TV attached to the wall.
“What did you say about Olivia?” I asked.
Ainsley’s face fell. “I know it’s hard to process, but she’s—she’s dead.”
“She is?”
“Yes.” Ainsley rubbed her face with one hand. “And I’m sorry, Trevor. I didn’t want that for you. Even though she acted the way she did, and she caused us a lot of pain, I still feel so awful about the fact that she died that way.”
“Me, too. She was one of the worst things that ever happened to me, but she was also one of the best.” I stared into Ainsley’s eyes. “Because what I went through with her brought me to you.” A sharp pulse of pain pushed through me, and I winced. “I’m sorry, but, how long do I have to be here?”
“A few days, they say.” She moved closer to me again. “Of course, this might delay the wedding a bit.”
“It might?”
She nodded. “You know, if there was ever a way to make an engagement party memorable in Palm Beach, this was it. Forget fireworks and exotic food. Just toss in one psycho ex-girlfriend, a car wreck, a fake engagement, and us, and you’ve got a winner.”
I knew she was joking, so I smiled, but then my face fell. “You don’t have to marry me if you don’t want to, Ainsley. After all that I’ve put you through…”
“Stop it, Trevor McNamara.” She held up her left hand, showing off the diamond ring I’d bought her. “I haven’t backed down from my promise, and if you think I’m going to walk away now…” She put her forehead on mine. “You’ve got another thing coming.”
“So, you still want to marry me?”
“Yes,” she said as she pulled a little bit away from me. “I do.”
“When?” I smiled.
“Whenever you’re ready. Whenever you want. We’ll have a huge wedding and invite everyone we know.” She waved her hand. “Or we can have a small wedding and invite almost no one. I don’t care. The point is, we will be together, and that’s all that matters.”
A lump grew in the back of my throat. “What about the company? The merger? The agreement?”
“Even if that wasn’t happening, I’d want to be with you.” She stroked my forehead with a cool hand. “I’ve realized a lot in the last few weeks. The way I use to live—that doesn’t mean anything to me anymore. I’m not the same person that I was at the beginning of this year, and that’s a good thing. A very good thing.”
“I’m going to rebuild Ross Publishing,” I whispered. “I promised you and Ashton that I’d bail out the company and I don’t want to back down from that.”
“Good,” she replied. “But the best part is, the three of us are going to do this together.” She paused. “And I can’t wait to see what kind of wedding we’re going to end up having, Trevor.”
“Me either.”
She kissed me then, in the hospital room. A deep, round, forceful kiss that cemented our relationship and told me she’d never said truer words. She did want to marry me. She did want to be with me. And for the first time in a long time, this was about more than a merger, more than an acquisition.
This was about love.
“I love you, Ainsley,” I said when we broke the kiss. “You’re the best thing that ever happened to me.”
“Good.” She grinned. “Because I love you, too.”
THE END
Don’t want it to be over?
Look for the next installment of the Billionaires of Palm Beach series,
coming soon to e-book and paperback.
Special thanks to my team, which includes Ainslee, Josie, Lisa, Judi, Jenny, Kaylee, my mom, and my husband, Sean. I couldn’t have written this book without your help and guidance. Also, special thanks to you, the readers. I hope you enjoyed this book.
Other Books By Sara Celi
The Undesirable
The Palms
Prince Charming
Natural Love
Hollywood Nights
Primary Season
Primary Flip
Spellbound
Lusting for Luke