“Okay, but this is the last one. It’s been a long day.”
Leaving the terrace, they wandered into the gourmet kitchen furnished with white cabinets, Carrara marble countertops, and stainless steel appliances.
Carter laughed. “This room would go to waste.”
“What can I say? Maria spoiled me. That’s why I’ll be taking advantage of one of the perks of living in New York City: twenty-four-hour restaurant delivery.”
A door stood ajar on the other side of the great room and she headed toward it, assuming it led to the master bedroom.
Sheer panels covered the floor-to-ceiling windows and a crystal chandelier cast a soft glow on the large king-size bed that sat in the middle of the room. A small table, topped with chilled champagne and two flutes, sat near its foot. The bed was draped in crisp white bedding and sprinkled with colorful, translucent objects. Upon closer inspection she saw the objects were gummy bears.
Her heart hammered in her chest and she couldn’t prevent the silly, euphoric grin from curving her lips. Clasping her hands together, she spun around…
…to find Carter holding out his hand, an emerald-cut solitaire in an antique gold setting balanced between his thumb and forefinger. His image blurred as tears raced to christen the moment.
“Lauren, my love for you is elemental. Fundamental. Grafted onto my DNA. My heart is tied to yours forever. Will you marry me?”
Elation soared through her body. “Are you sure? There’s no rush.”
“Absolutely. I know now that I can exist without you, but it wouldn’t be living, because my life doesn’t work without you.”
“Well, when you put it that way, of course I’ll marry you.” She watched as he slid the ring on her finger and a feeling of rightness floated down over her. “It’s perfect.” She sniffed and smiled. “You still have some of your good stuff in reserve.”
He laughed and pulled her into his arms.
“We should probably wait until the fellowship is over before we get married,” she said.
“A whole year?”
“It’ll go by quickly, but I’m going to miss you so much.”
“You won’t have the chance to miss me. We’ll talk every day when I’m in Chicago.”
“When you’re in Chicago?” Lauren frowned. “Where else would you be?”
“Here. I’m sure I can work my schedule to spend a week in New York every couple of months.”
“Here?”
“That’s the plan. There are three bedrooms in this place. Surely we can turn one of them into a home office.”
His words sank in. “This place?” With all her parroting, she was certain she’d grow a beak and plumage any second.
“Yes. You like the place, don’t you?”
“Of course I do, but—”
“Because if you like it, it’s ours.”
“I told you—”
“Not yours, ours.”
“Are you kidding?”
“This is the Upper East Side with full western and northern views of Central Park. That amount of money is nothing to joke about.”
“I can’t believe you bought it for us.”
“I haven’t bought it yet, but all it takes is a signature. If you don’t like it, we can find something else.” He smoothed her hair away from her eyes. “It’s important to me that you know I would do anything for you.”
Warmth radiated her being. God, she loved this man. He was everything she’d ever wanted but feared she’d never have.
“Well, I certainly can’t turn it down now. Not after this ring and the most beautiful proposal in the world. It’s a story we’ll tell our children.”
“Our children?”
“Uh-huh,” she said, backing toward the bed.
“That’s plural. How many are we talking?”
“Two, three…”
“How about five? We could field our own basketball team.”
She took another step back and lifted her shirt over her head. His eyes blazed.
“Richie?”
“Are we back to—”
“Stop talking.”
And that was the last thing he said for a very long time.
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Acknowledgements
How does this work for Book #2? Very little in my life has changed and I’m fortunate to be surrounded by a lot of the same people.
I still have the best family I could ever ask for, although my kids now know the word “deadline,” and my husband knows when the office door is closed, trespassers enter at their own risk. Despite these adjustments, they have been nothing but supportive and I love them beyond measure.
I still have one of the best agents in the business. Nalini Akolekar, thank you for guiding me, advising me, calming me and protecting me.
My stories still benefit from the expertise of great editors. Rochelle French and Alethea Spiridon Hopson, I learn so much each time we do this. Thank you for making my book better.
I’m still with a wonderful writing group. Alleyne Dickens and Mary Behre, thank you for your unwavering support and for holding my feet to the fire.
I can never forget the LaLas! They motivated me to run my first half-marathon. Thank you Sharon McGowan, Petra Spaulding, Annette Vialpondo-Carillo, Ashley Pond and Leigh Florio. Running with you ladies keeps me sane.
I’m still fortunate to have had some of the same friends for over twenty years. Tanya Smith-Evans and Dr. Imani Williams-Vaughn, thank you for being superb friends, as well as helping me with the specifics of corporation formation and life in a Fortune 100 company and the specifics of ovarian cancer and its side-effects, respectively.
So, as you can see, my life has barely changed, except, now, I have readers. And this list wouldn’t be complete without a huge hug of gratitude to you. Thank you for loving my stories and bringing my characters into your lives. I will never take it for granted.
With much appreciation,
TL
About the Author
Tracey Livesay is the author of the “In Love with a Tycoon” series with Entangled Publishing. After reading her first romance novel at the age of eleven, she tried her hand at writing one. Thankfully, that story will never see daylight. With a detour through college and law school—where she met her husband on the very first day—she’s finally achieved her dream of being a published author. She lives in Virginia with said husband and three kids.
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