The Proposal (Forever Bound Book 2)

by Bree Callahan

  “I thought you might like the chocolates.” Charity put on a smile and Ana rolled her eyes but took the book anyway. She opened it up and swiftly popped a piece into her mind.

  “Man, this guy has it all. His choice in chocolates is impeccable.” She laughed, and Charity glared at her.

  “Fine! I’ll just eat the chocolates and ignore the reasons why you’re putting up walls with this guy.” She started to leave, but Charity grabbed her arm to stop her.

  “What do you mean ignore the reasons? I’m not putting up walls with this guy for any other reason than we’re just friends.”

  Ana nodded. “Sure…you go ahead and believe that and I’ll just sit in my corner and feast on these delicious chocolates.” She laughed, but before she could leave the room, Charity stuck her fingers in and snatched a piece of chocolate. She tossed it in her mouth, and Ana snickered, leaving her room.

  Charity moved to the bed and sat down. She looked over at the nightstand, where her phone was charging and considered texting him and thanking him again for his gift, but she stopped herself. If he kept going this way, she would find herself succumbing to his wishes and going out with him. She wasn’t ready to commit to that, especially when she was about to start back to working with Derek.

  Chapter 14

  Derek arrived at the parking garage at the same time Charity got out of her vehicle. She stood at the backside of her car and waited for him. He was still amazed at the way things went down the previous day. He was fortunate enough to have her back, and he wouldn’t mess it up. He approached her and brushed a soft kiss against her lips, before saying, “Good morning.”

  A tint of red lingered on her cheeks. “Good morning.” They both walked to the building, keeping in step with one another. When he got to the courthouse, he opened the door for her. She smiled. “Thank you, kind sir.”

  He chuckled. “Derek will suffice.”

  She laughed as they moved through the lobby and got on the elevator. Once the door was closed, Derek grabbed her hand and pulled her to his side. They rode the elevator up to the office in silence. It was true that they were going to need to be careful when they were around other people, especially Jesse, but he wouldn’t be able to say the same when they were behind closed doors. The elevator dinged, and they stepped off the elevator and into the office. He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her to him. They kissed. It was passionate and filled with chemistry. When they parted, his head fell lightly against her forehead. “That was nice,” she whispered. Her smile remained on her lips, and he nodded.

  “I wanted to do that all night.” He pulled back from the close proximity, and she moved to her desk. The good news and bad news about Charity working there was that he wouldn’t be able to concentrate, especially now that he realized he had a chance with her. “Don’t forget the morning meeting,” he replied with a wink.

  She smiled. “I won’t!” She sat down behind her desk, and he went back to his office. The moment he had his computer screen pulled up and he logged in to his email, he pulled up Amanda’s message about hiring someone else and typed another reply.

  Amanda

  No need to hire anyone else, Charity is back to working here and so you don’t need to bother. Thanks for your concern.

  Sincerely,

  Derek

  He hummed along as he rummaged through his desk and pulled out files and files of paperwork he had been putting off working on. He felt more committed to his job, now that Charity was there. The meeting came around rather quickly and with his eyes he summoned Charity to join him as they went to the conference room. They were the only two people there, and he opened his mouth to tell her how much he wanted to kiss her when slowly the room started to fill up.

  The people that filtered into the room immediately mentioned how excited they were to see that Charity was back and working in the office. A few people questioned as to whether she took time off for personal matters or for vacation. He wasn’t surprised to see most of the staff was noisy…not just interested. Charity answered each question with ease, and while she looked somewhat overwhelmed, she never let on, and she never denied answering a question.

  When everyone was seated, he called the meeting to order. He immediately wanted to start the meeting off with welcoming Charity back to where she belonged. “As you all noticed, Charity is back and I, for one, am excited to have her back working in my office.” There was some smattering of applause, and she seemed a tad embarrassed but thanked everyone for their kind words. He then turned back to them and discussed a few matters they were working on. “How’s the financial situation?” he asked, Clara, who worked in the financing department.

  She smiled. “We’re up from last year, which is a blessing since we started the mall project. I did get word that we’re looking at holding a fundraiser in the next couple of weeks. More businesses are interested in buying out spots, but if we do a fundraiser, it will help with development plans.”

  “What kind of fundraiser?” Derek asked.

  “Well, maybe a carnival…or a concert…everyone loves entertainment. A lot of acts might be interested in helping out if they know it’s to raise money to get jobs into our community.”

  He nodded, thinking it was a good idea. Charity spoke up. “I could, started looking into possibilities.” Her eyes met his. “If you’d like?”

  He beamed with pride that this woman would be interested in him. “That’s a wonderful idea. See what you can gather and we’ll discuss it at the next meeting.”

  She smiled and wrote down notes in her notebook. He turned back to the other members at the meeting and asked if there was any other news needing to be brought up. Outside of a couple of robberies that happened in the next town over and security being increased, they spent a good portion of the meeting just chatting. He didn’t even mind. It was about time they had some good things to discuss, and he was excited for what would happen next.

  ****

  Charity sighed as she disconnected the voicemail on her cellphone. She leaned back in her chair and looked up at the ceiling, silently asking for strength. “You look like you have a million thoughts racing through your mind.”

  She looked down, and her eyes met up with Derek’s. She laughed. “Not a million…maybe a thousand.”

  He snickered. “What’s up? Anything I can help you with? I’m a great problem solver.” He leaned against her desk and she realized how lucky she was to have him interested in her. Yet, she still couldn’t get Damian out of her mind, and she didn’t know why that was. They hadn’t communicated, verbally or via text, for a few days now. She thought he would slowly fade out of her mind, but those gifts kept him smack dab in the middle of all her thoughts. She put on a smile so Derek wouldn’t be able to read her mind.

  “Well…for starters, I just received a voicemail from Evelyn at the daycare.”

  “Oh?” he asked. “What’d she have to say?”

  “A lot actually,” Charity responded with a laugh. “She wasn’t too impressed I left that message on her answering machine telling her that I would no longer be working there. After she had yelled at me for about fifteen minutes on that subject, she asked me to come back.”

  He frowned and a look of concern crossed his face. “Really…that seems odd.” His eye remained on hers, but he didn’t continue.

  She shrugged. “I suppose it is odd. After all, why would she want an employee to come back after leaving them in the lurch? It was irresponsible, and she’s practically offering me the moon if I come back.”

  “The moon?” he asked, chuckling lightly.

  “Well…maybe not the moon, but she did say that if I come back, I can leave by three o’clock on Wednesday. She also said that they are opening up another position for the one to four-year-olds.” She smiled. “Maybe Miriam’s daughter will get hired after all.”

  He laughed. “That would be such a huge relief,” he teased, but then his face grew solemn. “So, what are you thinking?”

  �
��I don’t know. I mean like I said I absolutely adored the kids.”

  He nodded. “I know. That would be tough to turn them down.”

  She slowly replied with a nod. “It wouldn’t be easy.”

  “Seems to me you made up your mind.” He stepped away from the desk but remained within eye contact.

  She could tell he was bothered by the notion, and she enjoyed toying with him. “I do have one question for you,” she replied softly. She stood up from her desk and moved around so she was within touching distance.

  “What’s that?” he asked. His eyes held a light inside them. It was as if they flickered.

  “You are allowing me off on Thursday, right?”

  He laughed. “Well, I took it in careful consideration, but I think I can spare you for that time.”

  She smiled and threw her arms around his neck. “Then I think you’re stuck with me, Mayor Worthington.” She moved in closer and their lips touched. For the moment she felt safe in his arms and didn’t think about anything else.

  “I think I can handle that,” he replied softly against her lips.

  She smiled. “Good answer!” She playfully tapped him on the back and stepped away from the embrace. She went back around her desk and grabbed her purse from the drawer. “Are you leaving now?” she asked him.

  “I wish I could, but I have a couple of emails to answer. I’ll see you tomorrow, though.” She walked up to him and kissed him a small goodbye peck. She turned away from the desk and waved to him as she got on the elevator. She fell back against the elevator, as a smile fell on her lips. Things were so easy with him, and it wouldn’t be any easier if she didn’t make up her decision fast.

  She stepped off the elevator as her cell phone dinged with a text message. She reached into her pocket and withdrew her phone. A message from Derek popped up on her phone. She read it with a smile.

  Derek: Miss you already!

  She smiled as she responded back to him.

  Charity: Such sweet words you say.

  She then had an idea after she sent the message. She stopped in the lobby and pulled up her camera, she took a selfie of herself, then sent Derek another message and attached her picture.

  Charity: Look at this when you’re missing me and know that we’ll see each other soon.

  She held onto her phone as she continued through the lobby. It wasn’t long before she received another text. She anxiously looked down at her phone, but her face fell when she saw Damian’s name.

  Damian: I’m trying to give you space, but I don’t want to lose you without that fighting chance. Just one date.

  “Hey, Charity…how was your first day back?”

  She looked up when she heard Jesse’s voice. She slipped her phone back into her pocket and cleared her throat so she could really think about Jesse’s question. “Great!” she answered. “Derek is a wonderful boss.”

  Jesse smiled. “I thought he’d be a little overbearing.”

  Charity laughed as Jesse and her both headed out of the courthouse and to the parking garage. “Nah…not when you get to know him. He’s really great!” Charity quickly responded.

  Jesse smiled. “Good to know.” They stopped at her car. She heard her phone ding, and she fought the urge to look down, at least while Jesse was there. “I won’t keep you.”

  “Do you and Ana have plans?” Charity asked.

  He nodded. “We’re meeting at a Chinese restaurant tonight.”

  “You two have fun! See you later, Jesse!”

  He smiled. “See ya!” He waved to her and headed to his car. Once inside her car, she glanced at her latest message from Derek.

  Derek: That definitely helps. Thanks, Sweetheart!

  Her phone then automatically switched over to Damian’s message and instead of replying, she put her phone down in the seat next to her. She couldn’t even think about that. She needed some more time.

  ****

  Derek stepped off the elevator, and Charity looked up and greeted him. “Good afternoon, Boss. Have a nice meeting?”

  He laughed. “Boss? Are you just trying to come up with different names to use on me?” He leaned over the desk and gave her a kiss.

  She laughed. “You are my boss,” she matter-of-factly stated. “Too much?”

  He smiled. “I’d prefer we’d stick to Derek. Or else I could start saying, hey lady get this for me, or, come on ma’am you’re running out of time.”

  She frowned. “Yeah, I wouldn’t like that.” She laughed. “I’ll stay with Derek.”

  He snickered. “Good.”

  Before he left, she told him about a certified letter he received by a courier. “Any idea who it’s from?” he asked.

  “It had some lawyer’s seal on it, but frankly, I don’t mess with certified mail. Now if it was just regular mail, I might’ve opened it just so I could tell you who it was from.” She laughed. “Definitely not certified mail.”

  He laughed. “Alright!”

  He headed into his office and found it on his desk. He frowned when he saw it was from Max Grayson, his father’s attorney. He hadn’t heard from him since he told him about the inheritance and he figured it wouldn’t be any better news. He shot a look towards Charity’s desk and found her preoccupied with her own things. He sat down in his chair and opened up the envelope. He removed the letter and opened it up. He was a bunch of lawyer gibberish, but he read through it completely.

  Derek Worthington

  I hope this letter finds you well. Since it has bypassed the year mark and we’re fastly moving towards the deadline, I find it my duty to contact you and make sure you are reminded of the stipulations of your father’s will. You are to be married and on the way to start a family of your own no later than July 24th, 2017. If at that time, you have not fulfilled the agreement set forth by your father’s wishes, you will lose the ten billion dollars in your father’s estate.

  I know this has been a burden on you and have a tough decision to make, but I trust that you will make that decision and will take everything into consideration. Should you fail at reaching this deadline, then the estate will be placed in a separate fund, to which you will only have access for city uses. Don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions and I will make sure to communicate with you regularly until you have come to your decision.

  Sincerely,

  Max Grayson, Attorney at Law

  Derek groaned and folded the letter back up. He slid it into his desk drawer and tried to push it out of his mind. The quicker the two years was up, the happier he would be. A knock on his door, caused him to look up.

  He smiled, spotting Charity. “Hey!”

  “I just wanted to let you know that I’m leaving to go get my sister.” She smiled.

  He had a thought, and he brought it up to her. “Do you want me to go along with you? After all, it’s a boring drive.”

  She raised an eyebrow when he asked the question. “Do I want you to go along? Absolutely!” She then gave him a mischevious smile. “Will I let you go along? I don’t think so.”

  He frowned. “Ouch,” he replied, pretending to be hurt.

  She laughed. “It’s not that I wouldn’t love for you to come with me, but how would that look? She’d question it, and we’d be scrambling for answers as to why my boss chose to drive me to the airport.”

  He nodded. “I suppose you’re right.”

  She walked up to him and kissed him on the cheek. “I appreciate the offer, though.”

  He smiled, returning a kiss to her lips. “Be careful,” he whispered as the kiss died down.

  “I will. I’ll see you tomorrow.” She blew him a kiss and left his office. He watched her as she got on the elevator and waved to him before the doors closed. He reached back into his desk and pulled the letter out, then stuffed it into his briefcase. He would soon call Max and tell him that he had no intention of taking his father up on his stupid guidelines, and he would appreciate it if he left him alone. He knew that was exactly wha
t he needed to say and do.

  ****

  Charity quickly parked her car and nearly sprinted up to the airport door. She pressed the button for the door to automatically open, and she rushed in. With her paper in her hand, stating Tiffany’s gate number, she looked up at the wall to see where she needed to go. She instantly found it and hurriedly moved down the corridors, until she came to an opening that showed the gate number.

  She finally could breathe. After hitting every red light and running into much more traffic than she anticipated, she thought she’d be late. According to the scrolling screen of information, she about fifteen minutes to spare. She fell back against a chair and heaved a sigh of relief. She then pulled her phone out of her pocket and scrolled until she found Derek’s name. She sent him a new message.

  Charity: Traffic was a bear, but I made it just in the nick of time.

  She glanced around at all the other people that were there to pick up a passenger. She obviously didn’t know any of them, but she found it interesting to see the diversity of the people in the airport. A teenaged girl sat nervously, as she pretended to read a magazine. Periodically her eyes would dart around the lobby, then she would go back to reading. An elderly couple sat across from her. They were holding hands and still looked as much in love as anyone could look. A Japanese or Chinese couple stood in the corner. They were talking and while they were close enough that she would be able to hear the conversation, it was in a different language, so she moved onto the next person.