A Very Exclusive Engagement

That was an interesting development. Liam had yet to have her over to his place. She figured that it was a personal retreat for him. They’d always gone to her town house instead. And tonight, she really wished they were sticking with that arrangement. She had no change of clothes. She had what she had worn to the hotel and her dress. The designer gown, while fabulous, would look ridiculous in the morning.

“I don’t have any clothes for tomorrow,” she said.

“You won’t need any,” he replied with a wicked grin as the valet brought the car out.

Francesca gave up the fight. She was too exhausted after a long day to argue. They loaded her things into his convertible and she sat back in her seat, going with the flow. It wasn’t until they reached his place that she perked up.

Liam had described where he lived as a town house, just a little bigger than hers, but he’d lied. As they pulled up the circular brick driveway, she found herself outside what looked like a two-story home. It was detached with a courtyard out front. Two stories of red brick with an elegantly arched front doorway and dormer windows on the roof.

“I thought you said you lived in a town house.”

Liam shrugged and pulled the car into the attached garage. “It’s close.”

He came around the car and opened the door for her, escorting her toward a few steps leading up into the house. They entered through the kitchen. The cabinets were a stark white with glass fronts, set against stainless appliances and gray granite countertops. There wasn’t a single dish in the sink and not a piece of mail sitting on the counter.

Liam took her garment bag and led her through to the front entryway, where he hung it in the closet. She set her bag containing the other items she’d needed tonight on the floor beside the door and wandered into the living room.

“It’s a beautiful place,” she said, walking over to the staircase and running her hand along the wood railing. The space had so much potential. It was a stunning home, but as he’d said before, it was probably just as it was when he’d moved in. White walls, hardwood floors, minimal furniture. There wasn’t a single piece of art on the walls or personal item on a shelf. It looked like a model home or one stripped to sell. “But it does need a woman’s touch,” Francesca admitted.

“I told you I needed you to help me decorate.”

“I didn’t realize it would be such a large task.”

Liam shrugged out of his tuxedo jacket and laid it across the arm of the couch. “Not what you were picturing?”

“I guess I was anticipating this place as more of a reflection of you. You seemed to guard it so fiercely that I thought coming into your home would give me some insight into who you are as a person.”

“You don’t see me in this place?”

Francesca glanced around one last time. “Not really. But I see what I should’ve expected to see. A house owned by someone too wrapped up in his work to make it a home. That speaks volumes about you, I think.”

Liam’s eyes narrowed at her. “My work is more important to me than the color of the walls.”

“My work is important to me. But I make time for other things, too. I want to get married and have a family someday soon. When I do, I want not only a successful man, but also one that can take a step back from his job to enjoy family life. You’ll burn out without that.”

As Francesca said the words aloud, she realized she may have made a grave tactical error with Liam. He might not read much into what she’d just said, but it struck a painful chord with her. When she’d said the words, when she’d mentally envisioned getting married and having a family, she’d seen Liam in her mind. She had pictured this place filled with color and life and toddlers who looked like him.

She had let her heart slip away, piece by piece. It had happened so slowly over the past few weeks that she’d barely noticed the change until it was too late. Liam didn’t know it, but Francesca had given her heart to him.

The man she could never really have.

It was unexpected, really. She was passionate about everything she did, but she knew from the beginning that this was business. There was no future for her with a man like Liam.

And yet she could see more now. Their future together was as crystal clear as the illuminated swimming pool she caught sight of from his living-room window.

“There’s plenty of time for all that,” he insisted.

This man, this workaholic, had so many layers to him she was anxious to explore. She knew there was more to him than he showed the world. The way he cared about his employees. The way he was handling the interview with Ariella. He had an attention to detail that went beyond just doing quality work. He was just as passionate about what he did as she was.