“I’ll wear you down eventually,” he said.
I laughed. If it was important to Beck, then one of these times he proposed, I’d say yes. But I knew he loved me and that was all I needed. Beck’s love, adoration, respect, and time was more than I could ever have hoped for and I had it all. He was all I’d ever need.
Twelve months later
Beck
I stared up at the newly renovated, soon-to-launch, One Park Street. The red brickwork had been cleaned, repointed, and repaired and looked as good as it no doubt did when it was built over a hundred and fifty years ago. The arched windows were lit up, hiding the beautiful interiors Stella had completely transformed. Tonight, we launched the sales of the first units on a strictly invitation-only basis.
“You did it,” Stella said as she stood next to me.
I slid my arm around her waist. “We did it.”
“But this for you . . . It’s more than just another development. How does it feel?”
“Different to how I expected,” I replied. “Looking back, I was a maniac—giving you the interiors on this job was insane. But I was desperate.”
“Hey.” Stella thwacked me in the stomach and laughed.
“You did a more than amazing job—far better than any designer I’ve ever worked with. But seriously, I didn’t know you from Adam. I should never have agreed to you leading this. I wanted the Dawnay building whatever the cost.”
“Do you feel free now? Like you’ve conquered your past?” she asked.
I couldn’t remember the last time I’d given my biological father a second thought. “Yeah, but I’m not sure that’s got anything to do with the building. I think that’s about you and the life we have together—the future we’re going to have.” I loved that I could still make her blush. I hoped that never went away, even when we were ninety and hitting each other with our walking sticks. “The thought of five baby Wildes in our new place makes everything else seem ridiculous.”
“Less of the five,” Stella said. “And less of the Wildes. They will be London babies.”
“But after we’re married, they’ll be Wildes.”
“No, after we’re married, I’ll still be Stella London. You’ll still be Beck Wilde. Our babies will be London-Wildes or Wilde-Londons.”
“That’s ridiculous. We’re not having kids with a double-barreled name.”
“Then they’ll be Londons,” she said.
I grinned—partly because she knew I’d give in to just about anything she wanted. But mainly because she hadn’t told me how she had no intention of marrying me.
Because she usually did. Every time I asked her. And I asked her a lot. Stella was a prize I’d never give up fighting for.
A familiar hand gripped my shoulder. “Not bad, mate. Not bad at all,” Dexter said as he came up behind us.
“Not bad? You want to see the interior,” I said.
“It’s incredible,” Stella said. “It’s the real estate equivalent of a diamond.”
“You got that wrong,” Dexter said and the gleam in his eye meant only one thing—he’d found a stone he’d been chasing.
“You deal in coal,” I said. “I prefer bricks and mortar.”
“Stop teasing Dexter,” Stella said.
“You keep hold of this one,” Dexter said. “She’s special. Women like Stella don’t come along more than once in a lifetime.”
“I know, mate. It hasn’t happened for you, yet. But it will.”
Dexter smiled and nodded—clearly not wanting to get into it but not believing me either.
“I have a feeling that this time next year, we’ll be double dating,” Stella said. “I mean, any girl would be lucky to have you—funny, handsome, and millions of pounds worth of diamonds at your fingertips on a daily basis.” She turned to me. “If this guy hadn’t tricked me into falling in love with him, I’d be first in the queue.”