“I did indeed. I love the old place, but I wasn’t turning down an offer like that.”
I am still trying to process this as he continues, “I have already sent the paperwork to your office in L.A. I believe you are heading back there now. Just sign it and send the papers to the French Embassy. They will do the rest.”
Shit. “Thank you, Louis. You have no idea how much this means to me,” I say sincerely.
“Clearly someone does,” he says gruffly, pleased with my sincerity. “Although, what you want with my old family home is still a mystery. Anyway, it is none of my business, you have what you want, and I am now an even richer man so seems we are both happy.”
It was my family home long before it was yours, I think, but say, “Very. Thank you.”
“No, thank you. I have a dinner to get to so I will leave you to celebrate. As I will,” he chuckles. “Good evening, Liv.”
“Bye, Louis,” I hang up and tears spring to my eyes. This is CK throwing his hat in the ring. He goes out and buys me the one thing he knows I want more than anything else in the world and at great expense to himself. Shit. Shit. No, fuck. Shit just doesn’t cover it. I pocket my phone and take a deep breath, brushing aside the unshed tears. I open the door to the bedroom, and he looks up at me from across the cabin where he is talking to Sebastian. I hesitate for a second and then run to him, the tears flowing quite freely when he picks me up and holds me tight.
“Thank you,” I say loudly, forgetting everyone else, as I give him a deep, lingering kiss. “Thank you. I love you.”
“You are most welcome,” he says, pleased. “You are happy?”
“Ecstatic,” I say through my tears. “I can’t believe you got it for me.”
“Everything is for sale at the right price,” he says modestly.
“Three billion Euros!” I yell at him. “Fuck’s sake, CK.” I smack his arm and he chuckles.
“It’s nothing,” he shrugs.
At this point, I become aware of my surroundings again and everyone staring at us. “Care to share?” Sebastian inquires.
“He bought me Château Cassis!” I say with delight. “It’s mine. Mine!” I jump up and down like a little kid at Christmas and he smiles at me in amusement.
“You bought her Cassis?” Sebastian asks in amazement. “For three billion Euros?”
“Yes. It was worth every cent to see this look on your face,” he says to me, cupping my face.
Cole stands up and I can sense, not only his fury, but his sorrow. “So, it begins,” he says and stalks off, leaving everyone but the two of us confused. I look back at CK and he is smug. Shit. Torn between the two of them, I hesitate and CK cocks his eyebrow at me.
“I will thank you properly later,” I murmur, and he gets smugger as I turn and follow Cole to the bedroom, leaving everyone gaping between me and CK.
Cole has flopped down on the bed and I go to sit next to him.
He says, “So this is him throwing his hat in the ring? Going out and buying the thing you want most in the world and just giving it to you?”
“Seems so,” I mutter.
“He knows how to make a grand fucking gesture, I’ll give him that,” he says grudgingly. “But, Liv, if that is his starting point, what the fuck is next? I can’t compete with that and he knows it.”
“You don’t need to compete with him, Cole. I love you and I am already married to you. I intend for us to stay that way. Yes, it is the perfect gift and I can’t say that I am not over the moon about it, but it doesn’t change anything.” I take his hand as he smiles at me.
“He will probably buy you the moon next,” he grumbles.
I chuckle. “I’m not sure even he wields that kind of money and power.”
“I wouldn’t put it past him. Three billion Euros? Christ, he just has that lying around?”
“Well, it’s hardly under the mattress, but yes.”
“Fuck. Must be nice,” he mutters but then looks at me as I look away, and he realizes that I, too, probably have that lying around. Which I do, but in all fairness as much as I wanted Cassis, I wouldn’t have dropped that kind of money on it. A grand, over-the-top gesture is exactly what it is to show that he can, and probably more for Cole’s benefit than mine.
“We’ll be landing soon, we should go,” I murmur and stand.