Angelo points his wrinkled finger at a large round sapphire surrounded by diamonds set in white gold. “This one,” he says with a thick Italian accent. “Do you like?”
Harley peeks up at me, her blue eyes wide and watery. She loves it. Even before she says the words aloud, I know this is the ring.
She bobs her head. “Yes, this is perfect.”
“The center gem is a ten carat Ceylon sapphire,” Angelo tells her, lifting the ring from the velvet. “Not as large as Princess Diana’s but close enough.”
And not as expensive.
Harley takes the ring from his hand, appraising it with care. She holds it like a newborn baby, careful not to drop it.
“We’ll take this one,” I say to Angelo. “Do you mind giving us a second alone?”
Angelo nods. “Take as much time as you need.”
Once we’re alone, Harley looks up at me.
“This is…” She blows out a deep breath. “I can’t believe…”
I take the ring from her fingers and drop to one knee in front of her. She gasps at the sight of me below her, still in disbelief that she’s agreed to go through with this marriage. I’m shocked she hasn’t tried to run yet. I was so sure she would bail if given the chance.
Raising the ring in front of her, I grab her left hand, hoping I don’t screw this up. I rehearsed what I would say in my head all day at work. I could hardly focus on the beta feedback for Ashborn with how much my mind drifted back to Harley.
“Harley Elizabeth McQueen,” I say, attempting to still my trembling hand. “You’re the most frustrating woman I have ever known, constantly challenging me at every turn.” She rolls her eyes, a smile still in place. “When we were kids, you were my best friend, the best part of my day, and without you, I would have been lost. A long time ago, we ruled our imaginary kingdom together, and if you’ll marry me, I’ll treat you like a queen, now and forever.”
Tears slide down her cheeks, coating her freckled skin. “Nate,” she whispers. “That was…”
Please don’t say horrible. Stupid.
The worst proposal ever spoken.
“That was perfect.” She covers her heart with her free hand as I slip the ring onto her finger. “Yes, I’ll marry you.”
Before I can push myself up from the tiled floor, Harley sinks down in front of me. She shakes her head, her gaze shifting between the ring and my face.
“I knew you had it in you,” she says.
I give myself a mental pat on the back, thankful I knocked it out of the park.
Harley gives me a wicked grin. “I’m glad you put your pride aside by the end of your speech.” She kisses my cheek, her lips soft against my skin. “Thank you, Nate.”
I sit behind my desk, my gaze flicking between several computer monitors at once. My eyes glaze over as I read through the minutes from the emergency board meeting. Adrenaline surges through my veins, my heart slamming into my chest, as I recall every second of the ambush. Carl Voss bought his way onto the board, and until I can come up with a better solution, Titan Tech owns our asses. Between our financial troubles and my personal life, Queen Takes King is barely hanging on by a thread.
I spent my morning taking it up the ass like a good little bitch, keeping my mouth shut while every board member had their say in my personal affairs. A few members even asked for my resignation from the board. At that point, I broke my silence. That will happen when you learn to suck your own dicks, I told them. So, yeah, not fucking happening. As expected, that didn’t go over well.
Mr. High and Mighty, Carl Voss, looked like he was going to pass out from shock. Wall Street Santa went postal and threw me out of the conference room. At least I had fun fucking with my dad. To top off the shit show, Stefan brought his fuck toy to the meeting, claiming she was there to “take notes.” Though, I’m pretty sure he was getting a handy under the table like a teenager. And my dad told Voss we were wholesome men who understood family values. Yeah, fucking right. We’re animals dressed in Gucci suits with loose morals and questionable business practices.
An email from Danika Kane pops up in the corner of my screen. Cursing to myself, I click on it, expecting to get a rash of shit. I’m sure my dad has told her about the meeting by now. He tells Danika everything. She probably knows what color briefs he’s wearing today.
Hey Little King,
Here’s the deets for the cake testing…
Franklin Hall 7PM. Don’t be late.
I don’t understand why we have to sample cake for the wedding. It doesn’t matter what I want. The women in my life wear the pants. So, I type out a quick reply.