Rock Star Billionaire

"Something like that," I nodded as she ran her hands across the marble countertops and admired the modern silver hardware on the drawers.

"I can only imagine what it will look like once you've got furniture in here," she said, moving on to the dining room and then standing at the top of a small set of stairs that led down into a den area with a fireplace on one wall and a set of French doors that led out to the back patio across from it.

"Want to see the upstairs?" I asked, knowing it was unlikely that she'd say no.

"Of course I do! Lead the way, boss!" she grinned as she followed me toward the staircase. Our footsteps echoed on the wood as we climbed to the second floor, and I let Leah take the lead as she made her way through the upstairs, opening doors and looking into various rooms.

"This is really quite lovely, Jack," she said as she peered into a room that had been custom built as an office full of cubbyholes and shelving. "You've picked very soothing colors and clean lines."

"Check this out," I said, opening the door to the master bedroom. It was an enormous space that took up the entire back half of the upstairs and looked quite similar to the downstairs den, complete with a fireplace on one side and a set of French doors that led out to the balcony which overlooked the pool and the yard stretching out behind it. Leah stood staring out at the scenery for a long time before turning around and leaning against the rails of the balcony.

"You've built an incredible house, Jack," she said looking up at me. "I'm sure you'll be very happy here."

"Thank you. It is quite a house, indeed," I said as I walked toward her. "But it's not a home yet. It's still missing something important."

"Yes, well, furniture will definitely help that!" she laughed as she looked away.

"That's not what's missing," I said as I reached out and took her hand. She looked up with a confused expression as I continued, "Leah, I know you don't want us to date while we're working together, and I respect your reasons. But since the moment I met you I knew you were different, and while the past few months have been a challenge, they've also made everything much clearer to me."

"How so?" she asked, holding my gaze.

"I knew I wanted you, but I didn't know what I was willing to do to earn you," I admitted with a wry grin. "I've been used to getting most anything I wanted, and you showed me that there's an advantage to working for some things."

I looked down into Leah's blue eyes and took a deep breath before I continued.

"I don't like the distance between us, and I want to do something about it," I said. "So, I renovated this house in the hope that you would..."

"You think I'm just going to pick up and move in with you because you have all the money in the world to buy things that you think I might like?" she asked.

"No, I didn't …" I began.

"Look, it's nice of you to offer, and the house that you've picked is definitely a nice one, but I'm not interested in some kind of live-in arrangement," she sighed. "Six months ago, I might have jumped at the offer, but now … well, now I want something more. You've shown me that I am capable of getting more."

She let go of my hand and walked across the deck toward the bedroom. Her shoulders slumped as if she'd had all the air let out of her.

"Leah!" I called causing her to turn around. I could see that there were tears welling up in her eyes. I inhaled and swiftly crossed the deck to where she stood. I pulled her into my arms and held her tightly against my body. "I wish sometimes that you would hear me out before you jumped to conclusions."

"It's just that I can't …" she began as she choked back a sob.

"Leah, I wasn't asking you to move in with me," I said as I reached up and ran my fingers through her curly dark hair. "I love you, and I was asking you if you'd be interested in something more permanent. Oh, say, like marrying me?"

"Wait, what?" she said swallowing hard and looking up at me, again, confused.

"I'm asking you if you'd consider marrying me," I repeated as I watched her struggle to comprehend what I was asking.

"But what about Riley?" she countered.

"Well, funny you should ask," I said as I reached into my pocket and pulled out a small blue box. "She helped me pick this out."

I flipped open the box to reveal a perfect diamond in a traditional Tiffany setting. Once I had talked with Riley about what I wanted to do and gotten her approval, she and I had spent an afternoon shopping for rings. I wasn't sure how Leah would feel about the fact that I'd discussed things with Riley first, so I held my breath as I offered her the ring. I said, "Leah Walsh, will you do me the honor of accepting this ring and agreeing to be my wife?"

"Jack!" she cried as she stepped back and buried her face in her hands. For a moment, I thought I'd made a mistake and dread began to take hold, but then Leah looked up with a smile on her face and tears running down her cheeks. She simply said, "I love you, too. Yes."

I swept her into my arms and swung her around in circles as she buried her face in my shoulder.

"You silly man, of course I'll marry you!" she laughed once I put her down and slipped the ring on her finger.

"Phew, I thought maybe you were pissed at me," I admitted.