Total pages in book: 115
Estimated words: 108173 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 541(@200wpm)___ 433(@250wpm)___ 361(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 108173 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 541(@200wpm)___ 433(@250wpm)___ 361(@300wpm)
Ugh. So annoying. She was trying to be more assertive around him, but still had about as much defense against his disapproval as a sand castle did against gale force wind.
They were spending the weekend at the beach house in Bantry Bay for Gramps’s birthday. A modern seven-bedroom, multilevel house built into the face of the mountain, with a panoramic view of the ocean, and a huge infinity pool that blended seamlessly with the horizon.
Gramps loved this house. It wasn’t very far from their home in Constantia, but Gramps spent a lot of time here. Often staying by himself for weeks on end. It had come as no surprise that he’d wanted to spend his birthday here as well. It was his retreat. The place he came to relax.
“I’m glad it’s just us,” Ben volunteered with a tight smile and Lilah stared at him, wondering why he looked so odd. If she didn’t know better, she’d swear he was nervous.
But Ben didn’t get nervous, or scared, or agitated, or very excitable. She’d discovered over the years that Ben had three moods.
Impassive, disinterested, and mildly intrigued.
And three months of dating hadn’t changed her opinion. He was attentive toward her, listened when she spoke, offered ideas to help her expand her business. He was happy to do whatever interested her, and showered her with flowers and gifts. He smiled—even laughed—on occasion, and touched her more freely.
But Lilah still felt as if she was standing outside of the impenetrable protective bubble that he’d constructed around himself.
She kept chipping away, considering it a victory if he offered any intriguing glimpse into his inner sanctum… but it was an uphill battle.
Still, he was wonderful to her, despite that. He seemed to want to be around her. Once even tagging along to one of the volunteer photoshoots she did at animal shelters to showcase their adoptees. Lilah—already more than halfway there—had fallen completely in love with him that day. Watching him happily pet and play with those animals, and comfort the scared and anti-social ones, had been eye opening. He clearly enjoyed animals—dogs especially—even when they peed or shed on him, he’d handled each situation with aplomb.
So to see him fidget nervously with his napkin, his cheekbones flushed with color, was unsettling to say the least.
He set aside his napkin and reached for her hand, which was resting, palm down on the table beside her bowl of dessert. She pulled back in shock—this was not a man who was into public displays of affection at all—but he tightened his grip around hers, almost crushing it. His beautiful dark blue eyes pinned hers and she froze beneath that icy, meaningful stare.
“Lilah, sweetheart—” sweetheart? He had never used a single endearment in reference to her before now. “—these last few months have proved to me just how much I need you in my life. I don’t want us to ever be apart…”
He pushed out of his chair and shocked her by sinking to one knee in front of her seat.
Oh, God, he was actually doing this!
Right in front of Gramps.
How could he be proposing? It was too soon. She had so much more to learn about him. She didn’t understand why he would do this now.
“Ben, I don’t—”
“I don’t want to waste another moment,” he declared, interrupting her in a slightly raised voice. Another thing that shocked her because she’d never heard him speak at this volume before. Also, was that a note of warning she heard in his voice?
Nothing about this made sense. Yet there he was—the man she had been falling more and more in love with by the day—on bended knee.
Proposing.
Why was she even questioning this? It was everything she’d ever wanted.
And yet it felt… off somehow.
She glanced over at Gramps, wondering if he would look as baffled as she felt, but he was watching the unfolding scene with a huge, sentimental smile on his face. His faded blue eyes were misty and, while she watched, a tear overflowed onto his wrinkled cheek before disappearing into his beard line.
There was no doubt that he was ecstatic about this proposal.
Ben, who must have noticed her gaze slide to her grandfather, spoke again. “Cyrus, I wanted you here for this special moment, because—while I asked for your blessing months ago—” That was news to Lilah. “—I felt that this moment would be incomplete without you. You’re important to both of us. And I wanted you to know how much I care for and respect Lilah. When you gave me your blessing, I promised you that I would always take care of her. And right now, in front of you, I want Lilah to know that she can count on me.”
He diverted his burning gaze back on Lilah, and the absolute sincerity she saw in his expression, quite literally stole her breath away. “I’ll make you happy, sweetheart. I can’t wait to share my life with you. Have children with you. Grow old with you. Please, say yes.”