The Billionaire’s Fake Christmas Engagement - Leslie North Page 0,50
things out.”
“A gift to yourself.”
“Yes.” Anna laughed. “You didn’t just come for burgers, did you?”
“No way.” Elena released her and tucked her feet up under her on the sofa. “I came for movies, too. As long as you didn’t watch everything available on Netflix already.”
“Not everything,” Anna said. It would work out, she told herself as Elena browsed through Netflix, finally choosing a sci-fi movie with lots of aliens and no romance. Yes, it would all work out.
20
The cake looked ridiculous.
It was Gabe’s third version of the dessert he’d baked, and it still looked slightly lopsided and fallen in. This was the first one he’d bothered to frost, and the frosting wasn’t anywhere near perfect. His hands itched to make it exactly right—with perfectly straight edges and a flat top and impeccable piping on the sides, but perfection wasn’t what mattered. Even if he felt it down to his bones, what mattered was showing that he’d listened. It was about showing Anna that he didn’t have to live within the old constraints of his family. Constraints that had fallen away after his grandmother’s conversation with him.
He turned the cake around on the makeshift stand one more time. “If you wait until it’s perfect, you’ll never leave,” he told himself aloud, feeling more than a little silly. But it was true. If he waited until he became a master baker to fly to Vegas, then he wouldn’t make it, and Anna would think she didn’t mean the world to him.
Gabe took his phone out of his pocket and dialed a familiar number. “Ready the plane.” It was Christmas Eve, and there wasn’t much time left before all the family traditions began. He hated activating the crew on Christmas Eve, but it couldn’t be helped. Hopefully, what he had to do wouldn’t take long, and they could be back with their families soon. He didn’t want Anna to miss those if he could help it. He wouldn’t miss them if he could help it. But he would if that was what it took to get Anna back.
The cake felt like the most precious object he’d ever carried out of the Elk Lodge. His one concession had been to borrow a cardboard box from the kitchen—they had lots of them for sending leftovers home from lodge weddings, and the bright red box was perfect for this time of year. Gabe held it on his lap all the way to the airport, where his private jet waited for him. The driver got out and opened the door, reaching for the box, but Gabe put his hands over it. “I’ve got it,” he said, not wanting anyone to take it.
All the way to Vegas he tried to keep his thoughts positive regarding the outcome of the meeting with Anna. He couldn’t let her walk out of his life, and he’d do everything in his power to convince her, but the scary part was not knowing if she’d agree.
Anna left the Elk Lodge believing a person could never overcome their mistakes. And the fake engagement had been his mistake, not hers. And her family? No. A person’s family wasn’t what mattered. Anna’s family was a part of her, but they weren’t all of her.
Gabe’s heart beat hard with all the love he felt for her. And that was what mattered the most.
The plane landed and he hustled into the waiting car. He had the address to her one-bedroom condo from a previous meeting, and he gave it to the driver. The closer they got, the more he wished he’d been able to get through to her phone. Was she even going to be home when he got there?
Gabe’s heart was in his throat by the time the car pulled up in front of the building. “Wait here,” he told the driver. The afternoon sunshine in Vegas belied the cold temperature this time of year, but it was a far cry from the snow and chill of the resort in Colorado, and the breeze stroked his face as he made his way to the main entrance. A list of names and numbers decorated the call box, and he used a knuckle to press the one next to Anna’s name. The deep buzz came from far away. Sweat pricked at the back of his neck as he waited. Gabe Elkin was nervous about talking to a woman. A first.
“Hello?” Anna’s cautious voice made him wince, but just knowing she was home helped calm his nerves.