At Your Service - A.C. Arthur Page 0,67
he said when she nodded for him to continue.
“I didn’t plan on falling in love and neither did you. We planned to do what was best for our businesses. And to be totally honest with you, Nina, I believe in my heart that you and I partnering together in a consulting and development firm that will cater to a full scale of technological needs to the fashion industry is the best career move for us.”
She opened her mouth to speak and Major stepped closer, touching a finger softly to her lips.
“I’m not here to save you, your father or your business. Because you don’t need to be saved. You’re a brilliant, beautiful woman with a bright future ahead of you whether or not you take me up on this offer. But I don’t know how to move forward without you, Nina. You walked into that building all those weeks ago and the moment you bumped into me, you saved me.”
He slid his finger away.
“You saved me from the lonely life I’d resigned myself to because I refused to trust again. You agreed to do what was a crazy job from the start and, every step of the way, all you were concerned with was doing your very best to make that crazy job work, for my family’s company as well as for your own. I can’t thank you enough for your help and I couldn’t let you go without admitting to you that I need you. I want you, for real this time.”
Tears welled in her eyes but she refused to let them fall.
“You knew all I wanted was to take care of my father.” Her voice was shaky and she wanted to stop. She wanted to turn away from him and go somewhere alone to break down under the pressure of emotions that had steadily built with each word he’d spoken.
“You’ve taken care of your family for so long. You thought it was your job, but it wasn’t. Your father asked me to find him a place in New York because he feels that’s the only way you’ll follow your dreams. I did it because I love you and I want your dreams to be my dreams. I want us to do this business thing and the family thing together.”
The first tear rolled down her cheek and she cursed the warm, wet feel of it.
Major used his thumb to brush that tear away.
“You weren’t planning to buy my business,” she said slowly. “You wanted us to be partners all along?”
He nodded. “I would never take anything away from you. I believe what you’ve built can enhance what I’ve started. And my father and RJ loved your ideas about the accessory line for RGF. I told them about it when I was hijacking RJ’s email account to schedule that message you received.”
She chuckled and shook her head. “I knew RJ hadn’t written that.”
“No, but he had a good time saying he told me so while I typed it. My dad appreciated my groveling to you a bit more than I expected, as well.”
He used both hands to cup her face now, tilting her head up to his. “I’m dying to kiss you.”
“Kisses aren’t part of the negotiations this time, Major.”
He froze at her words.
“I want more,” she said, coming up on the tips of her toes to touch her lips to his briefly. “I want a real engagement party where you’ll officially slip my ring back onto my finger, and a huge wedding and when we launch our business, I want it to be called the Gold Service.”
His smile spread slowly and warm tendrils wrapped around her heart. “I think that can be arranged,” he replied.
* * *
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