I bent down and kissed her. She was my everything. I knew my life was never going to be the same. I didn’t want it to be the same. I was getting by, building an empire that was fit for a queen. She was my queen. Together, we were going to take that empire to the next level. Or live on a deserted island if she chose.
I didn’t care. As long as I had her beside me, I could do anything. I would never work another day in my life if that was what she wanted me to do. I would retire tomorrow and live in a small, one-room cabin up in the mountains. In fact, the idea actually sounded very appealing. I didn’t need all the trappings of my wealth.
I only needed her.
Epilogue
Harper
One year later
I stumbled out of bed, a little bummed to find it was empty. I rubbed my eyes and went into the main room of our suite. I smiled when I saw the Christmas tree in the corner all lit up. At first, I wasn’t keen on the idea of having Christmas at the resort, but Chase convinced me he would make it special. I trusted him to do exactly that.
We only arrived back in Vail two days ago. After giving up my apartment and moving all my things to Vail, we had been traveling Europe the last three months under the guise of scouting new locations for our next resort. In reality, we had been enjoying a very long, extended vacation together. It was exciting and romantic to see the world with him. The last year, we worked on our relationship. It wasn’t all smooth sailing but every bump in the road led us to a place that was much better. I looked forward to the coming year. There were bound to be more bumps, but I was ready to tackle them with him.
“Good morning,” he said, bringing me a cup of coffee.
“Good morning to you,” I said, taking the coffee but not drinking it.
He gave me a sweet kiss. “I just made breakfast.”
I rolled my eyes. “Made breakfast?”
“Yes, I picked up the phone and had breakfast made and delivered.”
I laughed, unable to resist his charm. “Thank you. I am very hungry.”
“I thought you were going to sleep in today?”
“I tried but I missed you.”
He gave me another kiss. “I couldn’t sleep. I guess I’m like a kid on Christmas morning.”
“Yes, you are.”
“Eat. I’m going to hop in the shower. Don’t you dare open any of your gifts.”
I grinned, my eyes going to the tree that had quite the pile of gifts underneath. “It’s so tempting. It looks like Santa came while I was sleeping.”
His eyes sparkled with excitement. “Maybe he did.”
He headed for the shower. I put down the coffee and peeled the plastic away from one of the glasses of orange juice on the room-service cart. I lifted one of the lids and found a stack of buttery pancakes. I was starving. I fixed myself a plate and sat down to eat.
The man was intent on spoiling me rotten. He treated me like a queen. At first, it had been difficult to accept his many gifts. He was always getting me things. I realized it was just his way. He didn’t expect anything in return, except my love, and that, I was happy to give.
The last year was a whirlwind. After spending several days locked up in this very suite after New Year’s, we collectively agreed I would go back to work for him. He insisted I wasn’t working for him but with him. He did make me feel like I was a partner rather than an employee. Together, we were working on the rebranding idea he had started with years ago.
We spent a lot of time brainstorming ideas and then had lots of fun making those ideas come to life. I loved my job. I loved my life. I loved him.
“Good, you kept your hands out of the tree,” he said, coming out of the bedroom wearing one of the big fluffy robes.
“I did. My hands were too busy on the cart. As usual, you went overboard with your room-service order.”
“I know you like your breakfast.”
“I do.”
“Are you done eating?”
I looked down at my half-eaten stack of pancakes. “Do I have to be?”