Читать книгу Brides, Babies And Billionaires - Мишель Смарт, Rebecca Winters - Страница 42

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

‘AND IF YOU look over there you’ll see Camps Bay Beach and the Atlantic Ocean. Beautiful, isn’t it?’

Callie pointed out the area for her guests, and watched the sun cast its orange glow over the city, grateful that Cape Town was showcasing its romance for the couple. She smiled and walked to the other side of the mountain, giving them privacy. And giving herself time to think, to grieve for the man she would have loved to share the experience of sunset on the mountain with.

‘I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything quite as beautiful in my life.’

Callie heard the words and for a brief moment wondered if she had conjured him up again. But when she turned around Blake was standing in front of her, looking directly at her.

She squared her shoulders. ‘What are you doing here?’

‘I came to talk. I thought that you would have no choice on a mountain.’ He smiled slightly.

She bit her lip, feeling the heat of tears threaten. Why couldn’t he just leave her be?

‘How did you know I was here?’

‘Kate. Connor. A number of other people who gladly offered me the information when they realised we were together.’

‘You told them that?’

He took a step closer. ‘I did. I wanted them to know how serious I am about the talk we’re going to have.’

Her heart ached with longing, with heartbreak. The combination left her a little breathless.

‘I have guests here, Blake’ She gestured to the couple. ‘I don’t think I’ll have much time to talk.’

‘That’s okay. They’re with me.’

It took Callie a moment to process that. ‘What do you mean, they’re with you?’ She repeated the words slowly, hoping it would help her make sense of it.

‘I mean I asked some friends of mine to request a tour. I knew you wouldn’t come if it wasn’t for your guests, so I called in a favour.’

His eyes were so serious, so hopeful, that her indignation faltered. And her heart wondered what was so important that he’d had to pull strings to see her. She turned to the couple, who waved gaily at her, and felt the ends of her mouth twitch. And then she noticed that the mountain had cleared in the moments she’d spent with Blake, and that her pretend guests were also moving in the direction of the cable car.

‘Blake, I think the last cable car of the day is leaving.’ She said the words even as her mind told her that it wasn’t supposed to happen for at least another hour.

‘No, there’s one more. For us.’

She looked at him in surprise. ‘How did you...?’ But she trailed off when she saw the determination and the slight desperation in his eyes. ‘You did all this for a moment alone with me?’

He nodded and took her hand. Tingles went up her arm as he led her to the end of the mountain where it overlooked the ocean. They stood there like that for a while, and then he spoke.

‘I’ve been trying to find the words to tell you how sorry I am since the moment I realised how wrong I was.’ His hand tightened on hers, and then he stuffed it in a pocket. ‘I did things so poorly. I made decisions for you, for us, without talking to you. I let my fears become more important than my need for you.’

He turned to her and she resisted the urge to comfort him.

‘And I do need you—more than I’ve needed anything else in the world.’

Her lips trembled and she took a deep breath, trying to figure out what to say. But he continued before she had a chance to respond.

‘I have been so miserable since you walked out through the door of that office. I justified my actions, and cursed them, and I went back and forth doing that for a long time. And then I spoke to Connor, and I knew I was wrong.’

‘You what?’

Blake gave her a nervous smile. ‘He caught me moping in the office and offered me some advice.’ Then he grew serious. ‘My whole life I’ve tried to avoid disappointing the people I care about. I thought that by being in control I could do that. And then you came along, and I’ve never felt less in control in my life.’

He exhaled, looked out to the ocean.

‘I was falling for you even when I was trying not to. Then we got to know one another, and I knew the falling would never stop. Not with you.’

He looked back at her and she felt her breath catch.

‘It scared me, Callie. I’ve never felt the way I feel about you. And I began to think about how I’d lost my mother, how much it would break me if you left. I thought about Brent, about disappointing him, and how it would hurt if I did that to you. How I had failed in my marriage, with my family, and how I wouldn’t survive if I failed you. If I failed to give you the family you deserved.’

He reached a hand up and touched her cheek, and without even realising it Callie leaned into it. ‘I thought the only way to prevent that was to leave. I couldn’t break you, disappoint you or fail you if I left. But by doing that I did all those things, and I’m so, so sorry.’

His voice broke and Callie took a step forward, wanting to comfort him.

‘I know, Blake. I know that you thought you were doing the right thing.’ She looked up at him, drew a ragged breath. ‘I was scared, too. I realised I was in love with you but I had no commitment from you besides the things we’d shared. I convinced myself that it was enough. I convinced myself that loving you would be okay even if I lost you. Because I loved you.’

She couldn’t stop the tears now, even if she wanted to.

‘And then I did lose you, and it hurt more than I could imagine because you chose to leave me.’

‘I’m sorry.’

He pulled her into his arms, and the pieces of her heart stirred.

‘For everything. I can’t imagine ever hurting you like that again.’ He drew back. ‘I’m not going to leave, Callie. I will never leave you.’

‘Why should I believe you?’ She whispered the words that whirled around in her mind, keeping her from accepting what he was saying.

‘Because this week has been the worst of my life.’ He gently brushed a piece of hair from her face. ‘And it’s made me realise that I want to give you the family you want. I want to create a legacy with you.’ He tipped her chin up so that she could look at him. ‘Believe me, because I’m telling you I won’t leave you. Trust me.’

‘Why?’

‘Because I love you, Callie. And if you still love me let me prove to you for the rest of my life that I will stay with you. That I will fight for you. For us.’

And with those words—the words she’d dreamed about hearing from him—her broken heart healed and filled.

‘I still love you.’

He smiled tenderly at her. ‘I hoped you would.’

‘So much that it scares me.’

She looked at him, and the agreement in his eyes comforted her.

‘I am, too. So let’s be scared together.’

He got down on one knee and Callie’s heart pounded and melted at the same time. Suddenly she became aware that the sun had set and that their only source of light now came from candles and lanterns, all over the top of the mountain. And then she saw the ring—a large diamond sparkling brightly up at her surrounded by what seemed like a thousand smaller ones—and she realised Blake was offering her the biggest assurance he could that he was staying.

‘Will you marry me, Callie McKenzie?’

‘You want to marry me?’

‘I really, really do.’

She laughed, and nodded, and was swept up into his arms before she had a chance to wipe the tears from her cheeks. Her hand shook as he slid the ring on her finger, and then he kissed her, and any remnants of fear she’d had disappeared. The kiss was filled with all the longing they’d felt for one another since they’d been apart, with the joy of their future together, with the heat of their passion. And when they finally drew apart they were both breathing heavily.

‘We’re engaged,’ she said when she’d recovered, and she looked at the ring on her finger.

‘We are.’ He smiled and drew her back against him. ‘I’m thinking we should get married at the hotel. A rooftop sunset wedding could be pretty amazing.’

‘I think that would be perfect.’ And then she realised she hadn’t even asked him about the deal. ‘Did we get an investor?’

‘We did. Marco signed the papers a few hours ago. He’s going to be a silent investor. Although he did say he will still actively try to poach you.’ He waited as she laughed, and then said, ‘I have so many plans for the hotels. I can’t wait to do it all with you.’

‘So I’m going to help with the Owen legacy, huh?’ She smiled and drew his hands tighter around her waist as they looked down at Cape Town at night.

‘Yeah. Which means it’s probably only fair that I help you with your legacy.’ He looked down at her with a glint of amusement in his eyes. ‘Family, right? I think the best way for me to show my commitment to you is if we start on that as soon as possible.’

Her laughter rang out on the top of Table Mountain, and for the first time since her parents had died Callie finally felt whole.