Chapter 7

7

DRAKE

I t isn't until I get the notification that a plane ticket has been purchased on my business credit card that I even realize anything is wrong. Because apparently, I'm the densest man in the world.

Kenneth Hopper called me just before I went on stage, telling me he was ill, but his intern Meredith would be meeting me to conduct the interview instead. Never once did I consider telling Ellie about the change. I guess I take it for granted that she isn't omnipotent. She seems so all-knowing all the time that sometimes I forget.

So when the interview runs long, and I return to our suite late, I figure she's just gone to get lunch without me. I text Ellie, and when she doesn't respond, I call her.

No answer. Frowning, I go to call again, just as the alert for the plane ticket pops up.

A flight has been purchased. In Ellie's name.

I stare at the screen in shock. And then I call her again.

Still no answer.

Fuck. She’s left me.

I'm going to lose it. I'm going to lose my mind. Because I don't understand. How could Ellie leave like this? What am I supposed to do? I can't believe she would go like this. I feel like my heart has been torn out of my chest. I don't know what to do.

I sink onto the bed, resting my head in my hands. I'm not usually a man who loses control, but this is too much.

Think, man. Think!

I saw her in the crowd during the speech, but once it was done, I went to the interview just like we had planned. The only change was doing the interview with Meredith instead of Kenneth. And then there was that weirdo with the French accent at the cafe counter I caught taking pictures of us?—

Dammit. A French accent. That bastard wasn't some creepy fan; he was one of Claude's lackeys.

From there, it’s easy to put the puzzle of what must have happened together. A video of me with Meredith, shown to Ellie by Claude. Fuck. No wonder she bolted. She thought I was seeing another woman, and I didn't even consider giving her a heads-up that the interviewer had changed. This is all my fault.

I have to find a way to get through to her. This time, I don't call Ellie; instead, I call the hotel concierge. He doesn't even get the greeting out before I'm speaking. "I need a car to the airport and a ticket on the soonest flight to Denver." Then I pause, a wild, spontaneous, insane idea comes to me. "But before the airport, I need to go to a jewelry store. The best one in Salt Lake City. Hurry."

There's no time to waste. If Ellie needs me to prove myself to her, I sure as hell will. And I'll do it in a way that she will never, ever forget.

Ellie is mine. I'm not just going to win her back. I'm going to make it official.

I'm going to make us forever.

It isn't until the next morning, when I'm finally on the ground in Denver, freshly showered and standing in the middle of my apartment, that I realize I don't even know Ellie's address. I'm in love with a woman, and I don't even know where she lives because I haven't paid attention to a single damn important thing since I hired her. She's done all the remembering, and now I've fucked myself.

Oh well. Just another hurdle. Just another mountain to climb. I'll find her one way or another.

No amount of Googling gives me an address, so I find myself in the humiliating position of asking my own secretary at Dragon Ascent, Stacy, for it. After getting over her shock at seeing me back in Denver a day early, Stacy hesitates at my request.

"Legally, I can't give anyone any personal information?—"

"This is me asking you," I say through gritted teeth, "as your employer."

Stacy winces. "I understand, but as your employee, I still can't legally disclose any information."

Unbelievable. I've somehow managed to hire the most morally sound secretary on the planet, and it's biting me in the ass. "Stacy, I own the damn company."

"I know, I know, it's just..." She bites at her thumbnail, looking away from me, obviously in distress.

"Stacy." I lower my voice, trying to be soothing, but the edge is still there. "I just need her address."

Stacy lets out a long breath. "It’s against the rules.”

"No one has to know."

She glances up at me, a calculating look on her face. "She's on the company credit card, right? So her address might be on the account statements..."

"Yes," I say, nodding. "If I could just see one of my business statements, and it just so happens to have her address too, well, that's nothing you did wrong."

"Okay, but only if you promise never to tell anyone I helped."

"Promise." I give her a charming grin. "You're the best, Stacy."

"Oh, stop." She blushes and waves a hand at me, but she's already turning to the filing cabinet behind her desk. "I'll go grab the statements."

After looking them over and Googling the address—an apartment building with an open roof garden—I formulate a plan in my mind at lightning speed.

"Perfect. Oh, and Stacy? I'll write you a bonus check right now for $1,000 if you'll do me one more favor. This one is really easy. All I need you to do is send a text."

Stacy Blanchard: Hi Ms. White. Mr. Evans just stopped in and said to meet him on your roof tonight, and he'll give you your bonus check. He also said you two don't have to talk; you can just take the check if you want.

Ellie White: Tell him to go to hell.

Stacy Blanchard: Oh, well, no. I won't do that, considering he's my boss and all. And he's already left, anyway. Have a good night!

After paying a party planner an obscene amount of money to set the scene, I wait for twenty minutes on the candlelit roof for the love of my life to come out. Rose petals are scattered everywhere, and the mood lighting is unmatched. I hope it will be enough to show I’m not just a bonehead climber.

She's taking so long that part of me thinks she isn't going to show. I'm ready to leave when the door to the roof finally opens, and Ellie appears, wearing a thin white summer dress. I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. She's fucking perfect. It takes everything in me not to sweep her up into my arms immediately.

"You really think I'm going to come up here just because you told me to?" she seethes, her annoyance with me so achingly familiar and beloved that it takes my breath away. There's my girl. "I only came because I didn't want you harassing my neighbors if I didn't."

I don't buy it for a second. "And that's why you're wearing that pretty little dress?"

She scoffs, crossing her arms over her chest. "It's not for you."

"Then for who?" I challenge, stalking forward until I'm looming over her. There's a high color on her cheeks, making affection rush through me.

"It's just a dress," she insists, but I know our close proximity is breaking her down. Ellie looks up into my eyes, and then away. "Stacy said you have my bonus."

"I do. But first, I want you to tell me. Why did you leave Salt Lake City without talking to me?"

She huffs, taking a step back and wrapping her arms around herself. "I didn't want to interrupt your date."

I knew it. This is all a huge misunderstanding, and all I have to do is set the record straight.

I smile triumphantly. "I knew you were jealous."

Her head jerks up, her eyes wild. "I was not."

"Then why did you leave?"

She throws her hands up in frustration. "You're so infuriating! You have these women throwing themselves at you, so why are you here with me? You don’t even care. I'm just your assistant!"

"I do care!" I shout, taking a step toward her. "Ellie, I care about you more than anyone else in my entire life. Kenneth Hopper had the flu. That woman was his intern filling in for him! I was never seeing someone else. And if you'll have me, I never will again."

Ellie has to brace herself against the brick wall of the stairway entrance to steady herself as shock rolls through her. "His … his intern? Are you serious?"

I nod, suddenly exhausted. "I know I'm a lot, Ellie. And I can be demanding, stubborn, and rude. But the truth is, I need you. Not just for the company, but for me. I've been falling for you ever since you came into my office with that ridiculously detailed resume, and I'm tired of pretending otherwise."

I can see her processing this information, her face going slack as she tries to take everything in. It's nerve-wracking, being so open with her, but I know it's worth it. "But Claude showed me this video, and I could hear you talking in it. You said, 'Ellie was just my assistant'.

I feel like I've been slapped across the face. Oh, my poor girl. All this time, she only had a fraction of the picture, and that fraction had been purposely pulled out to devastate her as much as possible. Next time I see Claude Vanderhoven, I will knock that ridiculous smile off his face and his teeth out of his mouth.

"Would you like to hear the entire sentence?"

Already swaying towards me, she nods, trust starting to bleed back into her wide blue eyes.

"Meredith, the intern, asked me about the rumors that I was dating my assistant. A lot of people took pictures the night of the mixer when you were my date. I told her, 'One minute Ellie was just my assistant, and the next I was realizing that I loved her. It happened that fast. So yes, I am seeing the woman who was formally my assistant but is now so much more.' Is that what you needed to hear?"

"Y-you love me?"

"I love you."

"I love you too, Drake." She chokes back a sob, and then she's in my arms, her hands tangling in my hair as she presses her lips to mine. This time, when she kisses me, I can't hold back. I don't want to. I pour everything I have into the kiss, tasting her, reveling in the feel of her soft body pressed against me.

All around us, the candles flicker in the wind, red rose petals stirring. The lights of the city surround us, and I can't think of a better moment to do this. I pull back from our kiss, looking down at her shining, tear-streaked face. "Ellie, I love you. I want you in my life forever. Will you marry me?"

"W-what?" I didn't think it was possible to shock her more than I already had tonight, but apparently, I was wrong.

Digging the black velvet box out of my pocket, I open it so she can see the ring. It's a platinum band inlaid with three delicate diamonds.

I can't believe she loves me. After all the crap I've put her through, she's still here, staring up at me with adoration in her eyes. My chest tightens with emotion, and I realize I'm terrified she'll say no. But she wouldn't have kissed me like that if she didn't care for me as much as I do for her. "I'm asking you to marry me."

Her eyes fly to mine, lips parted in surprise. "Are you serious?"

"Of course I'm serious. I've never been more sure of anything in my life." I reach out and cup her face, the ring still held out to her. "Ellie White, will you marry me?"

"Yes!"

With a relieved laugh, I pluck the ring out of the box, slip it on her finger, and pull her back against me. "I love you."

Her fingers curl into the back of my neck, and she pulls me down for another kiss. "Even if you have to hire another assistant?"

I laugh, "When you're my wife and co-owner of the company, I highly doubt I'll need anyone else."

She kisses me again, the press of her lips to mine telling me exactly what she wants. I'm happy to oblige. "Let me take you home," I say against her mouth. "I need to show you just how much I love you."