Chapter 14

14

GAbrIELLA

“ A re you sure I look okay?” I ask Caleb again as we ride the elevator down. He is the picture of perfection in his suit. You can tell it was made for him.

I smooth my hands down my sweater. When they’d brought a few items of clothing over for me to choose from, I got flustered. It was all so fancy and elegant. While the dresses were beautiful, I felt awkward in them.

Caleb had sent them out with the dresses, and when they’d come back, it was with an entirely new selection of things for me to choose from. It was still expensive. I can tell from the feeling, but the clothes were more me. I don’t know how Caleb was able to explain what would work for me, but he nailed it. The man is good at everything he does. I have noticed he has an eye for details and catches things others don’t.

I now have on a white knitted sweater with a cute cat on it wearing reindeer ears and a holiday scarf. It is paired with a plaid skirt, the colors matching, along with tights and my Mary Janes.

“I tried to have my way with you, but you stopped me,” he points out.

“You always want to have your way with me.” I laugh.

“It suits you, and I fell in love with you, so of course I would like it.” He drops a kiss on the top of my head as the elevator doors slide open. I stand there for a second, his words catching up to me. He said love, right?

Caleb’s arm shifts to around my waist to guide me off, so I have no choice but to move. Thankfully. I didn’t want to stand there like a dork and then have to explain why.

"All you have to be is yourself, Gabriella. Everyone will adore you."

"I suppose if I landed a sweet man like you, that has to say something about me." He grunts a response.

Caleb does that a lot when I point out what a sweet, good man he is. It's kind of adorable for him to be bashful about it. He is never shy about anything else. He might get confused or not know how to say what he wants to say, but he's not one to hold back if he’s feeling a certain way.

He keeps me tucked into his side as we enter a large banquet room. This building really does have everything in it. The place is filled with people. I notice a lot of them turn and stare when we pass, though they try to hide that they are sneaking glances at us.

"Are you planning to say hello to anyone?" I ask. I give people smiles, but they turn quickly like I busted them staring. I suppose I did.

“I don’t need to.” He leads us over to a bar. “Sparkling cranberry.” Caleb orders for me.

“You don’t want to?”

“I don’t want to share you.”

“It’s not sharing me.” I laugh, melting into his side. I don’t think I’ll ever get over the rush of happiness I feel when I’m reminded of how Caleb wants to keep me all for himself for no other reason than me being me.

I run my finger along the underside of the ring he placed on my finger. That was more than shocking. He’d already had a ring. That said everything I needed to know. And the thing is massive. There is no way anyone could miss it, and they must know it was Caleb who placed it there, given how he keeps me glued to his side.

“Really only here for the Greens.”

“Right.” I remember. “Is there anything I should know?” His assistant had mentioned she knew them to some degree. I’m going to guess talking points or something along that line.

"They want to sell a property, but they are hesitant due to some of the buildings on it."

“Do they own the businesses or only the land?”

“The land, but the Greens are rather generous, and the wife, Martha, is a philanthropist, so a few of those occupied spaces are paying nothing in rent for a couple of organizations.”

“Then, why sell?” If you’re that worried about it, but what the heck do I know?

“The market has changed. I don’t think they have much of an option at this point, but like I said, the Greens are generous. I’m sure that is part of why they are where they are, but they aren’t looking to run off with a ton of cash. They are primarily focused on setting a price and selecting the appropriate recipient.”

“Oh,” I peek up at him. “What kind of organizations?” I find myself asking.

“One is an after-school youth program, and I can’t recall the other offhand.” He shrugs.

"I wish more programs had been offered when I was growing up. Especially after you aged out, but I was always thankful to the ones that did help in any way they could.” I lick my lips. “What would you do with them if you got the property?”

He pauses at my question. I assume he already knows the answer to this. I'm sure the Greens will ask.

"Gabriella." He glances away from me.

"Would you prefer not to tell me?"

“I honestly don’t know.” His brows furrow together.

“And who do we have here?” I turn to see an older woman and man. The man has his arm wrapped around the woman’s waist. They are both very polished, but there is also a softness to them.

“Martha, Ben.” Caleb gives them a slight nod. “This is my fiancée, Gabriella. Gabriella, this is Martha and Ben Green.”

“Oh.” I smile. “It’s lovely to meet you.” I hold out my hand to shake theirs. Martha takes it.

“Fiancée?” Martha’s face lights up at that.

“I somehow got her to agree to marry me,” Caleb responds.

“You're full of it.” I elbow him in the side playfully. “He didn’t really ask. It was kind of an order.”

“That does sound a bit more like Caleb,” Ben says, taking my hand next.

“I know a good thing when I see it.” Caleb kisses the top of my head. “Shall we get a drink? I've reserved a table for us."

“That sounds perfect," Martha agrees. Caleb gets them drinks before we head to the table.

All my worries about fitting in fade away as we fall into effortless conversation with the Greens. Both of them are so easy to speak to. I end up speaking to Martha more, and the conversation ends on the after-school youth program when I tell her a little about my upbringing.

“You know—” Martha glances over toward Caleb and her husband, who are in their own conversation, before she continues. “It makes sense that Caleb fell for a girl like you.”

“What do you mean?” I find myself leaning in closer, wanting to hear this. It’s the first time I’ve really gotten to speak to anyone that knows Caleb. I can’t help but be curious.

“Well, you know,” she shrugs one shoulder, “he has a reputation for being a coldhearted asshole, to put it bluntly. A sweet girl like you must have melted the ice in his veins.”

“What?” I ask, confused. There is no way she is speaking of the same man I know. “Caleb is a sweetheart.” Martha’s brows lift. Now she seems to be the confused and shocked one.

"I suppose you haven't seen the other side of him. Honestly, I came here to tell him to take his money and shove it up his ass. I wanted to do it in person to see his reaction. If I could even get one.”

I sit there stunned with my mind racing. All these little things clicking together. Even though I don’t want to believe it, there were clues. It explains why his employees and other people that have dealt with him in the past were always giving us strange looks. How the heck had I not put it together before?

“I don’t know that side of him,” I admit, wondering what else I don’t know.

“Well, I won’t be telling him to shove it up his ass now that I’ve met you. In fact, I’m going to take the offer. He can’t shut down the programs while you are by his side. Actually, I believe that they will flourish more now that you're involved and can bring a personal experience to the table. It’s clear you have a hold over him. That you have him doing things that are out of character.”

Thankfully, a server stops by to inquire if we'd like more drinks, saving me from having to respond to Martha. At least not without getting my thoughts together.

Honestly, I’m at a loss for words at the moment. I can’t shut down the thoughts and now doubts that have taken residence in my head. The primary one being do I really even know this man I’ve fallen in love with and agreed to marry? I push that thought out immediately. Caleb has been nothing but good to me. He has shown me more kindness and love in the short amount of time that I’ve known him than I have experienced in my entire life.

“I’m going to use the bathroom,” I tell everyone. I need a few moments to get myself together. Caleb stands, pulling my chair out.

“I’ll come with you,” he offers.

“It’s fine, stay. You two have plenty to discuss.”

“We do.” Martha smiles.

I can tell Caleb doesn’t want me to go alone, but he reluctantly relents. I make my way across the ballroom, having no clue where the bathroom is. As I wander around, I spot Lauren, Caleb’s assistant. We lock eyes, and she glares at me again. This time I won't avoid it. I walk over to her.

“Lauren, I really wanted to clear things up about the coffee incident.” She should really be apologizing to me, but at this point, I want to move on. She is a part of Caleb's life. Even with everything Martha said, I still adore him. He grew up in a cold world. Maybe I could melt the ice. I could give him that.

"You're so stupid." Lauren rolls her eyes at me. "Wow." She grabs my hand. "He really took this a little bit too far. I knew he wanted the Greens’ deal, but a fake engagement is overkill. It’s so overboard that it’s actually comical.”

"It's not fake." I jerk my hand back.

"Like I said, stupid." She shakes her head. "Don't you see? He's using you, and it's working. But I get it. You are a perfect fit for what the Greens would adore. Me, not so much."

"You're lying."

Lauren lets out a breath, her expression turning to one of sympathy. "I'm sorry. From one girl to another. It's just who Caleb is. Trust me, I've been there and learned myself." I don't want to believe her. "If I were you, I'd walk away. I should have done it months ago. Caleb doesn’t care about anyone but himself.”

“You think I should walk away?”

“You should run.”

And that’s exactly what I do.