Mike awoke to find Devon still cradled in his arms, her hair spread across his pillow, her hand gripping his arm like she, too, wanted to hold tight and never let him go. He smoothed the hair off her beautiful face as she stirred from sleep.
“How is my morning dove?” He kissed her forehead.
“I think I’m in heaven.” She stretched, her toes reaching for the end of the bed before she again snuggled up against him.
“I can relate to that.” Mike drew circles on her shoulder with his finger while he thought some more. “I’ve been thinking.”
“Oh, no. I don’t like the sound of that. What have you been thinking?”
“I need someone like you, someone who can problem-solve and spot issues before they become problems.” He rested his hand on her hip.
“Someone like me.” She rolled onto her back.
“Come work with me, Devon.” He took her hand and held it against his chest. “Let’s put our efforts together and help others live a better life.”
“Let me get this straight. You want me to quit my job, move to Philadelphia, and work for you?”
“Not for me, with me. There’s a big difference.”
She curled her arms into her chest and tucked her hands underneath her chin. “That is not a good idea.”
“Why not?” He kissed her hair and pulled her closer.
She didn’t pull away. “Because what if you change your mind about us?”
“I won’t,” he said.
She tensed under his hand. “If not for your sister’s wedding and my fast problem-solving abilities, we might not even be together,” she teased. “Admit it…just yesterday you had misgivings about this relationship.”
“True, but now I realize we’re just wasting time, and I don’t want to waste any more. I want to be with you, Devon. Let’s work together to build something amazing.”
Her eyes sparked. “Does building something amazing include building a family?”
“If you’re asking if I will support you and our child, the answer is yes.” Excitement surged through him. “You’re very important to me, Devon. I would love any child of ours.”
She snuggled deeper into his arms, throwing a leg over his hip. “Do you think your parents are going to be okay with us being together?”
“Why wouldn’t they be?”
“Being Kayla’s friend is one thing. Becoming a family member is a completely different story.”
He understood she might have insecurities stemming from her single-mother upbringing and his family’s lavish lifestyle, but his parents wouldn’t see Devon as anything else other than the kind, generous, smart, gorgeous woman she was. He wasn’t worried about others’ pettiness, and neither should she be.
“Plus, I don’t know about you giving me a job.” Her tone was calm, but that calm was what bothered him.
“Please don’t talk yourself out of moving to Philadelphia. It’s a nice place to live with plenty of museums, arts fairs, and it’s just a train ride to New York. We can catch some shows.”
“Maybe I should keep my job, earn my own way. I wouldn’t want you to second-guess the reason I took a job at your company.”
“But my company needs talented people like you,” he added with a thrust of hope. If she decided to keep her Hartford job, he feared the distance between them might cause issues.
He needed to act fast.
“Tell you what. There’s an innovation engineering role my vice president of operations just created. And trust me when I say it’s a juicy offer. The person who gets the job will work with a team of engineers who will have access to all the latest technology and get to create the next best thing on the market. I won’t have anything to do with the hiring. The VP of engineering is brilliant, and she only hires the best.” He touched her nose to get her attention. “And you, my dove, are the best.”
“Even if I got the job, there’s another problem.”
“What’s that?”
“I have an unbreakable rule. I don’t date people I work with. It just leads to problems.”
“But you’re a problem-solver. I’m sure we can come up with a compromise.”
She buried her face against his chest, and he couldn’t see her eyes. He tightened his grip around her shoulder.
“You are an intriguing woman. You know that, right?” He nudged her head closer with his arm so he could feel her lips on his skin.
“Intriguing? How?” She tilted her head back, her wide eyes glinting in the light.
“There are women who would jump at this offer. The position comes with status and a nice salary, but I get the impression you would turn the job down just so we can continue dating.”
“I told you the truth when I admitted to loving you. I have secretly loved you for a very long time, Mike. You and your family are more important than any job.” She looked away. “I’m tired of struggling alone. If two people are truly together, there’s nothing they can’t accomplish.”
“You wouldn’t be working for me directly. Managers dating direct-report employees is prohibited. I am not excluded from those rules.”
She pushed out of his arms and sat up. “See? Even your human resource team agrees with me. Dating at work is not a good idea. I appreciate the intention, but the solution is flawed.” She shrugged, and tears welled in her eyes.
“However.”
She turned to look at him, waiting.
“There is one more option.” He tugged her tighter against him.
“Which is?” She wiped her nose with the edge of the sheet.
“There’s nothing that says a husband and wife can’t work together.”
Her hand flew to her chest. “Are you… Are you asking me to marry you?”
“There is one way we both can get what we want.” He lifted a strand of her hair to wrap it around his finger. “Marry me. You already gave me what is essentially a signed prenup, but I have a feeling you and I won’t need a legal agreement.”
“When I signed that piece of paper, I meant every word. The only things I want from you, Mike Lewis, are your love and your children. Anything else is just a cherry on top.” She leaned closer. “But don’t play games.”
“Who’s playing? You’re the perfect woman for me, Devon Gaines. Become my wife. Let’s build a life together.”
“Then if your offer is real, my answer is yes.” She kissed him. “Yes. Yes. Yes.”
“I love you, Devon.” He rolled her onto her back to make sure she could see the love in his eyes. “You are the woman made for me, but I’ve been too blind to notice. You were right here all this time. Marry me, Devon. Complete me. Help me find balance in my life.”
“I can’t…” she whispered, as the tears streamed down her cheeks.
“Why not?” The hurt almost gutted him.
“You didn’t let me finish.” She giggled and threw her arms around his shoulders. “I can’t believe you asked me to marry you. I couldn’t love you any more right now if I tried. When do you want to get married?”
“How about tomorrow? Most of my family is here for another couple of days.”
“Tomorrow? Really?” She kissed him hard.
“I don’t see why not. And it’ll happen so fast, even the paparazzi will be caught off guard. It will just be us and family.”
“I like the sound of that.” She slid a hand down the side of his face. “I love you, Mike Lewis. I hope you hear me this time, because I’ve been saying it for a long time. You just haven’t noticed.”
“You have?”
“Who do you think nominated your company for the World Tech Awards? Or sent your lead design engineer notes about how to solve a connectivity problem? I’ve been helping you solve problems for years. You just never knew it.”
Mike’s heart swelled with adoration and surprise. Could this woman be any more awesome? “What did I ever do to deserve your love?”
She shrugged. “You decided to change the world. Who couldn’t love a man like that?”