He wasn’t a short-term investor. Once he committed it would be for life. Over the last few weeks she’d exceeded his expectations and surprised him again and again.
He’d expected to be amused by her, but she could tell a story even better than her brothers. He’d never laughed as much as he had with her.
He knew she was good with people, but he hadn’t realized how good until he’d seen her in action. Watching her crack the whip then offer carrots of encouragement gave him a whole new respect for how smoothly her father’s company ran. Small problems didn’t have time to grow into larger ones because she nipped them in the bud. He understood now why she was both adored and respected by the workers. It wasn’t out of deference to her father or brothers. If an argument ensued between two of the crew, she marched out of her office to address it. She could intimidate men twice her size then leave them smiling and smitten when she walked away. He wished his executive staff had half her team management skills.
Grant had never considered himself a people person, but he could listen to her for hours and walk away wishing they’d had more time. His original plan had been to work in the city all week and see Viviana only on the weekends. Being invited back early to attend her first sonogram had been such a relief that he’d given up on the idea of taking things slowly with her. Sometimes even the most careful planner had to leap when his instincts told him to.
As predictable as a sunrise? Not anymore.
I don’t want to go back to that life. I want this—with her.
“I have a surprise for you,” he murmured. “A present.”
“You didn’t have to get me anything,” she said as she checked his hands to see if he was holding anything.
“I know, but I wanted to.” He laughed at the child-like excitement in her eyes.
“Do you have it on you?”
“No.”
“Give me a hint. Living or non-living?”
“I’m not saying. How will it be a surprise if you guess what it is?”
“My family never did surprises. Come on, just a little hint.” She ran her hands up the front of his jacket, but he caught them with his before they reached his breast pocket. Although it wasn’t what he was referring to, he didn’t want her to feel the ring box.
“Let’s go. We don’t want to be late. It’s my turn to cook.”
She laughed. “You mean your private chef’s turn.”
He kissed her on the tip of her nose. “Your family says it counts.”
“It’s cheating.” Her eyes were dancing with the delight of teasing him.
“So is ordering pizza, but we eat it every fifth night.”
Her mouth opened and shut without a word coming out. When a little line appeared between her eyebrows he knew he’d won. “Okay, cough up the surprise. I can’t take it anymore.”
He shook his head and smiled. “Not yet. Grab your purse. I can’t be late.”
She did, then linked hands with him as they exited the trailer together. “You should give me three chances to guess it.”
He pretended to consider it. “In exchange for what?”
Instantly her cheeks reddened and her voice turned breathless. “What would you want?”
Images of her on her knees taking him deeply in her mouth flashed through his mind, but he shoved them back. Just as quick, his accommodating psyche recreated vivid images of how she’d clung to him as he’d pounded into her. He nearly changed his mind and dragged her back into the trailer, but he’d put a lot of effort into making sure the evening would go smoothly.
He had the ring.
He’d invited her family.
They knew where and at what time to meet them.
All that was left was to give her the surprise, give her the ring, and set a date.
He opened the passenger side of his car and picked a folder off the seat. He took it with him after closing her door and walking around to his. Once inside, he tapped the folder on the steering wheel a few times as he considered showing her the contents. “I also have something for your family, but I’m not one hundred percent certain they’ll like it.”
Perhaps it was the seriousness of his tone that brought the look of concern to her eyes. “Do you want me to look at it first?”
Although he appreciated her offer, he tucked the folder on the side of his seat and shook his head. Yes, Viviana had added light and color to his life, but he didn’t want to have the same relationship with her family that he had with his. He wanted to be as real with them as he was with her.
Being himself was something he had never comfortably done in Boston. Here, he didn’t have to be perfect. Things made sense, and people said what they thought. It wasn’t the emotional minefield he was tired of navigating with his own family. At first he’d felt guilty about answering his siblings’ phone calls with brief texts, but giving himself time away from them was freeing.
With Viviana and her family he’d found what he hadn’t known he’d craved—a place where he could be himself. He was excited to finally have a tangible way of showing them what they meant to him.
Go big or go home.
Chapter Sixteen
‡
Viviana was confused when they drove past her father’s home and kept going. She almost said something, but Grant was obviously taking her somewhere else, and wherever it was he couldn’t hide his excitement about it. He glanced at her several times, each time his smile growing wider.
“You have no idea where we’re going, do you?”
“I don’t.”
“I’m impressed with your family’s ability to keep a secret.”
“What did you bribe them with?”
“I may have promised to lend your brothers my Spider.” They pulled over to the side of the road. “But I couldn’t have finished without their help.” He stopped, then added, “Actually, I could have, but it wouldn’t have been as much fun.”
His smile was so bright, so mesmerizing, that rather than look around she simply smiled back at him. She was more excited by the idea that he’d spent time planning something with her family than she could possibly be over wherever they were going. “You’re crazy if you let my brothers drive so much as your lawnmower.”
“I don’t own one of those. At least, I don’t think I do.”
“Uh huh. Well, after my brothers are done with your car, you may not own a Spider either.”
“Viv?”
“Yes?”
“Stop talking and look behind you.”
She turned in her seat and looked out her window. The front of the house she’d told him she was interested in buying was freshly painted, and its yard was beautifully landscaped. What caught and held her attention, though, was her father and brothers sitting on the porch waving at her. “What are they doing there?” The answer came to her in a whoosh. “Did you buy the house?”
“No, you and I did. We bought the houses around it, too, but I thought it’d be too obvious if I started demolish
ing them. It was hard enough to renovate the inside without you noticing.”
“You renovated the inside? In a couple of weeks? That’s impossible.”
He shrugged. “It’s funny what becomes possible if you throw enough money at it.”
She was happy and scared in equal amounts. “That’s a fast renovation.” And a fast step in our relationship. One I’m not sure I’m ready for.
He took her hand in his. “I want to live with you in that house. I want to raise our children there.”
“Children? We’re only having one.”
“I’m sure we’ll want more. I come from a large family. You’re one of three. Money’s not a problem for us so we could have a dozen if we wanted.”
“A dozen?” Her head started to spin as panic rose within her. “That sounds—” Frightening. Exhausting. Crazy.
“Wonderful, doesn’t it?” he finished for her.
“Actually—”
“Viviana Sutton”—he took a box out of his breast pocket and flipped it open, revealing a huge diamond solitaire—“will you—?”
“Let’s take a minute to think about this first.” She snapped the box shut. Oh, my God. Oh. My. God.
He gave her a long look then slowly opened the box again. “It’s an engagement ring,” he said, as if there was a possibility she’d confused it with something else. “The last three weeks have been amazing. We fit. We enjoy each other. Marry me. We’ll make us official and our baby will be a Barrington.”
Reason battled with euphoria. The diamond dwarfed any she’d seen in person and flashed like a lit-up stop sign. “This is so fast.”
“The best way to miss an opportunity is to hesitate instead of acting.”
She hugged herself and glanced again at her family on the porch of the home he’d bought for her. It would be so easy to say yes, but if they made a mistake now, it wasn’t just them who would pay the price. “I don’t know. I need to think this through.”
“What is there to think through? Name the obstacle and I’ll remove it.”
With her heart thudding wildly, she searched his face. He was sincere. But— “What does your family think of us getting engaged?”
