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“We’re really doing this?” she asked, taking the key from my hand and placing hers inside.
“We are. Is this still cool with you?”
“Most definitely. I’m not afraid of this, of us, anymore. For so long, I let people that hurt me in the past shape the way I lived and loved. No more.”
I gave her a quick kiss and pulled her into my chest. “I’m so fucking proud of you, Cheyanne. Seriously.”
“I wouldn’t have gotten here without you. Thank you.”
She returned her lips to mine for another kiss, and as much as I didn’t want to, I pulled away. “If we keep this up, I’m going to be inside of you.”
“You say that like it’s a bad thing.”
With a quiet laugh, I released her. “It’s never a bad thing, but if we want to spend our first evening living together like we said, we can’t get distracted.”
“You’re right, you’re right. Okay! So, grocery store, candlelight dinner that we make together, soaking in the bathtub, and then you get to come inside.”
“That sounds like the perfect plan to me.”
When she turned, I smacked her ass, and she swatted me away, which somehow led to me chasing her into our bedroom where we proceeded to have the ultimate tickle fight. It was some shit I didn’t think I’d ever do in my life, but each time she erupted in laughter, I wanted to do that corny ass shit more.
26
One Month Later
Cheyanne
It was admin day at the office, which meant we had no meetings or calls. Technically, Chandler didn’t have to come in today, but he wanted to get caught up on some things. I’d decided to start school online next fall to give myself time to adjust to my new relationship and schedule at work, plus working alongside Saveth to build her art collection. I tried to wait until I was done with school, but she wanted my expertise now, which meant a hell of a lot to me.
With my new schedule, I had a day out of the week that I devoted to art, while the remaining four days were spent at the office. Two days were full days, and the others were half days, in preparation for when I’d start school. Chandler and I had a strict no working on weekends rule, and for him, the weekend started on Friday. His golf days were almost religious at this point, and now, Papa went with him along with my future father-in-law.
Having a genuine relationship with his parents was a blessing. It felt like a second chance to have a mom and dad since mine weren’t around. I loved that Janet and Marcus were intentional with making sure I knew they were my parents and that they wouldn’t automatically side with their son if we came to them with issues. I honestly didn’t see that happening often, because Chandler and I were good at communicating our issues, but it felt good to know they’d have my back.
As I went through the last of the files for the day, my curiosity piqued at the sight of one with CTJ written on it. I didn’t want to assume Chandler had written that for Cheyanne Taylor Jones, but that’s what my intuition told me. When I opened the file, I had to sit because my knees wobbled. It was a title and deed, in his name and mine, for an island.
A Caribbean Island in the Bahamas.
The more I read, the more I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. The forty-five-million-dollar island was four hundred and thirty acres. It was mostly beaches with elevations and a natural harbor. There was space for a golf course and marina that it had already been approved for.
It could be used as a resort because it had five one-bedroom beachfront villas already built with wraparound decks, along with a main house that had three bedrooms. There was also a building that operated as a welcome center, along with a spa and gym. In the center of the villas was a restaurant and bar plus a small convenience store. It was perfect. Absolutely perfect.
My legs and hands shook as I left my office and went to his. Amy asked me was I okay, and all I could do was nod. I barged into his office, not bothering to knock like I usually would. There was a smile on his face as he talked on the phone, but at the sight of my tears, he frowned and immediately ended the call.
Chandler stood and charged in my direction.
“Who did it?” he asked, ready to take on the world for me, like always.
“You,” I muttered with a smile, wiping my eyes. “I don’t think I was supposed to find this but…” I handed him the file, and his body relaxed when realization settled in.
“Yeah, this was supposed to be a surprise. I’m finalizing things with the caretaker, and I wanted to get the place fully staffed before I took you there and told you.”
For a while, all I could do was stare at him. He stood there, casually talking about the island he’d bought me like it was nothing.
“You bought me an island?”
Chandler shrugged with a nod. “Yeah. You like water and islands, so I figured I’d get you one.”
Sniffling, I gritted my teeth, trying to keep my tears from falling.
