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She had expected as much. It would probably take some time before he was comfortable with her going to the office alone. Monica fully expected Ryker to be sitting on her couch in her office for the foreseeable future.
"And that's why I love you."
The words slipped out of her mouth. Any hope that Luke didn't hear them vanished when he stalked across the small room and wrapped his arms around her.
Monica met his gaze in the mirror. "You love me, huh?"
It wasn't how she expected to say it the first time but that didn't make it any less true.
"Yes, I love you. It's crazy considering we've only known each other for a short time but I think I knew even before everything happened. It was blatantly obvious when all I wanted to do was return to you."
Luke turned her around to face him. "There's no timeline on love. Anyone who says differently can kiss my ass. I knew I loved you before we left Rome. I couldn't get you off my mind and it killed me that we might never have a chance."
She ran her hand across the stubble on his jaw. "We always had a chance. I just needed the right push. Thankfully I have friends willing to give it to me." She rolled up on her toes and brushed her lips across his. It wasn't meant to be anything more than a comforting gesture.
"Are you sure you don't want to stay here? We can find something better to occupy our time."
"I'm sure," she laughed. "The sooner we get there, the quicker we can come home."
They did not get there faster because Luke insisted on messing up her hair, makeup, and outfit. Not that she minded, but walking into the office with a fresh-fucked look probably would not have been her smartest decision.
Not when the first thing Amelia said to her, as soon as she stepped off the elevator, was that Mr. Carmichael was waiting for her in his office. He had supposedly advised both Amelia and his secretary that Monica was to come straight to him the moment she arrived, no matter who he was meeting with.
"I don't think this bodes well for me," she whispered to Luke as they walked across the office. It felt like she was walking the plank. Each step took her closer and closer to her doom.
"Say the word and I'll be in the meeting with you."
Monica shook her head. “That would only make things worse. I got this." She knocked and stepped through Carmichael's office door.
"Monica." Carmichael actually looked up and acknowledged her presence. A big change from how he normally greeted her. "Please come take a seat."
She wasn't sure what to think when he motioned for the couch instead of the seat directly across from his desk where she usually sat. For a brief moment, she wondered if this was a case of body snatching. Not in the ten years that she'd worked for the company had she ever seen Carmichael this happy.
"Is everything okay? Amelia said you wanted to see me right away?"
"Of course. I wanted to see how you were doing after the kidnapping. I can't believe Samuel was behind this again."
Now she knew something was definitely off. Carmichael hadn't uttered his former business partner's name since everything happened with Ash.
"I'm fine. I'll be ready to come back to work tomorrow."
Carmichael waved her off. "Nonsense. Take a couple of days. After everything that happened with your car, your townhouse, and now the kidnapping, you deserve some time off."
"Ummm . . . " Monica wasn't sure what to say. Nothing about what was happening was normal. "Are you okay?"
Carmichael laughed. Actually laughed. She hadn't thought the man knew what that sound was. "I told Ash you would be suspicious. She flew in this morning and read me the riot act. Basically told me that if I didn't get my act together, I would never see my granddaughter again. I'm not sure even she could be that cruel, but it made me realize how important this must be to her if she was willing to make such a grievous threat."
Monica should've known her best friend was behind this.
"You don't need to worry. I'm more than willing to come back to work tomorrow and I can talk to Ash. She just worries."
"As she should. You know how much I love this company, and after Ash's mother died, I threw myself into work. I wasn't the best father. I made plenty of mistakes over the years, but it was always done with this company in mind. I knew you were right for the job even before Ash suggested it. I see the same drive in you that I see in myself. The only difference is you also know how to have a personal life. That's important, and I needed to know, when it was time to retire, that I made the right choice."
She waited for him to continue but he never did. Monica felt like she was sitting on pins and needles waiting to see how he finished that statement. When it never came, she finally caved.
"And did you?"
"Yes, Monica. I've always known I made the right choice. I was just too stubborn to admit it even to myself. My daughter made sure I corrected that. I called you in here because I wanted you to be the first to know. I'm retiring at the end of next month. My granddaughter will hold all of my shares, Ash by proxy until she's twenty-five, but you will be the sole person running the business. I'll be around if you seek advice, but I know you can do this. You've earned it."
