Page 113 of The Rebel Billionaire

"I love Charlie," I said, coming to my feet and crossing the room to her. "I love you. Whoever you want to be, Iloveyou."

She took a step forward and threw herself into my arms. "I love you too,Lucas."

I dipped her back and kissed her, unable to wait a second longer to taste her again. It had been a week and it felt like a lifetime. Her arms wrapped around me, and I lifted her, carrying her back to the couch and sitting, pulling her intomylap.

Opposite me, the door cracked open and an unfamiliar face popped in. A set of sharp, ice blue eyes identical to Jacob's peered at us, capped by a head of white hair. As abruptly as she'd interrupted, the stranger withdrew, but not before a grin spread across herwrinkledface.

The door shut with aclick.

Through the thick wood, I heard her shout, "Charlie's good, but I don't think she's coming tobreakfast."

Charlie leaned into me and erupted withgiggles.

"Aunt Amelia?" Iasked.

She nodded. I cupped her face in my hands and kissed one cheek, then theother.

"We have time for this later," I said. "But I want to show you something now. Will you comewithme?"

"Let me just tell Aiden I'mleaving."

I followed her out to the hallway and snagged her backpack from where she'd left it at the base of the stairs. Good to know she hadn't planned onstaying.

She darted into the dining room ahead of me, told Aiden she was okay and she was leaving, then met me in the hall before I could go in. Slapping her palms on my chest, she pushed, backingmeup.

"Don't go in there, trust me. If you go in there, Aunt Amelia will invite you to breakfast, Aiden will insist you stay, and we'll be here foranotherhour."

Seeing the wisdom in Charlie's words, I took her hand and led her out of thehouse.

We were back in the Highlands twenty minutes later. When I drove past our street, Charlie looked at me, her eyebrows raised. I turned half a mile down from where I usually did and wound through the back of the neighborhood, coming to a stop in front of a mid-century modern house that had seenbetterdays.

That style of architecture wasn't unknown in the neighborhood, and some of them had been rehabbed into works of art, but they required a careful hand or no amount of time and money could keep them from lookingoutdated.

This was the house Charlie had been stalking on her tablet. I'd looked into it and it had potential. It was a foreclosure, which meant a slow buying process but potentially a great purchaseprice.

The bank had already done an inspection. It had major issues, one of which was the foundation, but at the right price, we could turn a tidyprofit.

I got out of the car and rounded the front to open her door. She stepped out, looking from the house to me and backagain.

"What do you think?" Iasked.

"What do you mean? I've had my eye on this one, but it's a little out of my price rangerightnow."

"What if we went in on it together?" I asked. "Fifty-fifty. I'm taking a job with Sinclair Security, so my schedule won't be as flexible as it is right now, but I can still domyhalf."

"You want to buy a house with me?" Charlieasked.

She usually wasn't so slow on the uptake. I pulled her close, tilting her face up to mine. Nothing in my life had ever felt as right as Charlie Winters in my arms. Her gorgeous pink mouth beckoned and I kissed her, at home for the first time since I'd walked out a weekbefore.

Hoping she'd understand, I said, "I want to do everything with you, but we can start with thishouse."

EPILOGUE

CHARLIE

Icouldn't believeour first flip house was finally done. It took five months and more money than we'd planned to spend, but it was a masterpiece. I almost didn't want tosellit.

Lucas and I had fallen in love in thishouse.