Page 41 of The Billionaire's Secret Kiss

"Itisbad business, in a way. I'm going to see about getting a mortgage on my house when I get back. I thought about selling it, but if word gets out I’m selling my house, it will undermine faith in Endicott Tech. I bought it for cash back when I had a ton of it and was looking to invest. I should be able to get a lot of equity on it. Interest rates are low, so it won't be too bad. And I have a few cars I bought for fun and never drive that I could do without. Some other stuff like that. I'll see what I can do to raise enough money to get us through the next few months. If that's not good enough, there's always my savings."

"Noah, that sounds risky."

"It is. If this goes the wrong way, if we take too long to get the product out, I could end up with close to nothing. I could lose the company. Are you okay with that?"

"Noah, I don't care about money. I appreciate that you paid my tuition. It means so much. But I know how to work hard. So do you. Even if I don't finish grad school, we both have marketable skills. We’ll be okay. I'm not in love with Silicon Valley's newest tech billionaire. I'm in love with you. I loved you when we were both doing work-study and hustling for scholarships and grants. If you lose everything tomorrow, I’ll still love you. I'll always love you. Do what you need to do with the company. Follow your gut. I'll be by your side, even if it's from across the country."

"I love you, Els.”

We lay there for another forty minutes, whispering about nothing and everything until an alarm beeped on my phone, reminding me that I needed to get moving if I didn’t want to miss my flight.

Ella made me a sandwich while I took a quick shower. She walked me to the door, waving me off with a smile and her dark eyes filled with tears and hope.

I'd come to Atlanta hoping to score a deal for my company and reconnect with Ella. The deal was history, but I had Ella back, and she loved me.

No business deal, no company, was as important as Ella. As long as I had her, we would figure the rest out. Together.

Epilogue

Ella

"Ido."

The officiant barely got out the words, "I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride," before Tate scooped Emily into his arms, bent her back, and laid a kiss on her mouth that was borderline inappropriate for a wedding.

I don't think Emily minded.

I hadn't been to many weddings, and this one was so small it was more like a family get-together than a formal event, but I knew I wouldn't attend many that were sweeter or more perfect for the bride and groom.

Despite the short timeframe between proposal and wedding, Emily had found a dress that suited her perfectly, sleek, modern, and stylish, just like Emily herself. The dress modestly draped her curves while still being sexy as hell, and she glowed in the white satin, her dark hair pinned into an elaborate coronet of braids and twists, her gray eyes luminous.

Tate wore the standard tux in a deep charcoal gray, his blue eyes bright with happiness and his dark hair a little too long. When he'd said he'd get it cut for the wedding, Emily had demanded he leave it.

Only Holden and Jo stood up with them. As Tate knew she would, Emily had wanted a small, private ceremony. Aside from me, another friend we'd gone to school with, and Sophie, their aunt Amelia's nurse, the wedding guests were all Winters. That said, they were a big family, and we easily filled the formal dining room.

It was a lovely evening and a perfect way to celebrate New Year's day, watching two people I adored pledge their hearts to one another surrounded by friends. The fantastic food and decadent surroundings didn't hurt.

Still, I missed Noah. I hadn't seen him since the beginning of December when I'd taken a week off and flown out to California. He'd been working for some of that time, but he’d taken off as much as he could, and we'd spent a blissful week together.

I liked California. I liked where he lived, right down to the neighborhood. I'd told him I'd love him if he had nothing, and I meant it. If Noah came to me naked and penniless, he would still be my dream man. After seeing his house, though, I was hoping he pulled off his gamble and was able to keep it because it was spectacular.

I hadn't been sure how he expected a mortgage on a house to keep his company going since I'd been under the impression he needed a lot of cash. I’d forgotten that real estate in Northern California isn't cheap, and his modern, custom-built home in the woods with its soaring ceilings, plate glass windows, and the best of everything, designed by a renowned architect, was worth a fortune. Let's just say the equity he pulled out of the house set him up for a while.

If he had to sell it, he'd walk away with nothing, and we’d deal. But if he could keep it, I'd be more than happy living there.

So far, he was optimistic. Their software was almost ready for the market. Actually, a lot of companies would have released it already, bugs and all. The pressure to ship software was so intense that most companies released well before they’d worked out all the issues. With the stigma of Philip Martin's accusations hanging over Endicott Technologies, Noah didn't want to risk shipping a product that wasn't perfect, or as close as they could reasonably get it.

Philip was out of the picture. He'd continued to make trouble for a few weeks after Noah had returned to California. The planned protest had gone off, complete with picketers outside Endicott Tech's corporate offices. When a popular tech blog exposed those picketers as actors, Philip went from righteous vigilante to laughingstock.

The last we'd heard, shortly before Christmas, he'd lost his job. We were prepared for him to come at Noah again, but his reputation had been damaged so much, his threats would carry far less weight.

It wasn't until after Thanksgiving that I found out what had happened between Vance and Noah. Noah had refused to say a word, only telling me that Vance had conditions he wasn't willing to satisfy.

When I'd asked for the week off to visit Noah, Vance had said, "I didn't expect him to take the deal, you know. I hoped he wouldn't, but I had to offer."

"What deal?" I'd asked, confused.

One of Vance's blonde eyebrows shot up. "He didn't tell you?"