Page 131 of Falling for the Billionaire Best Man

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KAISEN

A year later

Iheld my hand over Dorie’s eyes as I carefully guided her out of the car and onto the sidewalk. “Keep your eyes closed,” I said.

“You have your hands over my eyes,” she said. “If I had them open, you would be massaging my eyeballs.”

I laughed. “Good point.”

The sounds of New York City erupted all around us—honking cars, distant chatter, the hum of the city that never slept. She stumbled a bit over the icy patches still clinging to the sidewalk, her laughter bubbling up as she gripped my arm for balance.

“I smell bagels,” she said. “Are we going to get bagels?”

“Nope.”

I led her a few feet down the sidewalk.

“Kaisen, where are we going?” she asked, her voice equal parts curious and amused. “And why do I have to keep my eyes closed? This feels very dramatic. Are people watching us right now? I’m going to be embarrassed if people are watching and laughing.”

“Just trust me,” I said, my voice steady despite the nerves coursing through me. “We’re almost there. Keep your eyes closed.”

I fumbled with my keys, trying to keep one hand on Dorie while unlocking the door to the building I’d been working on securing for months. Finally, the lock clicked, and I pushed the door open, guiding her inside. The space was dark, but I didn’t want to turn on the lights just yet.

I let go of her, stepping back.

“Don’t open your eyes yet,” I said. “Just give me a second.”

She stood there, her hands still covering her eyes, a small smile playing on her lips. I took a deep breath, my mind racing as I looked around the space. This was it. The moment I’d been waiting for. The moment I’d been planning for months.

“Is something going to jump out at me?” she asked. “I don’t want to scream.”

“Nothing is going to jump out at you. I promise.”

“You better not be lying,” she warned.

The past year of my life had been nothing short of incredible. Meeting Dorie had been the catalyst for everything—the moment my trajectory changed, the moment I realized what I’d been missing all along. She’d brought light into my life in a way I didn’t think was possible, and now, standing here with her, I felt a surge of gratitude and love so strong it nearly knocked me off my feet.

“Dorie,” I said, my voice soft but steady. “This past year… it’s been the best year of my life. And it’s all because of you. You’ve changed everything for me. You’ve made me believe in love again, in the kind of love that’s real and lasting and worth fighting for.”

She grinned with her hands still over her eyes. “Kaisen, what are you doing?”

I smiled, my heart swelling as I looked at her. She looked beautiful in the form-fitting dress I’d surprised her with earlier that evening. The earrings I’d given her were in her ears. She was wearing the necklace I’d gotten her for her birthday and the bracelets I’d tucked into her Christmas stocking. And now I was hoping she’d wear a ring on her finger. At least, whenever she wasn’t elbow-deep in cake batter and icing.

“From the moment I met you,” I continued, my voice trembling slightly, “I knew you were different. You were this force of nature, this incredible, passionate, talented woman who somehow saw something in me that I didn’t even see in myself. And when you licked icing off your finger that day in the bakery… I was done for. You were it for me, Dorie. Even if it took me a minute to realize it.”

I reached into my pocket, pulling out the ring box that had been burning a hole in my jacket for months. I dropped to one knee in front of her. I opened it, the diamond catching the light as I held it out to her.

I still had a chance to back out. She hadn’t seen the ring yet. I was suddenly getting cold feet. This wasn’t right. I should have gone with a million candles.

“Kaisen, are you still there?”

“I’m here. Open your eyes.”

She dropped her hands and opened her eyes. She frowned and then seemed to notice me in front of her. I saw the shock in her eyes.

“Kaisen?” she whispered.