Page 114 of The October Arrangement

“Listen, old man, I’ll know it when I see it.”

Roberto laughed again.

“I’ll be right back. I think I know the perfect ring for your Bella.” He walked out of the room. A few moments later, he walked into the room and set the ring on the velvet tray. “This one is like the one you just looked at, but with a pavé band.”

I picked it up and smiled. “It’s perfect. This is the one, right?” I glanced at my father.

“Why are you asking me? You know Bella better than I do. It’s beautiful, son. She’ll love it.”

I held the ring up. It was beautiful and elegant without trying too hard. I could already picture it on her hand wrapped around a coffee mug, or resting on my chest.

“Yep. This is it. I’ll take it.” I smiled.

And just like that, I had a ring. Now, I needed to come up with a plan to propose to her.

“Where are you going to propose to her?” my father asked.

“I don’t know, but I want it to be extravagant, no matter the cost.”

“Do you want my opinion, son?”

“Do I have a choice?” My brow raised.

“No.”

“Fine. What’s your opinion?”

“Propose to her at the penthouse.”

“What?” My brows furrowed. “That’s boring.”

“Think about it, Simon. You always claimed your penthouse was your sanctuary. Am I correct?”

“Yes.” I nodded.

“And then you came home from Los Angeles and found a woman you didn’t know living in your penthouse. You wanted her gone, but you agreed to let her stay until the end of October if she followed your rules. The second the month ended, so did the arrangement. Then you fell in love with her and didn’t want her to leave. The penthouse went from being the place you protected everyone from to the place you built a life with Bella. It became her home too. The same place you couldn’t wait to get her out of is now the same place you never want her to leave. Asking her to marry you there would bring everything full circle.” He smiled.

Chapter Forty-One

Bella

I stepped off the elevator and kicked off my shoes. Glancing at my phone, Simon wouldn’t be home from his meeting for at least another hour, which gave me enough time to take a hot, relaxing bath. I walked into the living room and placed my hand over my heart when I saw Simon standing near the window with a drink in his hand.

“Oh my God, you scared me. What are you doing here?”

“I live here,” he smirked.

“You’re supposed to be at a meeting.”

“It ended early,” he said.

I took off my coat and tossed it on the chair. “How early?” I asked.

“A while ago.”

I walked over to where he stood and kissed him softly. He’d changed out of his suit into dark pants and a black button-down shirt. There was something different about him.

“We’re not going out, right?” I asked.