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“Almost as beautiful as you.”
She smiled through her happy tears and would swear he was a little misty eyed, too.
On the way down the stairs that led to his study, he asked, “So, can I talk you into moving in now?”
“Eventually,” she teased with a grin over her shoulder.
“Eventually, my ass,” he muttered.
They stepped out into the kitchen to find Vanessa in full party-planner mode, directing the wait staff she’d hired to circulate throughout the great room and kitchen with hors d’oeurves, champagne, and wine. The evening was warm enough that she’d even opened the French doors in both rooms and had a couple screened patio bonfires lit. With the sunset colors reflecting off the surface of the thawed lake, the entire atmosphere was stunning.
“There you two are,” Vanessa exclaimed when she spotted them. “You’re late.”
Gina glanced up at her fiancée. As if reading her mind, he gave a slight nod, and she moved in close to show her future mother-in-law her left hand. “With good reason.”
“Oh!” The blond woman literally squealed before pulling Gina in for a tight hug. “Congratulations!”
Over the past month, she and Dean had been over to his mother’s house twice for dinner. After the brief meeting at Serena’s art show, she’d suspected the woman would be nice, and once she’d gotten to know her, Gina absolutely adored her, as well as her husband, Wesley. She’d meet the stepsisters in a couple months.
Vanessa released her and moved on to her son. Tears filled her eyes when she stepped back. “Now can I—”
“No,” he denied with enough force to raise both women’s eyebrows. “For heaven’s sake, Mom, if you start hounding her for grandchildren before we’re even married, it might not happen.”
Vanessa’s crestfallen look prompted Gina to move in close and whisper, “Don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere. We’ll be on the same page before too long.”
The older woman drew back, happiness radiating from her smile as she nodded and turned back to her role as party planner.
Dean narrowed his gaze in suspicion. “What did you say to her?”
She shrugged and reached for two glasses of champagne. “You’ll find out soon enough.”
“How about now?” he suggested as she handed him a glass. “The thought of you and my mother conspiring together terrifies me.”
“Just remember one thing.”
“What’s that?”
She clinked her glass against his. “We both love you very much.”
He could definitely drink to that. After a quick kiss, he guided her into the throng of invited guests in the great room and they chatted as he eventually steered her to the stairs leading to the second floor. Urging her up about a third of the way, the vantage point allowed them to see all the faces below. Family, friends, and his employees.
Once he had their attention, he raised his voice. “I just wanted to say thank you all for coming to celebrate the recent success of Daley Solutions with us tonight. For those of you who earn a paycheck from me, I double my thanks for the hard work and dedication you give to the company.” He found Mike in the crowd. “We wouldn’t be where we are without you.”
With a nod of acknowledgment, his friend raised his glass. Dean returned the gesture, then toasted the rest of the guests. Once the chatter subsided, he continued.
“And I have some more good news. As of about forty-five minutes ago, besides being a party for the software release, this has now become my—our—engagement party. Many of you have already met the woman who played a huge part in our most recent success, but now I’d like to officially introduce you to my lovely fiancée, Gina Allen. It seems like chance may have played a part in us meeting, but I’d say it was all by design.”
As cheers and applause rose from below, Dean saw her discretely flashing her left hand at her group of friends standing near the foot of the stairs. Then she turned that wide grin toward him as he leaned down to kiss her.
Before his lips met hers, he murmured, “My very own Cinderella.”
~ The End ~
