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“Thank you so much. I might take you up on that if you offer to be my guide,” Ashcroft says, and something warms inside me at his approving tone.
“I’d love to, but I think you’d have a better time with someone who is more familiar with the town. Even Zander knows more about Cherrywood than me.” I smile, remembering our first date at the Pegasus Gallop Farm.
“Of course he does. He’s a businessman. He’s chasing three deals in that town; he has to know everything about it.”
“Three deals?” I glance between Zander and Ashcroft.
Zach snickers and then raises his index finger. “Our third office site, one. Your new home”—he raises a second finger before waving his hand between Zander and me—“two. And you.” Three fingers are up, and there’s a huge grin on his face.
“Me?”
“You are the biggest deal of my life, Rose.” Zander pulls my chair closer to him and puts his arm around me.
“Oh.” I sit there in surprise. “I sound…important,” I blurt, and of course, all four men chuckle.
“You are very important, Rose,” Ashcroft says. “In this house, at this very moment, you are the most important person. After your wedding, this house will be as much yours as it is theirs.”
My breathing halts for a second. My hands shake as I grab the edge of the table. Foreign emotions of gratitude hit me at his unexpectedly soft words.
“Th-thank you so much. It means a lot to me.” More than he’ll ever know.
“And I mean it.”
I nod because I worry if I have to speak more, I’ll turn into a sobbing mess.
8
ZANDER
After lunch, Beast asks for a few minutes of alone time with me while Zane offers to give Rose a tour of the house. Before closing the door to Beast’s study, I notice Zane leading her to the sunroom.
“When is the wedding?” Beast asks before taking a seat behind his desk.
I linger close to the large bookshelf, hesitating for a moment, or maybe too long, as he raises an eyebrow at me.
“Is there a problem?”
I grab my neck in frustration. I don’t even know what it is. “Nothing. Rose is just shy.”
“And?” He lights his cigar, the smell of tobacco filling the space. This is the only room in the house he’s allowed to smoke in, a rule enforced by Roxanne years back when the doctor first told him to cut down on smoking and drinking.
My mind wanders to Roxanne and Rose’s reaction to her.
“She’s having cold feet?” Beast asks.
“She has commitment issues. She didn’t have a normal childhood.”
“I know her background, Zander. Where she spent her childhood and all.” He puffs curls of smoke before going on. “You might be the CEO of Elixir, but did you think I wouldn’t run a background check on your future wife?”
His words don’t surprise me a bit. “Then why were you embarrassing her with all those questions about her parents?” His acute curiosity about her parents has come as a surprise to me, though. It seems he’s more curious about Rose’s parents than her.
“Because that’s something my PI couldn’t find.” I read right through the questioning look he’s giving me. He wants to know how much I know about Rose’s past.
“Well, she has no clue about them. She grew up in a home, or something like a home.”
“How did she land there?”
“Someone working in the orphanage found her, just as she told you.” I try not to remember the state in which my girl was found.
