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“He always has.” Caleb went to sit on the couch. “I’d absolutely trust him to do the right thing by me and everyone on my team. The question is, do I want to be involved on the sidelines after being in charge for over ten years?”
Lucy came to sit beside him. “I suppose that depends on whether you feel they still need you.”
“Theythinkthey need me because I’ve always been that kind of boss.” He sighed. “That wasn’t healthy for me or for them. Sometimes I wish I’d stayed a tech nerd and let someone else become the CEO. It’s a lot of pressure.”
“Maybe you could strike a deal that gave you the option to be involved in the development side only?” Lucy suggested.
“I suppose I could.” Caleb lapsed into silence. “But right now? The thought of doing any of it fills me with dread.”
“Then maybe you need a clean break.” Lucy paused. “You’ll even get some money out of it.”
“Yeah, around fifty.”
“Fifty what, exactly?” Lucy asked cautiously.
“Million.” He looked at her. “Don’t freak out on me, a lot of it will be tied to stock and other things, depending on the deal I make.”
Lucy just blinked until he took her hand and kissed it.
“Just forget I mentioned that part, okay. And don’t say a word to my dad.”
She shook her head, her brain doing cartwheels. She knew it was Caleb’s money, but as someone who’d never had more than ten thousand dollars in the bank, that many millions was mind-blowing.
She fluttered her eyelashes at him. “Did I mention just how much I love you, Caleb?”
“You’re funny.” He actually cracked a smile before he stood up. “I need to get back to work. I think better when I’m doing something.”
“Don’t we all,” Lucy murmured.
“I’m leaning toward taking Chase’s offer to become the majority shareholder,” Caleb said. “The piece I’m struggling with is whether to make a completely clean break or not.”
“Maybe ask Chase if you can put the deal to your team? See what they think? They might prefer you to be around for a while, even with a new CEO.” “That’s a great idea.” He nodded and strode toward the door. “I’ll check in with him right now.”
She watched him leave and went back to the kitchen, where she ate one of her own cookies and contemplated what to have for lunch. She’d barely managed to finish the thought before Caleb came back in.
“What’s up?” Lucy inquired through a mouthful of crumbs.
He came around the island and took hold of her by the shoulders.
“I forgot to say something. Whatever happens, I still want to be with you. That’s all I care about. The rest of it is just background noise to how you make me feel, and how much I want us to be together. He positively glared at her. “I love you. Just remember that, okay?”
“And forget about all those millions?” She went up on tiptoe and kissed him gently on the mouth. “I’ve loved you all my life. I loved the boy you were and the man you’ve become. Nothing will change that, so you have nothing to worry about.”
He kissed her hard and she returned the favor until he picked her up and slung her over his shoulder.
“What are you doing?” Lucy squeaked.
“Taking you to bed before Dad comes in for lunch.” He strode down the hallway, one hand caressing her butt. “I told you I do my best thinking when I’m busy.”
She shrieked as he tossed her into the middle of the bed, locked the door, and then joined her. She forgot she was supposed to be joining her family for lunch and that Isaiah and Chip were in the kitchen, and gave her cowboy plenty to keep him occupied while he worked out what he was going to do next in his life.
It was the best Christmas ever, hands down, and she had a feeling that the years to come were going to be even better.
