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“Today is going to be great.”
For the rest of the afternoon, I drove Evie around to all my favorite places, showing her what the city had to offer. We walked around, holding hands, talking about nothing in particular, just laughing and enjoying each other’s company. Seeing her face light up with the simplest things was a memory I’d take to my grave. She was the sweetest thing.
Her smile.
Her laugh.
Her ridiculous fucking giggle.
I loved it all. For the first time in my life, I was looking forward to learning everything about her. I never had any intention of settling down, but with Evie, I saw a future play out with her in my life. It was such a foreign feeling, the thrill she was bringing into my mundane world.
I was used to working all hours of the day. Today was actually the first time I’d taken a day off in I don’t remember how long. She didn’t have to ask me. I wanted to. There was no way I was letting her leave my bed without getting to know her as much as I could.
The longer we hung out, the more I realized that maybe I truly was lonely in some aspect of my life. Busying myself with work was easy. It was instinctual. I treated my agency like it was my only priority. Living and breathing my business was what I did best.
After dinner, I drove us to our last destination. Wanting to show her the best view in Dallas was how I was ending our day.
—Evie—
We drove in silence, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. If anything, it felt natural. It seemed like everything with Caleb was effortless. The day flew by, and the longer we were together, the further I realized how much I really did like him. It wasn’t hard to fall for him.
He said he didn’t do relationships, but he was such an attentive, caring man. It was hard to believe he wasn’t in one before. The way he catered to my needs as if it was the only thing that mattered to him wasn’t lost on me. He’d make an amazing boyfriend.
Without trying, I began to think that maybe I’d be his first girlfriend. Or, at least, we’d start dating. It was definitely what I desired and hoped for.
I didn’t ask where we were going. I hadn’t all day. I was loving the surprise with each of the places he was taking me to. It was like gift after gift he was giving me without even realizing he was doing so. The emotions I was experiencing with him were feelings I never wanted to end.
He pulled into the parking lot of the most exquisite building downtown. As soon as I saw his name on the reserved parking spot, closest to the elevator, I had an inkling of where we were.
“Caleb Hawkins,” I whispered to myself, recognizing the last name. “Are you part of the Hawkins dynasty? Are you that Hawkins?”
He narrowed his eyes at me, grinning. “You’re familiar with my family?”
“I’m from Georgia, of course I am. Your family owned the first tobacco plantation in the early 1700s. That’s quite a legacy you were born into.”
He didn’t pay me any mind. Instead, he opened the door, stepped out of his car, and I followed suit. Once we were by the trunk, he grabbed my hand and led the way toward the elevator.
The doors opened, and we walked inside where Caleb pressed the button to the top floor.
“This is your building, isn’t it?”
He smiled, but didn’t answer my question.
“I can’t believe you’re acting this humble. Your family is one of the richest in the world.”
“It’s not my money, Evie. Everything I’ve accomplished, I’ve done on my own.”
“Wow. That’s very admirable, Caleb.”
I was falling in love with this man.
“Close your eyes,” he demanded.
I did, and he once again grabbed my hand, leading the way. I walked with my eyes closed, ready for whatever he was about to show me. I heard a door open and then shut behind me.
“You can open your eyes now.”
Slowly, my gaze opened, and I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. There was a three-hundred-sixty degrees view from his floor-to-ceiling windows throughout his entire office.
